California Poppy - Rise, Shine, Rest, Reset
California Poppy - Eschscholzia californica
The medicine of poppy is so gentle, so subtle. It doesn’t need to poke like nettle or grow deep wild roots like dandelion. Instead, poppy just flows. She doesn’t push or force, she doesn’t give more than she should or than she has to give. Poppy just shines with all that she's got because that’s more than enough. She doesn’t need to impress, doesn’t deal in expectations or worry for deadlines. No, poppy helps break addictive patterns, including addictions to distraction and busyness. She cultivates presence and helps us recognize the beauty of the light and the peace in the dark. She shows us how to take everything one day at a time.
A sedating, antispasmodic, mildly bitter and cooling ally, the whole aerial plant of poppy makes for good medicine. The flower essence aids our ability to gather and shine our own light brightly, confidently. We can count on this golden medicine to calm our inner and outer restlessness, ease anxiousness, and invite us into a more peaceful sleep. When we are hesitant to feel, experience, and ultimately heal our pain poppy is there to shine light into even our darkest spaces. It calms the nervous system with a gentle strength that gives us space to be more comfortable in our discomfort.
This is a favorite ally for dancing between our own personal dualities, and is sometimes called “golden cup.” It grows as native wildflower through California, Oregon, southern Washington, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and in Mexico in Sonora. Because of its versatility and beauty California poppy is often used as an ornamental in gardens. But there is nothing quite like seeing an open meadow of this flower basking in the sun on a bright summer day.
Want to learn more about California poppy? Try their medicine first hand with our Plant Spirit Medicine Box, or stop in to make your own custom herbal blend.
"For me, California Poppy is such a great ally! It's calming and relaxing, soft but powerful. I also find it to be really helpful for pain, plus it's my favorite color?" -Rachel
"California Poppy helps us find peace through acceptance of the past, love of now and for every moment that we step into. You are an embodiment of the sacred. Find treasure in the chores of living, in the refuse, and in the silence." -Bethany
"California Poppy helps me come to calm and ground in order to connect back to balance. She speaks to the nervous system and psyche, giving us time to rest and discover the next step forward. She sways with the wind in open feilds, yet remains anchored with her specific strength and enticing beauty, reminding us to do the same." -Tasha
NEW MOON IN VIRGO
This was published later than expected but the insights are still meaningful and relevant to the cycle from new moon to moon beginning September 6th
The Moon meets the Sun around 15 degrees Virgo today, September 6th at 6:52pm MST. The moon in virgo feels like the earth's younger sister. In a trine to Uranus she is likely to shake us up for the better. She’ll move the ocean, pull at our hearts, make adjustments to our pathways and thank god. We could all use a little guidance through the chaos. We just have to find that voice in our hearts that says Yes and the voice that says No and listen to them. The Virgo way is exacting, the edges can be sharp and the cliff sides steep but if we toe the line we can come much farther than we had expected. Pay attention, this new moon is also opposing Neptune in Pisces. Pisces and Virgo have a primordial tension. Virgo emphasizes the microcosm and Pisces the macrocosm. With Neptune in Pisces it will be easy to get lost in fantasy, dream of perfection with no visible plan to achieve it. It could be easy to get let down or caught in a net of desire or despair. Be aware, don’t let your dreams become a veil overwhelming the reality of the moment. Our sweet plant ally the California Poppy flower can help us achieve the ultimate clarity. It can show us that we are, in every moment, experiencing the divine. I know I’ve said it before and maybe this is always the answer, but take a minute and know that you are divine, you are sacred and this moment is wholly perfect.
-Shared with us by Bethany Anne Stamey