Milkweed

Asclepias

Butterfly Milkweed

Scorpio

Creation, Power

Milkweed is a perennial plant that has small, star shaped flowers that grow in clusters. Bloom time for most varieties is from late spring through summer and flowers can be pink, purple or orange. The plants grow from two to five feet and most varieties of this plant produce seed pods in the fall that split open to spread many seeds. Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds love Milkweed. The plant and flowers bring the vibrations of creation and sustainability. 

Milkweed is not a weed, showing us that everything is not always as it seems. The milky sap that the Milkweed produces is toxic to people, pets and livestock if eaten in large quantities, although most animals do not like the taste of the sap or plant.

Monarch butterflies lay their eggs only on the Milkweed plant and Monarch caterpillars only eat the Milkweed plant.  The eggs are laid on the underside of the leaves. If they lay their eggs on any other type of plant they will not have a food source and will die. Milkweed, along with Monarch butterflies, bring to us the energies found along a direct path of creation from plant to egg to caterpillar to butterfly. It shows us the beauty that can be created by a simple yet dependent process in nature. These energies can also be called upon to assist us with transformations of all kinds, for example with taking a concept and creating a product or service.  It can also be called upon by those who are undergoing metamorphosis by making large changes in their lives, such as major career changes, moving from one location to another or changing family status through marriage, divorce, children, grown children becoming independent, becoming grandparents or retirement.

The dependency of the Monarch butterfly on Milkweed is symbolic of the relationship of soul to person - humans are born from the soul or creator or God and remain intertwined and dependent on this relationship throughout their lives.  Being aware of this connection allows people not only to live but to thrive. If you resonate with Milkweed plant or flowers, you were likely born with a level of intuition or knowing that is more developed than others. While some may seek out psychics to see into the unknown or seek to learn to connect with spirit, you walked into this lifetime with these abilities.  Know and trust your own inclinations and know and trust the signs you receive and other synchronicities in your life are there to support you and move you forward on your path.

The relationship with the Monarch butterfly is also symbolic of the ability to take flight or to journey from one realm to another. It can help us see from the physical to the spiritual, or through the physical to the truth of a matter. The image of a butterfly emerging from a cocoon to butterfly to flight can be used as a jumping off point in your imagination to journey into other realms.

The different types of Milkweed common in the United States require different soil and growing conditions.

• Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) likes average soil.
• Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) likes hot conditions and will only grow as a perennial with warm weather.
• Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) likes dry conditions.
• Whorled Milkweed or White Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata) grow best in dry conditions, in sun to part shade, and tolerates poor soil.  It produces clusters of up to 20 white flowers near the top of each plant, has skinny leaves and grows from 1 to 3 feet tall. This variety reproduces by sprouting from underground stems called rhizomes.
• Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) prefers wet conditions, grows up to 5 feet and blooms in July and August.

Native cultures in the United States and Canada have used Milkweed for rope fiber, food and as a natural remedy.

Lily of the Valley

Convallaria majalis

Gemini

Celebration, Connection with Spirit

Lily of the Valley plants and flowers bring to us the celebration of life.  The small fragrant white flowers are bell shaped, symbolic of bells that ring in honor of festivals and celebrations. The flowers are also symbolic of church bells, and when lily of the valley is incorporated in weddings or other church-related celebrations, can bring additional fun to the events.

Lily of the Valley likes shade and moist soil and is a perennial plant in temperate zones in North America, Europe and Asia.  The plant likes cool winters when it becomes dormant.  In comparison to the small groups of white flowers, the green leaves are from 3 to 5 inches wide and up to 8 inches high. When the flowers are pollinated, they produce a red berry containing up to six seeds.

Lily of the Valley blooms in spring for three to four weeks and is the birth flower for the month of May. The flowers are fragrant and have been used to make perfume and skin care products. showing us the sweetness in life.  As an essential oil, it is used to uplift emotions. The scent of the flower can be used to enhance and uplift your vibration and to help you connect more securely and fully with your higher self, angels and the world of spirit.

The plants spread to fill any available land. It reproduces by sprouting from underground stems called rhizomes.  Once established, it may be very difficult to remove from landscaping.  This aspect of the plant is worth consideration: how are you at setting boundaries?  Setting your personal boundaries is very healthy, both so that you can live and act according to your ethics and beliefs and so that you don't allow others to either overrun your beliefs or fall short of them.    

