The Magic of Flowers: A Guide to Their Metaphysical Uses & Properties - Tess Whitehurst 2013

Cherry Blossom
The Flowers

A favorite flower in Japan, cherry blossom’s pure and positive vibration can help uplift our mood, align us with the Divine, draw romance, and powerfully enhance our mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.

Magical Uses

Divine Love

Within us is a divine spark of consciousness, and the more we acknowledge and tune in to this spark, the happier we are and the more everything seems to work in our lives. What’s more, we begin to notice that the entire visible world is alive with the same divine energy—and that, as such, we are one with everything, and everything is on our side. From this awareness, we realize that the trees, the sky, water, air, our clothing, our food, our friends, strangers, our homes, the ground beneath our feet, and even seeming challenges that may come our way are all conspiring to shower blessings upon us. We feel grateful for everything in our lives, and everything in our lives feels grateful for us. In other words, our lives are defined by divine love, which we constantly emanate, embody, and receive.

Because cherry blossoms emanate the energy of divine love in an uncommonly pure and potent way, they can be magically employed to remind us of this love. This lifts our spirits and establishes the energetic atmosphere that will bring greater harmony and blessings into every area of our lives. For this purpose, employ the flower in a ritual, spend time with her, or take the essence.

Forgiveness

No matter how wronged or slighted we may have felt in the past, holding on to grudges, grievances, and old hurts is always an energy drain and holds us back from experiencing joy and the fullness of our power. So if it’s early spring and you’re ready to forgive a person, group of people, or situation, you might perform the following ritual.

FORGIVENESS RITUAL

Put some shears or scissors in a basket or grocery bag, along with a bottle of water, a pen, and a journal or notebook. You might also want to bring a folding chair or a little blanket or towel to sit on.

Visit a blossoming cherry tree. Sit comfortably. Relax and take some deep breaths as you quiet your mind and tune in to the energy of the blossoms. When you feel ready, write out what you’re ready to release. Tell the story that has caused you to hold on to unforgiveness and anger, and don’t censor yourself. Tell it with all the emotion the story currently holds for you. Get nasty. Call people names if you want. Then describe in detail how it feels to hold on to this situation and how it affects your life. For example, it likely leads to feelings of disempowerment and exhaustion, and perhaps you also find that you feel suspicious and untrusting of people who have nothing to do with the situation at all.

Now take a leap of imagination and envision how it would feel if you were able to let go of the situation—to let it be what it is but not to fight with it anymore: to accept it, begin to heal it, and be free. You don’t have to actually forgive yet, just imagine what it would feel like if you did, then describe that in your journal as well. When this feels complete, tune in to the blossoms again and silently communicate everything you have just discovered about your feelings concerning the situation. Explain that you’re ready to forgive and move on, and ask the blossoms to help you. Hold the bottle of water in both hands and say a prayer of blessing in any way that feels right to you, then pour it around the base of the tree. Then, with the shears, lovingly gather five- to six-inch lengths of seven blossoming branches. Thank the tree profusely, place the branches in the basket or bag, and go home. Once home, dissolve one-half cup sea salt in a warm bath and float the blossoms on top. Soak for at least forty minutes.

Gentleness

If things have been feeling a bit harsh lately at work or if your relationship or home life has been beset by irritability and snappishness, cherry blossoms can help soften things up. Bring bouquets into your home and/or take the essence.

HEART AND CROWN CHAKRA ALIGNMENT

Each chakra represents its own constellation of life aspects, yet the chakra system is holistic: each chakra affects and interacts with every other chakra. When the heart chakra (at your sternum) and crown chakra (at the top of your head) are both balanced, activated, and aligned with each other, we powerfully radiate and receive the energy of divine love. Additionally, we live from our hearts and follow our divine guidance, which helps align us with our most ideal life path. Cherry blossoms enhance and vitalize each chakra individually and together.

To garner these benefits, take the essence and play some soft, relaxing music. Lie flat on your back with your arms by your sides, palms upon the floor, bed, or yoga mat. Place one small stem of cherry blossoms at the top of your head, one on your heart, and one in each of your palms. Close your eyes, take some deep breaths, and relax deeply for at least twenty minutes.

Remembering One’s Primal Innocence

Mistakes? Sure, you’ve made them—we all have. But no matter what you think you’ve done or not done, the truth is that you are, and always have been, doing the very best you can. Life is confusing. We can’t expect ourselves to do it perfectly, and mistakes are actually an indispensable aspect of the learning process.

What’s more, the past is dissolved as completely as if it never happened at all. There is only the present. There only ever has been the present. The past and the future are illusions, or simply ways of communicating about what we remember or foresee.

With these things in mind, cherry blossom would like to remind you that the truth of your being is 100 percent innocent right now: as innocent as a newborn baby, puppy, or kitten. You are completely forgiven for everything you’ve ever thought, said, done, and not done.

If you need help remembering this, spend time with the flower, take the essence or add it to your bath, or incorporate cherry blossoms into a ritual.

Romance

The romance that cherry blossom brings into our lives is not your everyday type of romance. If you’re looking for a light spring fling or some amusing but not too serious romantic adventures, cherry blossom is probably not the love-drawing flower for you.

But if, on the other hand, you’re ready for a keeper—for someone with whom you don’t just have a physical connection but also a spiritual and emotional one—cherry blossom just might be the flower to choose for your magical workings.

In Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs, author Scott Cunningham describes a simple Japanese cherry blossom love spell: to draw love, “tie a single strand of your hair to a blossoming cherry tree.”

Weight Loss

Because cherry blossoms provide spiritual nourishment as well as self-forgiveness and self-love, they can be employed to help heal the emotional causes of overeating or eating in an unhealthy way. To employ cherry blossoms for this purpose, simply take two drops of cherry blossom essence under the tongue three times per day.

Magical Correspondences

Elements: Air, Water

Gender: Female

Planet: Venus