Sunflower Power

From my writing spot, I can see the flickering of yellow through the thick leaves of the Gingko and Hawthorne trees, and I know it’s the Sunflowers dancing in the breeze. Summer has ended, or ending, depending on which calendar you follow, (I personally honor Lammas as the first day of fall,) and Sunflowers are one of those in-between seasons plants. They still need the heat but herald in the goldenrod, ironweed and wild aster blooms that initiate autumn. I am entranced while visiting my little patch by the bees loading up their knees with Sunflower pollen, spiraling in step with the center arrangement of florets. What a gift you are, Sunflower! It was blissful to open myself to the potential words the common Sunflower would like to share with us, in this week’s Earth Devotions.

I have a photo a dear friend gave me of Thich Nhat Hanh holding a sunflower in a garden in his younger years. It sits on my altar, bringing me a smile each time I see it. Sunflower is like that- a peace bringer.

Years ago, I read the Ringing Cedars of Russia series by Vladimir Megré, a story about a woman named Anastasia who lives in the boreal forest of Siberia, who apparently is carrying on the lineage of humanity’s interrelatedness with nature pre-technological and industrial influences. One thing she says is that every garden needs a Sunflower planted in it to help carry out the full energy of its potential. Such an easy plant to sprout and grow, you might as well try it!

To read or listen to the Love Letter from Sunflower, sign up for Earth Devotions