Bloom Where You Are Planted Course
Lesson 2: The Healing Wisdom of Flowers
Plant Spirit Medicine recognizes that plants have spirit. Spirit is the strongest medicine.
Spirit can heal the deepest reaches of our heart and soul.
In the western hemisphere, Eliot Cowan, author of "Plant Spirit Medicine: A Journey into the Healing Wisdom of Plants," is known as the modern-day plant shaman. Upon his first “magical meeting” with plant spirits, Eliot recalls
I hoped that I would meet someone who could teach me. I was not disappointed. The spirit gave me detailed instructions about its magic, how I could use it, and who could benefit from it. The plant assured me it would help me heal many people. It said it had been waiting for nearly 200 years for someone to ask for this kind of help once again.
Eliot refers to the plants as “our grandparents”. Listen to Eliot Cowan talks about the plant spirits in this interview with Tammy Simon, Sounds True, listen here.
In the interview, Eliot talked about gifting plants with tobacco. Loose tobacco can be offered as gratitude to plants, Mother Earth, and the Ancestors. You can also gift with high-quality chocolate and cornmeal. My garden, and especially the faery, love chocolate!
Speaking of the Faery, did you know…
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The Druids brought holly into their homes to shelter the elves and faery who be might be visiting them during the wintertime
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In West England, sprigs of holly around a young girl's bed on Christmas Eve kept away mischievous house goblins and brought sweet dreams.
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Foxgloves, sometimes called Fairy Cups, are said to ring when faery sing.
Getting Started: Flower Gazing Meditation
Flower Gazing is one of the most beautiful and powerful forms of meditation. It uses an object to help to center and stabilize mental focus. Enjoy this short video, watch here.
Lesson: Connecting with Your Flower Guide
When working with your Flower Guide, as with any guide, it is important to set an intention for your work together and to take your time to explore, interpret, and integrate the information, insight, and wisdom that you receive. This can often require deep contemplation, reflection and introspection to receive the most meaningful message from your Flower Guide.
Earlier, you created a healing intention for this course. Today, set an intention to meet a Flower Guide that will share its wisdom with you and teach you how to manifest your healing intention.
Before seeking a Flower Guide, ground and center yourself by closing your eyes and focusing on your breath. Breathe in and out of your strong and radiant heart. Feel the grounding and stability of your feet, legs, and hips, connecting with the earth. Feel your spine naturally lift at your hips and rise like a flower emerging out of the ground and lifting upwards to the sun.
Choose a flower from your garden that attracts your attention. It does not need to be a flower that you like; it may be a flower that you don't particularly like. If you do not have a garden, you can visit a local florist or use a photograph or image from a garden catalog, internet, or the library.
Practice the Taoist Flower Gazing exercise with your Flower Guide.
Please consider sharing your experience and your flower.
Taking the Lesson Further
To understand life in the universe, we first must understand life on Earth. Plant life impacts everything from the terrain under our feet to the air we breathe. Scientist and author Daniel Chamovitz unveils the surprising world of plants that see, feel, smell, and even remember. Watch here.
When we think about plants, we don't often associate a term like "behavior" with them, but experimental plant ecologist JC Cahill wants to change that. The University of Alberta professor maintains that plants behave and lead anything but solitary and sedentary lives. Learn more here.
Remember the flowers singing “All in a Golden Afternoon” from Disney’s Alice in Wonderland? You can watch it here. How many flowers did you identify?
Answers: The flowers and their central theme (quality, attribute, and quality) in the video are listed below. Did I miss any?
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Blue Bonnet / Lupine - Happiness, Hope, Imagination, Joy, Strength
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Calla Lily - Beauty, Sensuality, Peace, Purity, Youthfulness
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Chrysanthemum - Cheerfulness, Love, Truth
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Daffodil - Regard, Respect, Sunshine
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Daisy - Cheerfulness, Independence, Innocence, Hope, Purity
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Dandelion - Faithfulness, Happiness, Wisdom
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Iris - Friendship, Faith, Hope, Message, Wisdom
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Morning Glory - Affection, Attachment, Instability
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Pansy - Divination, Magic, Loving Thoughts
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Rose - Beauty, Desire, Enchantment, Grace, Happiness, Hope, Innocence, Love, Thankfulness
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Tiger Lily - Pride, Prosperity, Wealth
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Sunflower - Adoration, Longevity, Pride, Sunshine, Warmth
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Sweet Pea - Departure, Pleasures
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Tulip - Elegance, Fame, Love, Grace
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Violet - Devotion, Faithfulness, Love, Loyalty, Modesty
