Sacred Flora of The Virgin Mary

The 12th-15th centuries had over 600 plants that were dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It was in the early 90s I discovered Mary's Sacred Flora. I was completely fascinated  researching her flowers, discovering the flower folklore and creating photographs.  I lost myself in this passion of hours of endless research. 

 It was a spring day in Marin county and I was out in a wildflower field.  The green grass was growing so tall it created a natural support for the most delicate flowers. I was standing in a field, it was one of those days one could become intoxicated, what some people might call Spring fever. I was completely feeling it.  All of a sudden all the names of Mary's flowers came to me and I began to experience the Face of Mary within the very Flowery Body of Nature. I grazed out upon the wildflowers recalling all the names of Mary's Flowers; Our Lady's Apron, Our Lady's Lace, Mary's Mantle, The Eyes of Mary, Mary's Shoes, Lady's Bedstraw, Our Lady's Thimble, Our Lady's Ladle all spun in my head in a blink of an eye. I was being bathed in the very body of the Blessed Mother's Presence .  

 There is a  Rosary Mystery which is called, "The Annunciation." The Annunciation is when Mary's dies, her Spirit ascends into heaven and is carried by Angels. She is then crowned as the Queen of Heaven by her Son, Jesus. But, her physical body is left behind and is transformed into flowers. 

Looking at a Medieval image of the Virgin Mary you would think she was Mother Nature herself. Her hands wore foxglove blossoms referred to as Our Ladies Gloves. The yellow toad-flax ( Virgin Flax) was her flax for spinning cloth. The big leaf of Colcasia became her cape when she wasn't wearing green Lady's Mantle. The yellow flowers of Damascenicum nothum became Mary's shoes but she also had a change of foot wear because she was known to wear common Birdfoot treifoil or Monkshood for her slippers. Where ever the Blessed Mother step she left behind as her foot prints Columbine flowers.

Honey suckle tendrils were her fingers and Maiden Hair fern was her hair. She combed her hair with our Lady's comb also known as teasle weed that once was the comb of the Goddess Venus. Impatient flowers became her eardrops and fushia buds became her earings. Canterbury bells were her night cap and wood anemone became her pettycoat. The common white bindweed became her drinking glass.
You can see that the very body of the Blessed Mother was clothed by Mother Nature. The Sacred Flora of The Blessed Mother is a way for us to view Nature as Sacred and how important for us to see the Sacredness of this Earth. 

.