Lots of people have animals as spirit guides, but what about flowers?
Last week I went on retreat to Pt. Reyes for three days. Pt. Reyes is my local “holy place,” and I go there for a few days at least once or twice a year to unplug, hike, re-connect with nature, and do some intentional reflecting and prayer on whatever seems to be coming up in life these days.
It’s wildflower season, and Pt. Reyes is one of the best places in the Bay Area to enjoy it. As I arrived on tax day, I discovered that I had come at the peak of the iris bloom. Irises are one of my favorite, spiritual flowers (along with daisies and dahlias). Throughout my life, I have been delighted by happening on small, lively clusters of the flowers, which I considered fairly rare.
No so on tax day! There were millions of them, and they were everywhere. You couldn’t choose a view without seeing fields of them. It was riotous, abundant, overdone, wildly extravagant. As I enjoyed and photographed them, I would feel myself getting giddy, a bit high, overwhelmed by the sheer over-the-top-ness of it. They made me happy.
During this retreat I was focusing on a set of issues, and some of them were pretty thorny. One in particular, every time it came to mind, I had to deal with strong feelings of wrongness, failure and inadequacy. In my worst self-disrespect, I would feel deeply, unchangeably flawed, and I would dance with the despair of that.
I was on a hike my last day, feeling all of that, and again, I stumbled on yet more irises. I enjoyed their beauty, even in the midst of my own unkindness to myself, and suddenly, I heard a voice:
If you acknowledge that we are worthy simply because we are alive and beautiful, then what about you?
I was stunned. The voice had immense authority, and I knew it was the iris speaking.
Everything alive is worthy.
It felt like the kind of experience I’ve sometimes had with animal guides, but this was a plant. I am aware of plant medicine in many cultures, but I’ve never directly taken part, and yet here it was, in all its power.
Can you hear the iris speak to you? Or some other authoritative voice saying, “How can you see the worthiness of some other part of the universe, and not see your own? It’s contradictory! You are alive. You are worthy.”
That voice knows something we need to hear. It’s time to let it speak, and see how it re-arranges pretty much everything.
It’s time for the irises to speak, and be in charge for a while.
Thanks for sharing Leslie!
That is powerful and beautiful message. I like to think that plants communicate, and here they are delivering messages. Right on!
Leslie, I love what you’ve written about the Iris and I love the message. I finished the sentence as I was reading it and could feel it’s truth and power. Thank you for sharing your experience. The statement that “everything alive is worthy” is profound in it’s simplicity. Blessings to you and deep thanks and appreciation to the Iris!
Thank you both Carolina and Laura. I’m glad the message landed well with you both today. Spread the word of the iris!
Beautiful! Thank you for this. Perfect as I go into a weekend of communion with plant teachers.
Leslie Thank you! What a beautiful experience! I LOVE flowers too!Thank you for your sharing Leslie! Like Iris you are beautiful brave humble and generous! Thank you for this boost :))
much love to you!