Parting the Mists

Blessed Imbolc, everyone! Today might be the day of the saint and goddess Brigid (Brigit, Brighid, Brigantia), but today we see a plant associated with another goddess figure: Blodeuwedd, also known as Flower Face. Her tale of unique creation from the blooms of Meadowsweet, Oak, and Broom and later claiming her own sovereignty inspires many women.

Here, Meadowsweet suggests blessings or changes in your life. Take time today to honor those things.

Blessings!

Meadowsweet – Transition, Blessing, Celebration (also Transience, The Familiar, Routine)

Meaning: Traces of Meadowsweet, Heather, and Royal Fern have been found on Neolithic drinking vessels in Scotland – leading archeologists to speculate that these plants were used to brew ale. Later, Meadowsweet was used marriage celebrations. This card may indicate that a time of celebration or transition is due. Meadowsweet’s creamy flowers and summery smell are a reminder that change is one of the greatest features of being alive in this world, and the best way to accept change is to celebrate it. Whether you are leaving job, relationship, or familiar surroundings or are joining forces with colleagues or a partner, this is a time to truly celebrate the change that is occurring – offering flowers to the God or Goddess and accepting the transformations this transition will bring.

The card may also be urging you to formally mark and celebrate a transition or major event in your life, or that of your family, that you’ve been tempted to ignore, such as moving or leaving home, reaching puberty, succeeding in a creative project, achieving a significant age, separating, or divorcing.

This card could also refer to the need to slow down and acknowledge change. In the old times, change was considered significant and was often celebrated or marked ritually. Today we are so used to change that we barely give it a thought – we change cars and computers, houses, partners and jobs – with a speed that would have amazed our ancestors. Although our potential for learning and freedom has expanded, we have suffered as a result. Hurtling furiously toward the future, we have forgotten how to live in the moment and how to enjoy both change and the stability that comes from the familiar.

Choosing this card may indicate that it is time to celebrate the familiar and to take time to enjoy the contstants in your life that don’t often change. Routine and sameness can be stultifying, but they can also provide the ground through which you can deepen your character and soul.

The Druid Plant Oracle by Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, art by Will Worthington