What is happiness, or serenity? Is there a commonality between these questions, and do they even matter? Each one of us has our own answer. For me, I can’t help but be in absolute awe – at the rocky high desert that is uniquely Colorado, at the incredible and wise goddesses (and princes) in my life; at my mildly subversive and incredibly open-hearted teenage boys; at the pure bliss I feel in beloved’s arms – and my answer is that they are all one in the same. When I practice self-love, I feel profound health and serenity, which enables me to dwell in a state of utter enchantment at life’s blessings.

The flower – what is its purpose? How did a thing of such beauty come to be? How could something so seemingly impractical, something  ostensibly placed before us for the simple and pure pleasure of its existence, thrive for 140       million years (and counting)? it must be doing something right…

We are, each of us, ambrosial flowers. We embody divine beauty. We are no less fragrant, no less ravishing than the most breathtaking flower. Who are we to not cherish and nurture, and yes, even revel in that?

Whether or not you can see that you are a divine flower, breathing tendrils of love, beauty, compassion and harmony to those around you, the flowers can see you. You need only open an essential oil vial and inhale, or slather the     nectar of a seed onto your skin, to realize how intertwined botanicals are to radiant health, beauty and serenity. 

Our skin is a protective filtration system, one that wraps around the package of our appearance. Partaking of the miraculous alchemy between botanicals and humans is one path to luminous skin. Health-giving, biocompatible “foods,” such as organic fatty oils (such as argan, pomegranate and borage seed) and wild crafted and organic essential oils like helichrysum and carrot seed nourish the skin to radiant health, inside and out. Unlike so many contemporary “beauty” treatments, the benefits of botanicals are far more than skin deep, as they then nourish other tissues, organs, and systems. Our internal health is then mirrored back out through our skin.

Does the flower shrink and deny its exquisite nature? Does the flower find its magnificence to be superficial or less sacred than any other manifestation of the divine?

We are now being called upon to more consciously nurture our planet, our beloveds and, perhaps more radically, ourselves. Be open to the possibility that aligning with enlightened plant medicine will lead to more harmonious existence. Be open to the possibility that beauty and inspired self-care, practiced as ceremony, will enrich you beyond measure and will call forth healing and transformation.

YOU are the manifestation of divine beauty.