Ponga
Cyathea dealbata
Essence: This remedy opens the doorway into the mystical dimensions through being fully present in the physical world. It enables a free-ranging meditative state of mind through an anchored stillness.
Use: An excellent remedy for those drawn into other people’s worlds and those who lose their own sense of self. Ponga enhances our state of being and experience. Careful use of this remedy is recommended. It is particularly useful for working with depression. It works to enhance other remedies. Use for when we lose trust in our lives.
Description: The ponga is a tree fern and is often the first plant to cover land that has been burnt for pasture. The trunk is known as a caudex, and it can grow up to 9 to 10 metres tall. The caudex is very fibrous and the upper portion has the bases of old frond stems, called stipes. Ponga are robust, often re-growing after being cut down. The fronds are erect; the sori large, brown and covered by a dome-like indusium. Mature ponga form buttresses at the base with a dense mass of aerial roots.
Meaning: The ponga remedy is about an earth-based spiritual exploration. As the ponga frond unfurls, it is a koru, a spiral form that contains its innate power that can only be expressed. It does not interrupt itself. Fluid and unstoppable, it reflects the nature and power to live and to exist without argument or denial. As this unfolds, it’s transformative. There’s forward movement and all we have to do is be still and allow it. How to be in it, is to be centred in ourselves and trusting of the life force that propels us forward.
This remedy is balanced, but more than that, it centres us into the life force. Ponga also creates the nursery for further life. It is, therefore, a great remedy for getting projects moving and being able to focus your attention on what is most important for the project to move forward. The balance shows in the gesture, the strength and solidness of the caudex and the lightness of the fronds.