The Virgin's Hair

Wild clematis was known as the Virgin's Hair in the Sacred Flora of the Madonna. It was part of Dr Bach's original flower essence used for day dreamers. Bach surely must of notice that clematis's fluffy flower-heads looked like clouds. Thus clematis became the plant's medicine for those who had their heads in the clouds and needed grounding. The close observation of plants was used by Medieval Herbalist and Indigenous people as a way to identify a plant's purpose. Paracelsus, the father of science called this reading "The Book of Nature."

But we might look at the Virgin's Hair from another angle.  The Virgin aspect of the old pagan Goddess was really the very first day of spring, when the fresh blades of grass made their appearance after the long days of winter.  The purity and freshness of Spring flowers and the very first leaves are all considered the Virgin aspect of the Mother found in Nature.  

With the coming of Christianity the ancient Goddess was replaced by the Virgin Mary. But the other aspects of the of the Goddess were set aside.  The impregnated sexual alive Maiden Goddess and the Crone Goddess of Wisdom, purification, composting and death were forbidden to be worship.  

But in the 12th century France the worship of Mary the Virgin, Mary Magdalene the Lover and St Anne the Grandmother of Christ became very popular.  These three saints became a lay-over of the ancient worship of the three fold Goddess. 

But life in the physical form needs to experience all the aspects. It is important we integrated all three, otherwise we cannot live life to its fullest. Everything in creation has a beginning, a flowering, and dying. 

It is how we recognize and accept these different aspect in our lives that gives us a fuller view.  Even when people, relationships, or life as we once knew it dies, there is always a promise of rebirth. We can learn to allow ourselves the time to compost our life experiences deeply. And when the winter is over the new blade of grass will pushes up from the frozen ground and life is restored again. 

Note: Clematis grows wild and blooms late in the summer but it's flowers heads last even into late fall. This image of the Virgin is Our Lady of Good Help who I found in the cathedral in Seattle. The wild clematis was growing on the Seattle's city street.