Soulflower Plant Spirit Oracle 101

March 13, 2018 2 Comments

You love the flowers, and they love you back! Every flower has a special healing message for those that are willing to listen.

I would like to introduce you to a whole new way of looking at the natural world and using my Soulflower Plant Spirit Oracle cards as a way to explore yourself and your place in that world.

 

Introduction

Soulflower Plant Spirit Art is not just a business to me. It is my personal journey of healing (wholing), spiritual growth and self-discovery.

After a long detour seeking validation and guidance from external sources I finally realized, through the wisdom of my physical symptoms, (ie. my body screaming at me with daily headaches that would no longer be quieted with ibuprofen) combined with the incredible peace I found working in my gardens, that the only way to fulfilment, happiness and healing, wholeness, was to follow my own internal guidance, to follow my heart.

And my heart led me to create an Oracle deck.

I returned to my sketchbook and my paints, (after a 20 year hiatus), and delved into an intimate and direct conversation with the plants and flowers growing around me. My friends and confidants for so long, they became my teachers, my allies and my therapists through the entire process.

“In some native languages the term for plants translates to ‘those who take care of us’”—Robin Wall Kimmerer

One by one, as I connected with each plant through my paints and brushes I was lead on an incredible journey of the soul, of self-realisation, and self-discovery. And what I discovered was layers and layers of what I was not, that I had been carrying around, literally for so long, my neck, shoulders and my head could barely stand the weight. (You can read more about my story here.)

 

So What are Plant Spirits?

I’ve always talked to my plants. Something along the lines of a running commentary like you might have with a beloved pet, a baby or perhaps an imaginary friend. Over the years, I’ve gotten to know each plant quite well. I’ve read about them, learned their medicinal and/or culinary properties, and just enjoyed their beautiful, inspiring presence.

I’ve spent hours and hours in my gardens with them, through many years and many seasons. Figuring out where they best like to grow, how much sun they prefer, which plants they like to be next to, or don’t work well with, and so on. Thinning, dividing, nurturing and all the while talking and being together—in other words developing a relationship. Exactly as you would with another human.



I was establishing a deep intimacy with another being. One that I understand to be the spirit of the plant. They may not communicate in a language that we can easily understand but they have a consciousness, a presence, and an energy that I believe we are all deeply aware of. And we have all been in relation with them for a long, long time whether we are conscious of that or not. They are our teachers, our elders.

We breathe out, they breathe in.
They breathe out, we breathe in.

We instinctively connect with and use plants in ceremony, as decoration, as food, and as the source of all our nourishment. Their very presence, in fact, insures that we can live at all. We know intuitively that they have the power to shift the energy in a room, or uplift our emotions without consciously realizing the dynamics of how they are able to do that.

Plants and flowers radiate a beautiful, peaceful energy that we can feel directly in our hearts and souls. It is something that we don’t necessarily have words for but we can definitely feel. I believe it is the feeling of pure love. Bliss. Every single flower is radiating love. Pure, unconditional love.

Plant Spirits, or devas, are to the plant world what our soul, our unique spirit, is to us. Imbuing each plant with a set of characteristics, growing patterns, lifecycle, color and so on that are unique, like a blueprint that governs the manifestation of each plant. And every plant shares with us a particular soul quality that we all possess but that we need reminding of as we learn about and remember who we truly are.

So, as I painted each flower I became aware of what was going on in my life at the time. And in each case a unique conversation developed. Not like a human conversation. More like a rambling series of thoughts and feelings and inspirations and connections that I must somehow make sense of.

Over time, as our relationship deepened, these random thoughts and feelings evolved into the most beautiful and vibrant flashes of knowing, of understanding. Incredible “AHA” moments where all the connections just came together so beautifully and I could finally put into words the wisdom that I knew in my heart was the message of the plant.

And it was always, without fail, exactly the medicine I needed to hear, to help me grow, change perspective, or to see with fresh eyes and an open heart the “lesson”, or rather the gift I was receiving, in the situations and experiences I was having in my life.

And so the deck slowly came together over a couple of years. And every painting for the deck was like taking a new step in the direction of my heart. Back to the path my soul intended.

The final plant I painted was Periwinkle. When I began I didn’t know it was to be the final plant. But her message was strong and clear as I worked, letting me know that all the personal work I had done, all the wisdom I had gained over the last two years had brought me to this moment. It was time to tie up the loose ends. It was time to publish the deck and share my work with the world, knowing quite clearly that my true work, my heartwork, was only just beginning.

 

And so what is the Soulflower Oracle and how do you use it?

So here we are, on planet Earth. All of us cramming our limitless, beautiful light selves into dense, physical bodies so that we can experience the ups and downs, ins and outs of our amazing lives. And this is where I believe oracle decks really shine.

I see my Soulflower Plant Spirit Oracle as a very simple daily self-care, self-empowerment tool that will help support your own spiritual journey and reawaken or strengthen your connection to the Earth that supports us all.

