17 Earth Body Soul: Learning Hope from the Cornflower
“Where flowers bloom, so does hope.”
Daily Word of Intention
HOPE
Centering Thought
I am like the cornflower; I inspire hope.
Questions
What sparks hope in you?
Do you grow your own cornflower?
What do you know about the cornflower?
Gratitude:
I am so thankful for my ability to learn. I am thankful for the internet that makes research so easy. I am thankful for history. I am thankful for all of the insights I have learned today about this flower. I am thankful for the hope and happiness I experience every time I see my patches of cornflower growing in my garden.
Reflection
I am the cornflower. I stand tall with the Asteraceae family, cousin to aster, daisy, and sunflower. One to three feet with narrow gray-green leaves, my petals radiate out, and I bloom a frilly bloom white, blue, pink. Butterflies love me! An annual, but I reseed easily. Native to Europe, I now am popular in North America. Once considered a weed, I now thrive in gardens well tended. I am an ornamental, but I am also edible. Add me to you salads, and vegetable plates. I am great with tomatoes and avocados. Blend me into sauces, and top cakes and nice cream with me. Some people bake me with apples and stir me into puddings. As an herbal medicine, I am anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, diuretic, and purgative. I have been made into wine for dispelling disease and relieving pain. I am also soothing to the eyes and make a great compress for the eyes. I work wonders as a poultice for cuts, scrapes, and even wounds. Brew me into a beautiful tea to enjoy and simultaneously boost your immune system. Taken in this way, I can also relieve pain and reduce fever.
My bright blue flowers known, often called bachelor’s buttons, make very good floral arrangements. I am also worn in lapels on wedding days and other special occasions, hence the name—bachelor’s button, and make a great fabric dye as well. If you are interested, I was woven into a funeral wreath for Pharaoh Tutankhamun. I am also called the ragged robin, ragged sailor, casse lunette, bluest, bluebottle, and bluebonnet. I am one of the few blue flowers that exist on this Earth. I share the same pigment that makes roses red but, curiously, makes me blue-my minerals color me: iron, magnesium, and calcium ions. My botanical name is Centaurea after the mythical Chiron of Greece, a centaur. This half-man and half-horse creature is famous for his wisdom and knowledge of medicine, used me to heal wounds caused by poisoned arrows. I have always been associated with hope and protection. Queen Louise of Prussia and her children hid from Napoleon’s army in a field of cornflowers during the Napoleonic Wars. To keep her children pacified, she wove me into crowns that she placed on their heads. Later, one of those children, Wilhelm, became the king of Prussia and the emperor of Germany. To honor his mother and, he made me the national emblem of the country. Once worn by men in love to show that they were single and had a romantic interest to a woman, I represent being single and and hope in love. Patience. Young women adorned their hair with me to attract a marriage suitor, and tucked me under their aprons, to signal that they were in love. Historically, also, I have represented refinement. I am delicate and elegant, unique and distinguished. My shape and beauty has inspired jewelry, glazed ceramics, and earthenware. I have been sewn into military uniforms and included in flags. In ancient Egypt, I symbolized life and fertility due to the fact that I grew well with cereal plants. I have been written about, worn, placed, and painted many times to convey these meanings. My blooms bring happiness, attract love, and protect. Decorate your home a sacred places with me, and hang me on your doors to keep your home safe. I am good to give on any occasion. When you see me, think of all of these things about me, but mainly think of hope. Hope in the future - to live and love and grow beautiful in the gardens of time.
Works Cited
“Cornflower.” Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, Jan. 2018, p. 1; EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=funk&AN=co219000&site=eds-live.
“Cornflower.” Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition, Mar. 2021, p. 1. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=134510058&site=eds-live.
“Cornflower (Centaurea Cyanus).” Britannica Online. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsebo&AN=ebo.e9471824&site=eds-live. Accessed 11 July 2021.
“Cornflower – Symbolism and Meaning.” SymbolSage. https://symbolsage.com/cornflowers-symbolic-meanings/. Assessed 11 July 2021.
Shiono, M., et al. “Structure of the Blue Cornflower Pigment.” Nature, vol. 436, no. 7052, Jan. 2005, p. 791. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=agr&AN=IND43740553&site=eds-live.
Blessings
Thank you for joining me today! I hope you have a beautiful day! Please leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you. Peace for now - and remember, stay CHARMED ~