Joy, play, creativity; shine the parts of you that you hold back on.

 

 

How Zinnia can assist you:

Zinnia is a joyous, playful, creative, heart-on-chest remedy; a plant that reminds you of your inner child by literally feeling her deep within. What does this inner child feel like? How does she wish to express herself in feelings, emotions and actions?

Zinnia asks us “who will we be today”, how do we wish to play in the game of life and reminds us to let go of taking ourselves too seriously.

Zinnia gifts you the courage and energy to be who we need to be for the day.

Zinnia gives us the strength and self-belief to shine a certain aspect of our character that we tend to hold back on in order to complete a task, undertake a role, or get us through whatever challenge we face.

To bring out the carer, or business person, athlete, or warrior, the strong or the soft, the speaker or listener, the heart or the head; whatever aspect of our character that we need to be successful in our day. Perhaps the parts of ourselves that we least believe in, or are afraid of or ashamed of, or have suppressed in ourselves and hide for fear of what others think. The parts we fear to shine because we aren’t comfortable to be all that we are; Zinnia helps us shine these parts so that we can practice them and with time become confident and comfortable in all that we are.

For example the aggressive leader (works great in a business environment) that must listen more and channel heart (for example with a work colleague in trouble or when planning business options that requires connecting to the person with a debilitating illness that they are creating a solution for ), or the healer that must ‘do business’ or the executive that needs to be more father or mother at home or the quiet person that must do battle professionally or in sport, the passive person that must speak up and so on.

For me, a sensitive person, I would for example use this remedy to give me support public speaking or lecturing, when feeling the whole crowd as individuals overwhelms me. So Zinnia will pull me into a more centered and focused space where it becomes me and the message that I am passionate about rather than me and the crowd that bowls me over with their collective energy. Do you see the difference? Zinnia brings out a part of me that I need; which I often suppress for fear of too much attention or people not liking or agreeing with me. When presenting a lecture I need to embrace being confident and passionate about who I am and what I do….a watered down message presented by a timid person at the top of the room convinces nobody!!

We all have these aspects to our character, but often we fear their power and knock ourselves back. Sometimes it is better to embrace them and shine, rather than suppress them and hide. But where Zinnia excels is that she assists us to achieve this without losing our sense of play, joy or becoming too serious. What a wonderful remedy.

Zinnia is a plant that needs water to thrive, we must NOURISH HER HEALING NUDGE and practice the strengths that she gifts us. No healing is effortless; it is up to us to follow her lead.

Ingredients:

Zinnia flowers were picked in the January sun on Thirsty Falls Guest Farm, in the Magaliesberg mountains. Natural quartz crystals from the local ground added their energy to this remedy which was made in the evening shade on a hot African sunny day.

The journey with this remedy:

 

Documenting plants while enjoying the views from Protea cabin on Thirsty Falls Guest Farm. While finding, researching and making this remedy there was a little lizard that persisted in turning up (in fact she was sleeping behind my headboard at night much to my initial fright).

Lizard symbolises several things in connection to this remedy. The lizard can ‘lose’ its tail from an attack and still survive. This tells us how we may have to let something go to heal from an experience or trauma; or to let go a part of ourselves in order to adapt and move forwards. We cannot hold onto everything, sometimes it is best to leave things or parts of ourselves in the past in order to move forwards into new and amazing experiences. Look forwards, see your gifts with new eyes and focus on your dreams. Become all you in your present, which allows a new potential future to unfold.

Zinnia Peruviana is a little flower that kept calling and catching my eye while on holidays in South Africa this past month, January 2017. She was a happy little plant and every time we got to the farm at Thirsty Falls I felt nudged to pick some flowers and place them in water beside my bedside table. I was training hard for ironman 70.3 and for some reason this feisty little flower called to me. I later added eucalyptus to the jug, the leaves of eucalyptus also hold healing medicine. I knew I was being called to tune into this little vibrant red-orange plant; but I also had to wait for the correct time given our busy schedule.

Zinnia is a little brick-red to rusty-red orange colour. Apparently she can be purple also. She is a very happy little flower. When I picked the first flower it literally wilted in my hands only to regenerate quickly in water; it seems that the stalks are hollow. I would assume this little plant has been thriving on the recent abundance of water to the area. Once in water the bloom stayed perfect for days as my table-side companion.

Zinnia reminds me somewhat of the Indian Paintbrushes in Sedona, Arizona. Zinnia appeared safe to eat and further research documents clinical trials exploring anti-bacterial actions. Zinnia is a powerful little plant. I am however more interested in the healing energies of this plant but it is interesting to note that Zinnia is quite capable of protecting herself against the environment.

Zinnia is a strong little fighting plant. In medicine Zinnia has been tested against gram+ and gram- bacteria. Traditionally  Zinnia is used in folk medicine for the treatment of malaria, for stomach pains, as hepatoprotective and anti-parasitic, anti-fungal and antibacterial agents. Tests showed significant antibacterial effects against all gram+ and gram- pathogenic bacteria tested (MRSA, pseudomonas aeruginosa, listeria monocytogenes, E. coli and bacillus cereus) with significant activity against MRSA, L. monocytogenes and B. cereus.

From this we can see that Zinnias are somewhat resistant to insects and disease and the energy of this strength and resilience will transfer into her healing as well as her medicine.

I wish that I had taken a photo of the Zinnias bobbing in the shade on the trail paths. This is the closest photo that I can find.

Although you cannot see them imagine the little Zinnia’s under the tree cover along the trail to Thirsty Falls soaking up the recent rains. 

If Zinnia calls to you:

If this little happy plant calls to you please allow her healing into your life. I am currently taking Zinnia to assist me with bringing all these beautiful remedies to you via this blog and giving me the strength to shine this part of me into a world that sometimes only wants science. BUT I believe in these remedies with every part of my being, and now is the time to tell the world about them and to do so confidently.  I want nothing more than for you to discover their healing for yourself; and to being them into your life and to your children and family and friends.  xx

Love,
Andrea