Fern

Tracheophyta

Endurance, Diversity

Ferns are perennials that grow in woodlands and swampy areas. Ferns have a variety of leaf colors, shapes and sizes. Most ferns die back to the ground in fall and do survive very cold winters. Ferns like to grow in soil rich in organic matter. Ferns native to the tropics can be grown indoors in northern climates. Ferns are nonflowering plants that produce spores instead of seeds. The leaves, called fronds, uncurl from a tight spiral, and grow in height from under 1 inch to a species native to eastern Australia that grows up to 50 feet tall (Dicksonia Antarctica). Spore dots grow on the underside of many fronds and are used for reproduction, a process that predates reproduction by seed. They are an ancient plant, dating to more than 350 million years ago. Although lifespan is dependent on species, some ferns can live up to 100 years. Ferns can begin to grow as early as 1 year after a lava flow.

In Europe, fern seeds (spores) were thought to bring invisibility and to find treasure. Ferns are also associated with fairies.   Roots are used in some herbal remedies for stomach and intestinal ailments and other issues. In Native American culture, ferns were eaten, used in herbal teas and woven into mats and were used to treat many common ailments.

Ferns have a reproductive methodology older than use of seeds, showing us the deeply rooted nature and endurance of all life.

Ferns are one of the first plants to grow in natural disaster areas such as lava flows, giving us again, strong symbolism into the tenacity of life. Draw on fern symbolism and energy when you perceive everything going "wrong" in your life and you'd like to start fresh, when you are starting a new career or when you are making significant life changes.

The quick regeneration is a gift from plant to humans and to the earth, turning barren ground into a food source.

Ferns area a strong conduit into the spirit world. Fern leaves spread out from both sides of the central stock, forming a ladder to the spiritual realms. Fern leaves are also not solid, providing a view through our physical world into the world of spirit. Meditate on fern symbolism to enhance your connection to the world of spirit.

Ferns are very small to very large, showing us the beauty of diversity - even within one plant or human family. Fern shows us how to celebrate diversity and see it as a positive trait.

Poison Ivy

Rhus radicans

Boundaries, Balance

Poison ivy, native to North America and known for causing itching on contact, is a vine with clusters of three leaves on the end of stems. The tip of each leaf is pointy. The plant is green in summer, and frequently turns red in fall, which makes it easier to identify. It can grow as a vine on trees and other vegetation, and can also grow as a single plant. Urushiol oil, which causes a rash and itching, is though out the plant, not just on leaves. Recovery can take from one to three weeks; a severe reaction will require medical treatment. Poison ivy is not toxic to deer, who may eat it as a source of food. Jewelweed is a natural remedy to poison ivy rash.

How are you at setting boundaries?  Poison ivy teaches us that having boundaries is healthy, and when you allow others or events to push or exceed your boundaries, you can get very itchy.

Poison ivy grows as vines and as plants, showing us that things toxic to us can come in any shape or size.

Some people are very sensitive the the oil in the poison ivy plant.  Are you having reactions to what others are saying?  Know that you have your own truth and others will always have opinions and thoughts that may or may not align with who you are and how you think. Let your opinion of yourself be dominant in your experience.  

Nature gave us a plant that causes an uncomfortable rash, and also a plant to counteract the irritating oil.  In this way, poison ivy is an example of how we can look at two sides of an issue, and how balance in our lives is important. If you're encountering poison ivy, meditate on what areas of your life could use more balance.

Myth: A poison ivy rash is contagious.
Truth: Human reaction is only to urushiol oil.
Myth: Some people are very sensitive to poison ivy and some are immune to the effects of the oil.  Truth: People's sensitivity to poison ivy can change over time.

Poinsettia

Euphorbia pulcherrima

Capricorn, Sagittarius

Joy, Growth

Native to Mexico, the poinsettia flowers from December to January and is frequently used as a decorative Christmas plant. The red "flowers" on the poinsettia plant are modified leaves called bracts, designed to attract insects to the tiny yellow flowers at the center.  In Mexico the poinsettia is a perennial shrub that will grow 10-15 feet tall. The plants are not cold tolerant. Red poinsettias have also been called the Christmas Star, Christmas Flower, Painted Leaf, Lobster Flower, Flame Leaf Flower and Flores de Noche Buena, or Flowers of the Holy Night.

All of the wisdom of poinsettia points to having the ability to experience joy.  Year end holidays are joyful times, and may be more joyful if we allow ourselves the time to refresh ourselves and acknowledge the joy within us and all around us.

Poinsettias are prominent in the North America during December but may show up as an interest at any time. It brings to mind the lesson of allowing.  As the plant allows it's leaves to become flowers, are you allowing yourself to bloom?  Are you allowing your very "ordinary" self to bloom into your "extraordinary" self?