Oracle decks do not predict the future and they won’t fix your problems for you. What they will do is help you to connect directly to your own inner wisdom, your intuition. Like a mirror reflecting back at you the truth of what’s in your heart. And what you will see reflected is not anything that you don’t already deeply know and understand—it is just that you may have forgotten this wisdom as you deal with the “realities” of everyday physical existence.

So when we have a daily oracle practice, instead of always looking outside of ourselves for guidance and direction we instead begin to look to our own hearts, to our own inner knowing, our intuition if you like. And the more we do this, the more we learn to trust ourselves. And the more we learn to trust ourselves, the more we begin to experience and move through life guided by the wisdom of our hearts rather than by our intellect and fragile ego.

There is no wrong way to use the Soulflower Plant Spirit Oracle. Use the cards as a daily prompt for meditation, for journaling, for sketching or whatever and as a starting point for consideration and inspiration as we actively participate in our lives.

You can use the cards in any way that supports you. The point is to learn to trust yourself and that the messages that you are receiving are for your own highest good and exactly what you need to hear at that moment.

Sometimes I am well aware of the significance of the message I receive right away and sometimes I only realise it’s relevance sometime later. The practice itself creates space for daily self reflection, and mindfulness, and that begins to ripple out into our daily lives such that we eventually begin, over time, to view our lives not as something that is happening to us but as something that we are co-creating for the express purpose of getting to know our true selves better.

That is the process of healing. Or wholing. Becoming whole. Realizing all of the pieces of our multifaceted selves and gathering them up one by one, like putting a giant puzzle together.

Our bodies are an incredible vehicle for our human journeys of self-discovery and there is much wisdom in the symptoms our bodies present. They are magnificent, finely tuned instruments that respond to our inner and outer environments and provide direct information and support for what needs addressing or recognition in our lives. But I believe the truth is that it is our hearts that run the whole system, not our minds.

Our minds simply process the information we gather through our own personal lens of how we view the world. And how we view the world is based mostly on our circumstances and experiences that are almost always beyond our control.

Our hearts then are much more than just a circulatory muscle, they are our own infallible navigation system. While our minds help us process what we our going through, it is our hearts that know which way to go. And the more we trust our own hearts, the more we know which way to go for our own highest good and therefore for the highest good of all. And that is true empowerment.

The road won’t always be clear but when the going gets tough you will know in your heart, with certainty, that not only do you have the power to weather each and every situation you face, you know clearly that you will emerge at the other end stronger and certain that you are exactly where you are meant to be.

And so, as I came to the end of the creation of the deck I knew very clearly, in my heart, that I am meant to be sharing this Soulflower journey, and the healing messages of the plant spirits that flow through my heART and hands, to inspire others to do the same.

How that looks exactly is constantly evolving...like me. But it is my hope, my wish to empower others on their unique journeys of self-discovery and to help others learn to trust the power of their own hearts and see the divinity that resides in us all.

And I know deeply that one by one, as we come home to ourselves, as we “whole” ourselves we will help bring the Earth back into balance with our empowered, fully embodied and fully realized Divine selves. And that makes my heart sing with joy!

The power of Ceremony and Ritual as a Healing Force

I’d like to invite you all to spend a moment in silence considering the truth that you are the most powerful healer available to you and that you carry within you the medicine you need to pay attention to the most. And the whole universe is here supporting you on your journey.

While we may feel alone at times, the truth is we are never alone and we are not separate from any other part of the world that surrounds us, seen and unseen. The plant spirits are all jumping for joy that you are here ready to connect with them and willing to let them reflect back at you the truth of who you are.

The plants never forgot who they are, but humans have, and now it is time to remember and reconnect with our whole selves, and by doing so, reconnect with all that is. So take a moment to ask for a message that is not only for your highest good but for the highest good of all. And when you are ready, pick a card.

Sit quietly with your card. Absorb the energy of the artwork first and then consider the attribution. Pay attention to your thoughts and any feelings or emotions that may arise. Read the message slowly. Read it again. And then sit silently, with your eyes open or closed, for a moment of further contemplation.

When you are ready, place your card somewhere where you can see it to be reminded of it’s message throughout the day. Remember to offer thanks and gratitude for the wisdom you are receiving and for the wisdom in your heart that knows the truth of who you are.

And as you connect with your Soulflower Plant Spirit Oracle Deck I'd love you to remember the intention behind it's creation. That life is a gift for self-discovery, for joy, for experiencing all that we are and all that we are not—as opposed to something to do battle with, to conquer or win or just simply tolerate and survive.

I invite you to let go of the fear and suffering that we humans do such a great job creating and perpetuating for ourselves and allow joy and love and connection to fill your heart instead.

May you begin to accept, honor and embody the magic, love and joy that is yours for the creating, giving and receiving. For we are very powerful creators indeed.

You can get your Soulflower Plant Spirit Oracle here. Bon Voyage.

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