The Joyful Confidence of Oxalis
Talking to plants can feel like slipping down the rabbit hole to Alice’s wonderland. I had that experience one day when I got to know Oxalis.
Oxalis is also known as wood sorrel or sourgrass. It has clover-shaped leaves and cheerful little yellow flowers. I first got to know Oxalis years ago. The yard where I lived at the time always turned into a carpet of yellow Oxalis flowers after the winter rains. If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, you’ve no doubt seen those little yellow flowers taking over yards and hillsides in the early spring.
Around the time that I met Oxalis, I was doing daily plant sits as part of my herbalism studies. When I saw my yard carpeted in yellow, I sat with Oxalis and asked if the plant would tell me about itself.
As soon as I asked, I felt my focus being pulled underground. In my perception, colors became brighter and everything seemed to move more quickly. I saw Oxalis as though it was a little yellow critter, speedily running along well-worn underground pathways, deftly dodging any obstacles in its way. I felt as though I had been dropped through the rabbit hole into an underground PacMan game. In my mind’s eye, Oxalis looked very much like PacMan running along an underground maze. The energy of Oxalis felt extremely chipper and quite fast. It felt like quite a mover and shaker.
The experience reminded me of a time decades ago when I was traveling in a VW bus. Those us traveling in the bus were getting by on duct tape repairs and cheap veggie burritos, but somehow everything just worked. If we were looking for a friend, we’d magically run into them. If we needed a part to repair the bus, we’d run into someone who could provide it. I had the sense that the spirit of Oxalis moves in a similar way. It felt like a plant that can slip through tangles of roots and clumps of dirt without ever jostling anything or being jostled and always getting exactly what it needs.
I later found out that Oxalis roots do spread out in a horizontal direction under the surface of the earth. And they do so with rather shocking rapidity. When I discovered that, I realized that Oxalis actually showed me how it grows. The pathways I saw it running along, are in fact pathways that its rapidly spreading roots carve out through the earth.
Oxalis seems to me like a supremely confident plant. It doesn’t worry about change. It would never think to worry about getting its needs met. If the sun grows too hot, it will simply go underground and sprout up at a different time or in a new location. If it is removed by humans, it will come back in no time. It is often considered to be a weed, given its habit of sprouting up without invitation. It’s tendency to take over hillsides isn’t great for the overall ecosystem of an area. It can soak up all available resources and drive out other plants, which in turn drives out wildlife. When I connect with the spirit of Oxalis and ask about its invasive tendencies, I feel it giving a Gallic shrug. According to Oxalis, it doesn’t need permission to grow when and where it wants. It simply does what it does.
That said, the spirit of Oxalis doesn’t feel unkind. To the contrary, it feels as though it delights in life. It delights in running underground and then rising up to greet the sun. It is as exuberant as a little kid who grabs every last cookie from the jar.
Oxalis may be lacking in some balance when it comes to the greater ecosystem, but it’s a helpful ally. There are those among us who seem to be bafflingly confident, but most of us could use a healthy dose of self-assurance from time to time. Connecting with the spirit of Oxalis is a reminder of what it feels like to delight in your own existence. It’s a reminder of what it feels like to feel completely assured of your intrinsic worthiness and your inherent right to take up space. Oxalis is also a great ally for navigating change. Its self-assurance allows it to zip around the planet without fear. Sitting with the spirit of oxalis is a great way to release worries and gain confidence in your next steps.
On a physical level, Oxalis aids digestion. The clover leaves are quite sour, which is why it’s often referred to as sour grass. Just as with its supreme confidence, a little goes a long way. Adding just a few leaves to salads will add a tart taste to a dish and also ease digestion.
Oxalis’s affinity for running underground and avoiding the extreme heat also contributes to its medicinal properties. A syrup of oxalis will bring a fever down and quench excessive thirst. Too much oxalis can result in nutritional deficiencies and exacerbate some inflammatory conditions. But a taste of it can be great medicine for the body and soul.
If you want to connect with Oxalis, it’s as simple as sitting with it, extending your energetic tentacles and saying hello. If you don’t have oxalis growing nearby, you can also invite it into a meditation with you. If you do, be prepared to be swiftly pulled down the rabbit hole into a delightful underground warren. Happy travels!
