Coneflower

Echinacea

Pisces

Knowing, Healing

Coneflower is also called Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), a wildflower native to eastern and central North America that is used to treat bacterial infections. It also refers to Yellow Coneflower (Echinacea paradoxa) which also has a cone center surrounded by yellow droopy petals.  The "paradoxa" references the paradox of this plant having yellow flowers instead of purple. This paradox points out the uniqueness of people who work with Coneflower medicine - they make look like everyone else but have a better sense of knowing, both themselves and through all of their senses, including their connection to spirit.

Coneflower grows from 2 to 4 feet in height and likes full sun. The purple and pink flowers blooms in the summer and often into the fall.  It grows well in many types of well drained soil, including soil with clay. The plant is heat, drought and deer resistant. This suggests resilience and tolerance which are traits of people who know themselves, who know their own resilience and are tolerant of those conditions, places and people who are not like themselves.  This knowing extends to intuition or claircognizance, where people who are attracted to Coneflower were born with strong intuition to see into the dark: to know the truth of others, their true nature and motivations and their true personalities, which may or may not match with what they say. The concept of knowing may be seen in people with a strong sense of purpose, such as professional athletes, painters and others who have a passion for what they do.  To outsiders, these may look like extraordinary abilities.  To the individual, the unique ability feels very comfortable, and they likely see themselves as no different than anyone else. 

Coneflower attracts birds and butterflies which is symbolic of connection to higher realms of intuition and knowing. 

If the flowers are left on the stems, the plants will self seed.  The leaves and flower petals are edible. Roots are used to make echinacea tea. 

The plant was used historically by Native Americans as a medicinal herb. Extracts from the plant roots and leaves are used currently to treat colds and the flu and some have used it to treat other types of infections such as ear aches. It has also been used to reduce inflammation and has been explored for use as an antioxidant. 

Echinacea comes from the Greek word echinos meaning sea-urchin in reference to the spiny appearance of the center cone on the flowers. 

Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera

Aloe vera

Aquarius, Aries, Cancer, Capricorn, Gemini, Scorpio, Virgo

Healing, Soothe Emotions

Aloe Vera are flowering succulent plants that grow wild in tropical climates around the world. Plants have prickly leaves that provide defense against animals and grow to two feet tall. The plants enjoy direct sunlight and bloom in summer with orange, pink, red or yellow flowers. Aloe Vera, also called Barbados Aloe, First Aid Plant and Medicinal Aloe, is commonly grown indoors.

The gel in Aloe Vera leaves has been used for centuries for agricultural and medicinal uses. Known for their antiviral and antibacterial properties, aloe vera gel is used for skin and hair care. It is effective with healing mild burn wounds and is a common remedy for sunburn relief. 

The gel consists of 96% water and has vitamins A, B, C and E which are important for skin care and weight loss.  If ingested, the gel will cause sickness in people and pets. 

Mature aloe vera plants produce offsets or pups that can be removed and placed in soil to grow.

A leaf of a mature aloe plant can be cut and the gel used topically immediately.  This plant is prickly on the outside but has soothing properties on the inside.  It teaches us to stay neutral and curious about all things – those things that we perceive as something to fear may be those that give us great strength.   

The offsets or pups contain the energy for those who move locations and who like to or are interested in changing careers.  This energy grows from the existing energy to start new. If you want a new job or career that is very different, for example changing from a teacher to a real estate agent, use aloe to pave the way for a graceful transition.  The same applies when changing homes - aloe can soothe the emotions related to letting go and starting fresh.   

Aloe is a pure gift from the plant kingdom to the human kingdom – it is easy for everyone to grow and use for healing.

Again, the energy and essence of this plant show the importance of avoiding assumptions based on appearances. This somewhat small plant (grows up to two feet) gives back significantly in topical healing power. 

In use, aloe vera is soothing. Keep it on hand to soothe emotions during trying times, to sooth the more difficult emotions such as grief and to sooth people during life transitions. It will work to absorb the difficult emotions around it. And if, during these times, you have a small cut or burn, use the gel from a leaf to sooth the physical wound too.