Snowdrop:

For most of us here in Ireland, tiny perfect white snowdrops herald the beginning of Spring.  Rebirth, hope, purity, simplicity and the promise of new life is the message of snowdrop. Snowdrop stops you in your path and brings gratitude into your heart.

They are such a delicate flower, and yet survive the passage of the year to appear once more late January and February.

Snowdrop announces the end of our phase of winter hibernation and a call to get up, get out, create and prepare for the coming active months ahead.

The inner work, the healing emotional growth and the rumination on our path and purpose in life has been done over the winter months and it is time now to start to prepare yourself for a shift into activity, productivity and creativity.

You will never feel truly ready – snowdrop urges you to start preparing despite doubts. It is time to put the plan on paper, the dreams on your vision board, and your thoughts into words.

It is impossible to not note the pure white colour of snowdrops – one of few flowers. White is a symbol of purity. Perhaps snowdrop will help you to see past your perceived imperfections, flaws and where we feel less than and not good enough and infuse us with her pure white energy to bring us back to our source, that pure inner light within, and help us to start afresh this Spring untethered by our self-inflicted limitations.

• Prepare to start
• New energy
• Rebirth of your passion and enthusiasm for who you are and what you represent.

Snowdrop doesn’t stay for long; yet as delicate as she is she is also hardy, being one of the first flowers to push through the frost and snow. Get outside and admire her beauty. She is a humble flower, her head bows before you hiding her wonderful white-green lined inner petals. Acknowledge her and thank her for her pure energy that she shines into our hearts. As we see her, she see’s us.

Primrose:

Although we often think of snowdrop as the first flower of spring the Latin name for primrose translates as ‘First flower’. Primrose often appears before the end of the old year in sheltered places, but she generally flowers April to May. I found primrose shining her happy face in my parents garden February 28th.

Primroses have always fascinated me. Our garden at home in Newport would fill with primrose and polyanthus in spring. Primrose are native to Ireland, and without knowing any better as a child, primrose to me carried an old authentic message from our earth. Although not much separates a primrose from a polyanthus primrose is more simple with her delicate pale sun-coloured petals.

In Celtic myths primrose features as a symbol of otherworldly beauty.

Primrose carries a simple message “the return of the sun”. She urges you to wake and to remember the draw in every cell of your being towards the sunlight. She encourages you to wake up, shake off the cobwebs restricting your energy flow, and tells you to get out and put yourself in the sunlight and although it is a weak sun in early spring, this will energise your being.

This message infiltrates other areas of your life, primrose infuses you with light energy to encourage you to start taking on projects, tasks, and challenges that ask you to take centre stage and shine. You know, all the things that you dreamt about doing during your winter months – in your waking dreams as well as dream travel.

• waking up
• flow of energy and vitality
• life-force to start putting plans into action
• motivation and belief to create tangible results from theory and dreams

Cherry blossom:

No blossom can bring a smile to the face quite like the first cherry blossoms in spring. I don’t think that I have the words to fully convey what cherry blossom brings to this mix so I will allow your heart to soak up these images – you will know.

I was drawn to use the buds of two cherry blossoms – one is a new young tree in my garden with a white blossom and the other an old-established pink blossom in my parents garden.

These buds hold the life force and whole potential of the tree. Flowers and leaves will unfold from these buds and with them the full energy that you associate with these majestic plants.

In Japan the cherry blossom is a very special tree. The cherry blossom is called Sakura, and is a special flower for the people and the country. Cherry blossoms represent the fragility and beauty of life. They are a reminder that life is almost overwhelmingly beautiful but that it is also tragically short.

When the cherry blossom trees bloom for a short time each year in brilliant force, they serve as a visual reminder of how precious and how precarious life is. So, when Japanese people come together to view the cherry blossom trees and marvel at their beauty they aren’t just thinking about the flowers themselves but also their deeper symbolism. The cherry blossom only flowers for a very short time. They represent a time of renewal and also remind us of the fleeting nature of life.

When the universe gifts us with a dream, or vision, a skill, or opportunity we must see this as request to makes things happen.

Cherry blossom in Spring essence pushes us to use our gifts and take action; for what have we to lose. Cherry blossom reminds us to do so gracefully and with gratitude.