Poinsettias tend to show up when we are very busy in our lives.  Are you allowing yourself to rest and rejuvenate yourself?  The plant shows us that we should take time daily to refresh ourselves and to take time to meditate and find inner calm and restfulness. 

The Aztecs used the leaves to produce red dye and the sap was used as a medication for fever.
In Mexican folklore, a young girl gave a handful of weeds to the church at Christmas as an offering, and the offering took on color and became the miracle of the poinsettia plant. 

The shape of the poinsettia flower and leaves are symbolic of the biblical Star of Bethlehem. 

Myth: Poinsettia plants are poisonous.
Truth: They have a milky sap that may irritate the skin of some people and animals.

Dianthus

Dianthus

Sagittarius

Diversity, Variety

The sun-loving flower Dianthus can be found as an annual, biennial or perennial. Many of the more than 300 species of Dianthus, as well as hundreds of hybrids, have flowers with a fragrant scent and notched petals. Flowers bloom in spring or summer through to autumn and can be many shades of pink, red, white, rose or lavender. Plants have blue-green foliage and range from small ground cover to plants 30 inches tall. Common names are Carnation, Pinks or Sweet William.

Dianthus are native to Europe or Asia, and are now also grown elsewhere. Dianthus comes from Greek words for the Greek mythological god Zeus and flower, roughly translated as "flower of Zeus" or  “flower of the gods”.

Dianthus bursts with color, which blooms repeatedly through the summer. Working or planting Dianthus will bring bursts of color in our lives; color bringing joy to our spirits. 

Dianthus also blooms in a variety of colors, and in multiple colors on one bloom, showing us many lessons on diversity and variety and how they can support us joyfully in life. Dianthus is an example that we have choice of many paths and each one, or a few, may be right for us.  Feel free to explore a path that calls to you, and later, if another calls, know that the new path is right at that time.  

Different varieties of Dianthus have fairly flat surfaces, and others have layers of petals similar to carnations, giving us the idea that many flavors can belong to the same family or group and thrive together. We all bring the unique aspects of ourselves and each of these strengthen, enhance or highlight unique aspects of others.

Dianthus shows us the variety of personal choices, including those right for you. For example, your family may be of people you've chosen instead of those related by blood.

Caladium

Caladium Bicolor

Growing Life Purpose, Calming

Caladiums are tropical plants that like warm soil and hot weather. Known for their attractive foliage and intricate leaf patterns, the plants are perennials in the tropical South, and are commonly planted as annuals in the North. The leaves may be in shades and patters in red, pink, rose, white and green. The plant likes full shade or diffused light and grows up to 20 inches tall.

Caladiums originated in South America; they need well-drained soil rich in organic matter. In the Tropical South, the tubers may be left in the ground and the plant will become dormant. Elsewhere, the tubers need to be dug up in the early fall and kept in organic matter such as peat moss. Tubers can be replanted the following spring when the soil temperature is above 65 degrees. Caladium is also known as Elephant Ear, Heart of Jesus and Angel Wings.


Caladiums were used by native people in Latin America as part of hunting traditions.

Caladiums have broad leaves that provide shade in tropical climates for the earth. Use Caladiums to "cool" hot emotional issues, and to "shade" their intensity.

The foliage has vibrant colors and hues as well as intricate patterns. This shows us that beauty can be found in those things common, ie. the leaves, not the flowers. The plant encourages us to take joy in the common events of every day life.

Caladiums are grown from bulbs which store energy from which the vibrant leaves emerge. Know that you too have this store of energy, and can use it to grow your life purpose.

Native to tropical areas but grown widely in other areas, Caladiums remind us to be aware of the seasons, those brought about by nature and within ourselves. If you have a strong love of this plant, your primary season may be summer - the hotter the better!

Daisy

Bellis perennis

Taurus

Happiness

Daisies are flowering plants that like to grow in full sun and are also cold hardy.  Available in a variety of colors (Gerbera Daisy, English Daisy) and many varieties, the daisy flower is best known for its yellow center surrounded by white petals (Shasta Daisy). Daisies bloom in the summer and fall; one flower grows usually grows from a single stalk. The flowers open at dawn, and are known to attract butterflies. Plants can be started from seed or propagate through their roots and grow from 10 inches to three feet tall.  Some of the taller plants may require staking.

Daisy leaves are edible and can be used in salads. Daisy leaves and flowers have anti-inflammatory and astringent properties and have been used to make tea to treat symptoms of the common cold and issues with digestion.  It has been used as a topical tincture to speed up healing.

Daisies bloom in many colors, including yellow, red, pink, purple, white and orange, and represent happiness blooming from within us all. If you are at a place in your life where introducing sunshine and sunny thoughts are needed, daisy will help to bring the lighter emotions to you. Bring daisies into your home in any form as a representation of hope, joy and happiness. Choose the color to match your concept of your happiest self.

