Wild Rose

The first wild roses have appeared in my locality... just an odd few... I spotted this one where the rose has scrambled up high above a tall hawthorne. Unaided, it would not be able to reach such height, but the briar rose is not afraid of seeking support from others! Tenacious & resilient, we can learn much from this beauty of the hedgerows.

It may not naturally grow very tall, but it will reach out to grasp the slightest limb of another tree and scramble ever upwards... They do not appear grasping or weak in using any available support, & several roses alongside each other will use each other for support to aid their mutual growth. And if they can't reach up, they will reach out... spreading roots & suckers ever wider. Obstacles are seen as an opportunity to climb around or over... not to trample on or quash, but as tools to strengthen & enhance...

The branches are covered in buds... each individual flower does not last long, but they don't come out all at once, promising a gorgeous display over the next few weeks. The flowers may be fragile & delicately scented... but this is only one aspect of the wild rose's personality. The stems are tough, yet flexible and the thorns can be vicious! Can be vicious... if you are careless enough to brush too close, or try & cut or pull a stem... normally the hooked thorns aid the plant to climb and provide a safer haven for smaller birds & creatures within the tangled thickets.

Like the cultivated roses in our gardens, attempts to slash or cut it back, only ensures a redoubled growth, with extra shoots springing from the point at which it is cut...creating extra strength & vigour. It dawned on me once, that we, ourselves are often 'pruned'....

I once had a business that was meant to be, combining art, crystals & healing.... the opportunities & synchronicity that enabled it... well, there is no doubt it was meant to be. It was a shop that vibrated at a higher level somehow and customers constantly remarked on the energy... But things seemingly outside  my control began to go wrong. I say seemingly, because we are never completely aware of the bigger picture... karma, soul-plans, changes needed, future opportunities & direction, lessons... so many things that can only be appreciated with hindsight. One thing after another led to emotional & financial heartache... I kept hanging on & finding ways around them, but there came a point when I had to let go. It was making the decision to let go that was the hardest, and that was a lesson in itself.

I was not in a good state really, but all the time i knew that I had to trust. To Trust... in a higher wisdom, that all was in order, that this too was meant to be. It was at that time, looking at the roses, wondering what it was all about, that I realised it was a part of my life that needed pruning. Not necessarily that there was something wrong with it. However beautiful the flower, sometimes the branch needs cutting back.... to prevent running into a future obstacle, or to change direction, or just to strengthen the growth... allowing more shoots to develop & produce even more abundant flowers...

A few missing petals does not diminish its beauty... likewise a missing business or relationship does not take anything away from me (or anything else that applies to you)... it creates new shapes, new angles... revealing more of the character inside. Sometimes we are capable of seeing what needs pruning, but sometimes it is forced upon us. We may use our thorns to hang on, or lash out & cause hurt... but inevitably, when it happens we have to trust in the bigger picture & in ourselves...to keep trusting & to see the beauty of the changing path... until those new shoots begin to grow, and they always do... until new things begin to bloom in our life... and if we continue to learn & love & trust, we can bear some spectacular flowers! 

If you fancy any wild rose recipe ideas try a look here at the
  herb society