Often we think of the rose as the flower of love but there is also a plant totem of rose. Did you know that? The main lesson or totem of the rose is one of empowerment. Finding a balance between love and power is key to learning the lessons of rose.
Our ancestors knew that seekers of love would also find the ultimate power and that seekers of power eventually find the ultimate love. There is no good way to have one without the other. People who possess power without love will be corrupt and cruel while possessors of love without power will be destroyed by martyrdom and victimization. Both love and power need to be in a perfect balance.
The rose, with its graceful beauty and distinct fragrance, opens our hearts to higher emotions. The thorns of the rose act as a defender from any affronts. We might think that the essence of the rose is female, yet it is typically given a male spirit. Although, this lovely flower in plant totem has both female and male qualities. The feminine shows in the softness, beauty, and fragrance. The maleness comes from the thorns and hardiness, a part of its warrior spirit.
The plant totem of Rose reminds us to keep balance in all things. We need to be loving and giving but we can not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of. While we keep ourselves grounded and create boundaries from the weeds of life, we must also freely share our inner beauty and our gifts of love. Just as the rose opens up to the loving kiss of the sun we must open our hearts to those around us. Knowing when to close our blossoms when we are encountering harshness. The plant totem of rose teaches us to trust with the strength of wisdom.
~Mitakuye Oyasin~ We are all related
The spirit of rose came to me recently during an apprenticeship with the spirit of cacao. I have found that cacao has a way of bringing to awareness areas of resistance/incongruence in our lives. One of those areas for me is stepping into a better balance between openness and boundaries – which is exactly what this post talks about with regard to rose. Rose continues to teach me balance, trust, & reminders of inner knowing. Thank you for sharing your wisdom.