I love peonies and was delighted to visit a display o
f dozens of varieties that I had never seen. I was amazed as I peered inside a few, at the vibrant colors that resided therein. So much beauty. The petals enfolded the inner beauty and it took some probing to uncover the lime green stamens, coral filaments, deep dark centers that were hidden inside. I laughed with delight at the amazing colors and textures swirling within. I felt doubly gifted as I enjoyed the richness and softness of the outer petals as well as the beauty that lay deep within. And of course, the lovely fragrance that filled the air.
The peonies seemed to be a metaphor for the process of uncovering our divinity. It takes gentle probing and a desire to go beyond the surface presented to us. Fortunately we are in a time of flowering as humans and we can align ourselves with this divine timing as the flowers do. We are in the spring time of our lives. As our petals softly open, our beauty begins to be seen by those around us. As we accept the first flowering of our own beauty, we are lead on to discover deeper levels. We can do this so gently by allowing our essence to expand.
I held space for a healing recently with a dear friend. Another friend was talking her through it and giving the visuals of what was happening. She asked my friend to expand her essence, to let herself shine fully. Take a deep breath right now and feel yourself fill up with yourself. It is a lovely experience! Drink in your essence, let yourself become the sun that you are. Feel your flowering. Unfurl those delicate petals. As this happened, the issue that had been holding my friend back, appeared as a vine growing around her. As she expanded, the vine began to loosen its tendrils. Gently, oh so gently, they began to fall away. I held the image of my friend’s beauty firmly in my heart and watched as the vine completely let go from every part of her. She was free to radiate her essence out to the world without the former constriction.
This spoke deeply to me as I could see the importance of this in the new energies. Much is coming up to be released in all of us. Fears of every sort, old pains and heartaches, relationship woes, financial concerns, anxieties, you name it; it is coming to the surface. Our patterning is to contract, to resist these seeming unpleasant feelings. But the contraction only tightens the vines hold. Or if you think of it as the flower, the petals close and the inner beauty as well as much of the outer beauty, is lost to sight. By expanding your own essence, breathing deeply into the feelings, and allowing them to pass on through you without attaching to them, they move readily away. As the flower opens its petals, you can sometimes see the hard seed covering still partially attached. The opening, pushes the covering off and it drops away. So as we open ourselves to everything that appears in our lives, our petals will unfurl and our beauty will begin to be seen by ourselves and others. Our burdens drop away and we begin to breathe in the sweetness of our essence.
The more we desire the flowering, the more we will be gifted with. The universe lines up all that is needed for the next step, the further flowering. It is a divine dance as we are witnessing the beautiful flowers that we are. Such variety! Such colors and fragrances! Each unique and so filled with light. It is such a delight to witness the unfurling of the soft petals. Become the flower that you are. Open to your divinity and breathe deeply of your sweet perfume. It is as easy as a breath and as soft as a sigh. You are so beautiful, I choose you for my bouquet today!