Thwarting the Spread of Evil
a lesson from garlic mustard and other invasive species
Perched on the couch, I spotted an overgrown cluster of garlic mustard. How did that get there? Last year I diligently scoured the yard for every speck of garlic mustard so that it didn’t spread. Yet there it is staring at me mockingly. That’s the default state of that blasted plant.
As I glared out the window willing the plant out of the ground with my latent powers of telekinesis, the corollaries between invasive species and the spread of evil dawned on me. (Please note, try as I might, the telekinesis has yet to activate. Alas.)
If you’re unfamiliar with garlic mustard because you live in a part of the country where it isn’t trying to choke out every other plant in the woods, lucky you. Let me introduce you to one of my least favorite invasive species. This sucker spreads insanely fast and will ace out wonderful native plants like trillium and jack-in-the-pulpits and violets. Left unchecked, it will take over within the course of a few years. See how the comparison starts to write itself?
One of the most egregious myths within the spiritual and New Age communities is the notion that if we focus on the positive and ignore the darkness, evil will snuff itself out. Love and light. Love and light. Not so, my friends. Left to its own devices, evil will spread into every corner that it can. Much like the stupid garlic mustard, in the blink of an eye one grows to many, ultimately eradicating everything in its path.
You have to pull the plant before it goes to seed.
Guess what? The same goes for evil.
Calling out evil and looking it square in the face is the equivalent of pulling the invasive plant. We have to acknowledge it in order to keep it in check. I’m not looking for the full elimination of darkness or evil, though I will gladly take this option when it comes to the garlic mustard growing over our septic tank. We need the fluctuation of good and evil and light and dark in order to create a bit of friction to continue our planetary (and universal) expansion.
The incredible news is that evil never fully snuffs out the good that dwells in the depths of the woods. A few years back, I tackled a hillside full of garlic mustard for a friend. As summer folk, she was never here when the plant bloomed or seeded so her timing was always too late to stop the spread. Seventeen black garbage bags stuffed to the brim later, because that’s what it takes to properly dispose of this oh so annoying plant, her hill was cleared. Amidst some of the healthiest batches of garlic mustard I had ever seen were massive families of jack-in-the-pulpits waiting to see the light of day. Never before had I encountered such impressive clusters.
Sometimes all it takes is clearing out the muck in order for the bright spots to thrive again.
But wait!! I’m absolutely going to take this comparison one step further.
Nestled next to the mound of garlic mustard just outside our fence lies an ever spreading clumps of greater celandine, yet another invasive species. This one highlights a different aspect of how evil works. Yes, it too takes over anything in its path, but it also impersonates the native celandine poppy. The gall!!
We see this same trickery with aliens manipulating people through communication in the fourth dimension. Malicious beings pass themselves off as helpful ghosts or what are often labeled spirit guides. Bad guys mimic the good guys in hopes of going unnoticed or worse. To the novice, the stark differences are not always apparent, just as with gardening.
The more we educate ourselves and lean into our discernment, the easier it becomes to know what stays and what goes. Willfully turning a blind eye only works for so long. Time to pull the weeds — but always remember to enjoy the flowers.
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