Daisies open to the morning sun, and those drawn to daisies will also like the morning or can make use of the morning as the most productive time of the day. You may want to consider waking before or to the sunrise to take fullest advantage of this benefit.

Some of the tallest daisies need to be stalked or supported, showing us that even those of us with the sunniest dispositions can incorporate others into our lives.  We can be supported by others to help us grow to our fullest.  Make use of daisies if you are in need of or you’d like to have better supporting relationships.

Daisies attract butterflies – a great representation of the happiness and beauty in ourselves attracting beauty to us.

Some of the traits assigned to daisies through the ages are purity and innocence (white), cheerfulness (yellow) and gentleness. The daisy is Freya’s sacred flower in Norse mythology.

The Wisdom of Plants

The Wisdom of Plants

"Even a stone, and more easily a flower or a bird, could show you the way back to God, to the Source, to yourself. When you look at it or hold it & let it be without imposing a word of mental label on it, a sense of awe, of wonder, arises within you. Its essence silently communicates itself to you and reflects your own essence back to you."

Eckhart Tolle

Last week, my husband and I went for a meal in our local town and I stopped outside the restaurant to admire a plant with bright orange flowers.  I asked the restaurant owner about the plant and she told me the story of how the small grouping of potted plants outside the back door provide herbs and decoration for the food prepared there.

Have you ever taken a moment out of your day to admire a flower, an ornamental arrangement in a hotel lobby, the flower beds of one of your neighbors, the flowerbeds planted by professional buildings, the rose bush growing on the side of your home?  Or even stopped to photograph flowers or plants you found to be striking or exceptional or beautiful?

Plants support us and our lives in all ways.  We use plants as a primary food source, as clothing and as building materials.  The Plant-Speak provides focus on the joyful aspects that plants bring into our lives. Plants and flowers reflect the joy you and I feel about flowers we see every day or those discovered in the woods or when we are on vacation somewhere new.  The joy of the lushness of tropical plants and flowers, the joy of walking in the northern woods, the joy of seeing cactus bloom. For those seeking to bring more joy into their lives, bringing plants and flowers into our everyday experience helps us to reflect on the essence of those plants and on the essence of those characteristics in ourselves.

Plants are alive and, like all things, are energetic bodies.  We can observe common characteristics about flowers and plants - and many of these observations are included because they tend to also tie into messages the plants have for us.  Messages from plants are uplifting.  Daisies bring us happiness; sunflowers provide focus as shown by how they follow the sun throughout the day.  Other plants grow underground roots to propagate, showing us the importance of ties to family and friends.  And a few provide messages, such as poison ivy!  What better example from the world of nature to watch where you're going and to be aware of what you touch.  Many flowers and plants also have relationships to something specific; a geographic area - the Joshua Tree - or to specific an insect or to water.  These relationships are often included as they also provide guideposts to the energy and messages the plant brings to us.

Like all things, take the meanings that are of most significance you because the message is directly for you.  You may want to contemplate the meaning and see how it has applied to you or how you can choose to apply it to your life.

Plants can bring us joy in many ways. If you have an affinity to a flower or plant, a good way to bring more of that energy into your life is bring it into your living space.

 Living in a small apartment in an urban area?  Introduce flowers in a bouquet, a plant on your windowsill, curtains that have lobelia growing into the sunlight, a picture on the wall, a bed covering covered with wildflowers, the smell of lavender in bath water and any other way your imagination creates.  The energy of flowers is represented in any way that is pleasing to you.

Do you live in a typical suburban area?  Select flowers from a nursery that are pleasing to you, choose herbs for a garden that is beautiful and edible, create a landscape of varying colors and textures, throw wildflower seeds into an empty bed, or leave the land to grow wild and introduce plants of nature's choice. Are you drawn to flowers of a specific color?  Colors also have meaning.

Do you live on a large area of land?  Consider a bed of lavender (bees will be happy) or a border of flowers where they can be viewed from your living space.  Any and all of the ideas above apply here and can be on a grander scale.

Keep in mind the amount of time you are willing to devote to maintaining plants.  Wildflowers may be a good choice for the minimalist gardener.  Or a few plants on a windowsill.  A large annual and perennial garden may be a good fit for the person who loves working in the dirt.  But first and foremost, chose something you love and you'll love working in the garden.

Many names and characteristics have been given to the energetic properties of plants.  The messages provided are from the energy of the plants and flowers. If you're more comfortable thinking of the energy as a deva or by another name, please do so as the concepts apply.  How have I connected to the energy of plants?  It can be done by meditating on the plant with the intent to connect to it.  You can do the same.  For example, have you ever looked at a flower, such as a daisy, with deep appreciation and thought about how happy it looks?

All that is written here is with the intent to bring plant wisdom and joy to us all.

Annette