Teachings from Buttercup

Last weekend I attended a workshop by Pam Montgomery author of Plant Spirit Healing: A Guide to Working with Plant Consciousness given at California School of Herbal Studies in Forestville, California. Each of us in the workshop were selected by a plant, in my case, Buttercup. An unassuming little flower that I also saw recently in Mexico. One that most people recognize, no matter how little they know about plants. You are walking along and there she is. Her spirit has been with me for a couple of days and nights now. With petals that are both shiny, reflecting light, and irridescent, giving off light, she is like a tiny mirror. Happily bobbing on delicate stems, she appears to be dancing in the wind. Her message for me was that one of the greatest things we can do is to show other people how beautiful they are. Reflect the light of others. I later went to the reference book for the Flower Essence Society, the Flower Essence Repertory, by Patricia Kaminski and Richard Katz, which said, the positive qualities of buttercup are: "radiant inner light, unattached to outer recognition or fame". I was not surprised because I have often found when working with plants. They tell you what they are for. These days we can be caught up in the "Hollywood" mentality which is all around us. We all want recognition, fame and (admit it) fortune. But Nature gives us everything, everyday, for "nothing". All She wants or needs is our gratitude. That is the one thing we need to do in return. Give thanks. Spiritual traditions all over the world, share this concept of giving thanks. Whether it be to God or to Nature, it is to the Creation. Gratitude puts our heart in coherence with the Universe, connecting us. And this is what we must do to heal ourselves and the planet. Every day and Now.