During our recent event in Anglesey, we were all given a candle and sunflower seeds; physical symbols of the inner work upon which we had been engaged The symbolism is, at first glance, self-explanatory… light and growth…and the instruction was to carry the seeds of light into the world.

A flower is a beautiful and apt symbol for the human journey. While they are incredibly different in their outer form, they function in an essentially similar way. From the outside…bright, brash, delicate or pale…  the petals could be likened to the personality; what makes a flower, or an individual, easily identifiable. You need no special knowledge or complex tests to decide if what you see is a rose or a thistle.

From the inside, you might compare the petals to our fears, emotions, expectations and desires. Allowed to grow unharmed, they may produce beauty and become attractive, which is after all, what a petal should do. But petals serve no other purpose and will, inevitably, wither and die.

Although a flower delights us with its beauty, its purpose is not just to look beautiful but to attract the pollinators and ensure the growth of seeds. The purpose of the personality is not to be the best or the ‘fairest of them all’, but to attract the experiences we need for our own growth.

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