By Awakening Womanhood Group
At different times of the year we give and receive gifts of different kinds and for different purposes. Increasing in popularity among the many gifts exchanged are flowers and floral arrangements. But beyond the joy of giving and being given, what more can we learn through flowers, what more do they tell us?
Beauty: Flowers speak to us first and foremost of beauty. In their nature they stimulate an appreciation of beauty in the beholder, whether in their natural habitat, or in an arrangement either as a bunch or singly.
As women the expression of beauty is a quality intrinsic to us. Even in the most remote, so called ‘uncivilized’ regions of the world that one could possibly think of, it is the women who engage more in the activities of adorning the body, and the dwelling places.
Beauty goes hand in hand with nobility, grace, light and power. The activity of expressing beauty manifest the fundamental vocation of womanhood: to ennoble her environment, to allow streams of Power from Above flow through her for the upliftment of her environment, and the dwellers therein. And to do this woman is equipped with a most delicate capacity to perceive intuitively. While all human beings bear the intuition as a gift of the spirit, woman bears it to a more refined, finer level.
When we bring flowers into our homes therefore, we are simply manifesting our true selves through activity. This can be through having potted plants in our home and environment, or by having a bouquet made for placement in the home.
Joy: Flowers stimulate joy. They lighten an environment. Even persons who do not have a sensing for the beauty of flowers will not necessarily become sad or angry at their sight. Does our presence inspire joy and peace? Or does it inspire fear or insecurity.
Harmony and Balance: It is very rewarding to be able to arrange a bouquet of flowers by oneself. Within this activity a woman is opened up to learn of and cultivate harmony and balance, principles which support and guide Creation. We learn how to blend colors, differing textures, heights of stems and size of blossoms. We learn that each single head of flower is a complete entity that is capable of manifesting beauty by itself; and yet, properly placed side by side in a larger arrangement of flowers, it is able to enhance the beauty of another blossom or even alter the tone of the whole arrangement, without however losing its own beauty.
Individuality and Team Spirit: At this time in our existence individuality becomes a quality that protects us from being swept off in the herd mentality, from becoming part of the crowd. We are increasingly encouraged to be creative, to ‘dare to be different’, to ‘bring forward our unique selling points’ etc. Yet as individuals, we also work in a community: at home, in our neighborhood, at work, in religious groups, charitable ventures etc. We continually learn how best to fit into the collective goal in a unique way.
Creating flower arrangements stimulates creativity. No two flower arrangements, even by the same person, are ever the same. In a large array of flowers one does not perceive conflict, each flower manifest beautifully without detracting from the beauty of the whole.
Love: Flowers also speak to us of God’s love. Flowers are a product of Nature. Without Nature we cannot survive on earth. Nature sustains us, it feeds us, clothes us; the wind, rain and other elements are all manifestations of Nature. The necessity of development has brought us to this Earth, to experience, learn and mature through participation in upbuilding activity. This provision for the human spirit is an expression of the Love of the Creator. One of the attributes of Divine love is for It to do all It can to bring a soul to manifest its highest potentials. When we bring flowers into our homes, we quietly remind the dwellers of this ongoing activity of Love. In this way we awaken each other to also help others manifest their potentials. We thus through beauty also participate in the Activity of Love. In all lawfulness we in turn receive more love.
Inner Strength: The Rose is perhaps the most popular and beloved flower image. It has become synonymous with beauty and nobility. Many are however not aware of a little detail pertaining to the Rose – its thorns. The thorns protect it in the wild so that not just any stray animal can feed off it. Even in a cultivated environment one learns to handle the Rose with care or be pricked by its thorns. Were the Rose a human being, the thorns would probably represent the adversity amidst which we thrive, the weaknesses we learn to overcome, or the various shields we place around ourselves to avoid being hurt. Yet within us lies that beautiful core that continues to blossom.
Gratitude: In considering all the foregoing one cannot but lift one’s hands in gratitude to the Creator: for the gift of life, for the various experiences leading to our growth and maturing, for the many blessings from nature, for His Love.
But of what does gratitude consist? It is indeed appropriate to offer expressions of ‘thanks’ to the Lord in prayer; but we can do more. We can choose to be like the flowers! Moreso as human beings via:
– Cultivating and refining the gift of intuition
– Being simple in thought, word and deed
– Cultivating harmony and balance in relating with our fellow men
– Honoring and affirming Nature
– Manifesting beauty and nobility as a matter of course
We are certainly encouraged to experience the sheer delight of giving or being given a floral bouquet or a single flower stem. We could even choose to arrange the bouquet ourselves for the ‘personal touch of love’. As we do these let us allow each flower arrangement speak to us. Let us allow the lessons from flowers accompany us and identify areas in which we can bring such lessons into daily life.
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