Lily of the Valley leaves and flowers have been used as an herbal remedy for hundreds of years to help regulate the heart and to help with high blood pressure. This should be done by an experienced herbalist; all parts of the plant are also poisonous if eaten.

Lily of the Valley is also called Mary's Tears, from the concept that the plant grew from where Mary cried at the death of Jesus, May Bells, Jacob's Ladder, and Ladder to Heaven.

Pansy

Pansy

Viola tricolor hortensis

Capricorn

Thoughtfulness, Winter

Pansies are colorful flowers grown as annuals in most regions. Pansies are cold hardy plants that can survive a frost.  This plant doesn't like intense summer heat which can inhibit flower production.  Many of the hundreds of types of pansies have heart shaped flowers and come in many colors including white, yellow, red, orange, purple, violet, brown and blue. Some are two colors. The flowers are formed with five petals and are fragrant.  Both the leaves and flowers are edible. Many varieties are biennials with a two year cycle; the first year flowers bloom and the following year(s) the stems become long and not as hardy.

Pansies are similar to violets - both belong to the genus Viola.  

Pansies like well-drained, rich soil full of organic matter and grow best in full sun to partial shade.  Plants spread up to 12 inches and grow to 9 inches in height. Pansies attract butterflies which bring in the energies of metamorphosis and personal transformation.

Pansy is from the French word pensée which means "thought." Pansies bring to us and bring out in us thoughtfulness.  What does this look like?  Are you thoughtful or are you seeing pansies everywhere as a reminder that thoughtfulness on your part would bring great joy to you and others around you?  Do you need to be thoughtful about where you are and where you are going?  You can use the energies pansy brings to us to aid in thinking through complex issues and to identify goals and to work through the steps you need to accomplish a goal. Remember to be gentle with yourself and that simple steps can solve a complex problem.

Some varieties have markings that look like the flowers have "faces." This prompts us to ask what face are we choosing to wear today? A face that looks pleased with the day will bring back people who are also pleased with the day.  As you wake each day, you have the option of deciding what face you'd like to wear. 

This flower also symbolizes those of us who love the cold, who thrive in cold weather and can be comfortable in less cold weather clothing than most others.  These are the people who tolerate summer but are happiest in fall and winter and the coolness it brings. 

Snowdrops

Galanthus nivalis

Aquarius

Strength, Determination, Accomplishment

Snowdrops are one of the first flowers to appear in spring, often pushing up through snow, bringing us the aspects of determination and strength. The plants grow from bulbs and thrive in regions with cold and moderate winters.The flowers are fragrant, white bell-shaped blossoms. Different varieties grow from 6 to 12 inches tall. 

Snowdrops are not attractive to deer and small animals and are poisonous to cats and dogs. Snowdrops are native to Europe and the Middle East and now also grow in North America. These plants do very well left alone, although they can be divided as they spread.

Snowdrops will multiply with offsets - bulbs that grow from the mother bulb. Even when dormant, snowdrops like shade. Snowdrops symbolize strength of character that doesn't need to be in the limelight to thrive. Think of snowdrops when you know where you are going and need to joyfully focus on accomplishing tasks to move a project forward to completion. You may look at those who need to have the spotlight focused on them to acknowledge accomplishments but know that your accomplishments are recognized by others and that you are living and working from the very steady platform of self awareness that is more significant because it comes from within rather than others. Like the first signs of spring, you are welcomed by others for yourself and your accomplishments.

Orchid

Orchidaceae

Aquarius

Bold, Colorful

Orchid is all about being bold and exotically colorful.  Orchids are found in bold splashes of all colors, including blue tones, and are are considered exotic due to the variety of species, colors and tropical growing conditions. Orchids are perennials and most are native to the tropics but have been adapted to grow in almost any soil in almost any climate.

Orchids can be epiphytic (growing on other plants, usually trees), terrestrial (growing on the ground), or lithophytic (growing on rocks). Epiphytic orchids, which are most common in cultivation, have aerial roots that absorb moisture and nutrients from the air. 

Orchids generally prefer bright, indirect light and warm, high humidity environments. 

Orchids are grown in almost all colors showing us that the aspects of being exotically colorful are not limited to a type or group of people or location but are available to everyone at all times. To bring in this energy, you may want to contemplate the orchid in your favorite color or to bring plants into your home of a specific color.  The more you focus on the color and on the feeling of being exotically colorful the faster those aspects will manifest in your life.

