Lantana

Lantana

Abundance, Knowing (Cognisance)

In tropical and subtropical climates, Lantana is a fast growing perennial. In cooler climates, it is grown as an annual. The plants like sun to part shade and, once established, are heat, salt and drought tolerant.  The plants like well drained soil. 

Lantana grows clusters of small, tubular flowers that are from from 1 to 2 inches across, that may be of different colors, including white, yellow, orange, pink, red, purple or blue. Flowers start with one color hue then gradually transition through a spectrum of colors as they mature. Flowers grown as annuals bloom from April to October. Plants in tropical climates bloom year round. Lantana flowers attract bees, hummingbirds and butterflies. Leaves are deep green and are poisonous to most animals.

Lantana can be propagated from seeds or stem cuttings.  The plants are native to tropical and subtropical areas of North, Central and South America and have have also grown in Africa for hundreds of years. 

Lantana has been used as an herbal medicine for its antimicrobial, fungicidal and insecticidal properties.

Abundance - profusion of flowers throughout the growing season. Lantana is good for people who may have been practicing the concept of lack - that they are not deserving or worthy of all the richness in life or can't afford the lovely things life has to offer. If the richness of life is not flowing to you, meditate on how your beliefs: are you not deserving or worthy? Do you think that being spiritual or creative also means you need to live in poverty? Check to see if your belief system is holding you back from abundance in life. 

Lantana keeps blooming all summer so if you falter in thinking you are not deserving of abundance, the profusion of flowers provides a fresh reminder that abundance is available to you and to everyone at all times. The need to deadhead or prune the flowers to encourage new growth is a reminder to pay attention - keep your focus on abundance, on feeling as if the abundance of life is available to you, and it will continue to flow for and to you. 

Lantana produces nectar in their flowers which attract butterflies and hummingbirds. The butterflies and hummingbirds land and consume nectar, then fly away. Imagine each contact establishing a small thread from flower to another destination, from earth to spirit, from our present consciousness awareness to another dimension. People who experience spiritual knowing have these similar threads from their consciousness to spirit - many, many delicate connections that manifest as a deep trust or knowing. These are the people who came into this life not seeking a connection with light but with their lights already on. If you are one of these people, you'll have deep spiritual awareness as part of your being. While others may have powerful awakening experiences, you will already have a solid base of knowledge of what it means to be spiritual and connected to spiritual realms. So don't be surprised if you experience a small wave of change when others experience a tsunami. 

 

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.