Oracle 20-20 May 2007 Article, Language of Flowers

Each spring as sap runs through the trees again and seasonal birds return, stirring our hearts with their songs, we eagerly anticipate spring’s flowers. Hearty bulbs poke green shoots through thawing ground, and soon golden crocus, purple iris, yellow daffodils and red tulips returns color to the stark landscape of winter. We know that color has meaning, but what about the nature and quality of flowers and plants themselves? Can flowers speak to us in dreams?

The idea of “saying it with flowers” began long before the modern and familiar icon of FTD. The language and symbolism of flowers, herbs and plants has a rich and colorful history. In Constantinople in the 1600s, which later became Istanbul, flowers grew to have meaning and actually became a sophisticated code which enabled lovers and others to send unspoken messages. The language of flowers was introduced to Europe by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, who was a society poet of the day and a celebrated letter writer. In 1716 she accompanied her husband to the Turkish court in Istanbul. As a result of her discovery of the language of flowers she brought the code back to England where it found fertile soil.

After coming to England the idea then passed to the French and subsequently back to England during Victoria’s reign through Madame de la Tour’s book Le Langage des Fleurs. The lusty French version proved too risqué for refined English society and subsequent versions had to be toned down. One wonders what spicy sentiments have been lost.

Within the floral code more than 800 flowers came to have distinct meaning and the messages encoded into bouquets could be both subtle and complex. Author David Squire gives an example, “Gillyflower and heliotrope with a leaf of virginia creeper would mean “I offer true friendship, affection and devotion.” While another bouquet of monkshood, mountain ash and blue violet conveys, “Danger is near; be prudent and faithful.”

Flowers embody beauty and the ephemeral nature of life in form. They are the reproductive organs of their plants, inviting insects through their colors and scents, who in turn affect pollination. They also represent the eventual blooming and fruition of the soul. When flowers appear in dreams as always examine the context. Is the flower a bud, opening or fading? This may indicate the stage of the subject matter: beginning, maturing or winding down. What kind of flower appears? What color? Is it a wildflower in a native setting, or is it a cultivated hot house blossom? Are you picking the flower yourself? Is it a state flower? Is the aroma pleasing? Do you receive the flower(s) as a gift and does this flower have a special meaning to you? Always examine your feelings in a dream as that’s where the power resides.

What follows is just a small selection of a few of the more common flowers and their meanings through the language of flowers. This is just a sampling and these meanings may differ for you as your subconscious has formed associations which may relate to the season of the year or past events. Even so their significance resides in the collective unconscious and may therefore now appear in a dream.

Chrysanthemums are said to represent cheerfulness while the hearty mountain columbine shows resolution. Daisies indicate the quality of innocence and sunny daffodils indicate regard. The proud and tenacious dandelion is said to be love’s oracle and the majestic sunflower conveys pride. Purple iris embodies the hope of spring and lilac tells of young love.

Not surprisingly a white lily embodies both purity and wisdom while a yellow lily is majesty. Fragrant lily of the valley conveys happiness and the famous lotus, which has roots in the water and opens its petals to the sun, embodies the idea of the soul and its unfoldment. A red rose proclaims ardent desire while a white rose affirms pure and spiritual love. Violets mean faithfulness. By contrast marigold represents grief, perhaps because it is an autumn flower in the dying cycle of the year. Pansies communicate thoughts of others and the bold red of a poppy, source of opium, says pleasure.

Watch for the language of flowers in your dreams. Who knows when a significant bouquet may arrive with an important message?

Julie Gillentine is the award-winning author of TAROT & DREAM INTERPRETATION and other books and articles. Her annual trip to Egypt this October will include a Full Moon and Grand Sextile configuration. Visit her at www.queenofcups.com