All plants in the orchid family have the same flower structure: an orchid flower has three sepals and three petals. Sepals are the outermost part of the flower and provide support for the flower petals. The orchid is symbolic of a trinity within a trinity - lending a pure, spiritual aspect to the bold and colorful aspects of life.  Know that the bold and colorful parts of your life are fully supported and you should embrace them joyfully.  The sepals also show us that we are fully supported in our colorful endeavors  and need to feel free to move forward in these areas without reservation.

Orchids need a minimum amount of care: place in diffused light, such as behind another leafy plant,  and water weekly.  Orchid shows us the meaning of being mindful of our skills and abilities but to not be too fussy about details.    

Crocus

Crocus Vernus

Sagittarius

Renewal, Determination, Strength

Crocus are one of the earliest blooming signs of spring, with purple or white blossoms showing up in early spring, even pushing up through snow.  These perennials are grown from a bulb.  Flowers bloom for about three weeks.  These early bloomers can be blue, orange, pink, purple, white and yellow.  Each bulb produces several blossoms. The leaves continue to grow a few weeks after flowering to gather energy for the next season, then they yellow and fade. They multiply to produce more flowers each year.

The primary aspects crocus bring are those of determination and strength. These flowers grow from 2 to 6 inches, yet are the first to show in the spring (some of the variety bloom in fall).  The energy of crocus is for those who go through what they may perceive as a long dark night, and are ready to emerge into the light.  This energy also shows us what it's like to be first - to jump from the concept into the realization of it quickly. The difference between those experiencing the long night and the quick jump is perception: if you are ready to make the next jump into the next positive step of your life, crocus lets you know that any time you choose is a good time.

Crocus also brings to us the concept of right timing. After a long winter, the light of the crocus flowers is a welcome one. Trust you'll also have right timing in your life - that people you need to see will be available, that the income you want will be available, and all things you perceive will make you feel better for having them will be available at the right time. 

Crocus likes full sun to part shade and will tolerate clay and sandy soil. It is very tolerant of it's growing conditions. We too need to be tolerant of the conditions we were planted in to grow. Out of each scenario is born a desire to do better. Are you looking at  your family or other conditions as a positive springboard to your present or do you otherwise? Know you were planted exactly where you needed to be for your growth, and celebrate the many colors that growth brings to you each day.

Crocus is Latin for saffron, a spice derived from the stigma of the flower of the saffron crocus (crocus sativa) or autumn crocus, as this species blooms in autumn. Thousands of crocus are needed to make an ounce of saffron, one of the worlds most expensive spices.  This small flower with a short bloom cycle has great inner value. Are you letting your value show? Do you need to meditate on what characteristics you have that will turn to gold?

Crocus spends most of the time in dormancy. Look to this benefit: use this time to gather all needed aspects of a project or idea before it blooms. 

Lavender

Lavandula

Gemini

Joy of Life

Lavender is a perennial herb used through the ages for its scent and healing properties.Some varieties of lavender are processed into essential oils which are used today for aromatherapy to help with sleep and skin and other conditions, and are used in cooking. It blooms through the summer, producing blue, pink, purple or white flowers.

Lavender likes full sun and will grow in many soil conditions as long as it is well drained.  Once established, lavender is drought tolerant. Lavender shows us we can grow and bloom without much fuss and attention.We can show our best colors by drawing from within rather than having others provide for us. People who are drawn to lavender find they can plant themselves almost anywhere in the world and thrive. These are the people who know they bring everything they need with them at the soul level and need not be so dependent on the physical world for emotional security and comfort.

Lavender was used during the ancient Egyptian mummification process and with the Romans as a scent for bathing and as an antiseptic. 

Lavender as a herb can be used in soups and tea and baked into sweets. It engages and delights all of the senses and is used to uplift emotionally. Lavender shows us how to engage all of our senses also, to delight in the sights, tastes and smells of nature.  Lavender is an expression of the joy of life.  If this plant is significant to you, are you using all of your abilities as you move through life or are you holding some back? Are you fully engaged in your relationships or do you chose to keep aspects of yourself quiet or hidden? Lavender scent or oil can be diffused or used on the skin as a reminder to fully engage all of your senses in all areas of your life.  

Lavender attracts butterflies. You may want to experiment with creating a garden in your imagination that contains lavender being visited by butterflies.  For some, this may be a beautiful, grounded in nature jumping off point to the higher worlds as the butterfly alights.