magical properties of flowers Archives

Mystical Musings: Honeysuckle and the Gift of Happiness

Spending time studying honeysuckle meant spending time meditating on what it means to be truly happy. Yes, honeysuckle represents happiness in the natural world, but what does that really mean?

If the honeysuckle vine’s magical energy were to reach out and touch our lives with the gift of happiness, what would that look like?

Happiness is an emotion, but it is also a composite of emotions. It’s almost like an umbrella term that describes a flurry of emotions, like joy, pleasure, and excitement.

We feel happy sometimes when we look back and reflect on our childhood through the rose-colored glasses that nostalgia often lends us.

Nostalgia is a bit of an oxymoron in that it is a bittersweet form of happiness – a happiness that brings with it a little pang and yearning for something that we had once…and then lost.

A little smile dares color our faces when we reminisce on more innocent times when the world was simpler…easier…happier.

But we also feel sadness as we look through the looking glass to a time that has come and gone. Those moments of magical, bubbling joy now belong to the past.

Honeysuckle treats us to happiness by way of nostalgia, so that yes we have joy in our pleasant memories…but we also experience the pain of yearning. Pain and joy, are coupled together so that we truly feel the emotion of happiness. Every good emotion must sting…just a little so that you know it is real.

Emotions are magical…and fleeting. We are becoming less and less a people capable of emotion as cultural changes and societal shifts demand that we feel less and less in order to survive.

In our endless quest to heed our own survival, we often lose sight of what we’re surviving for – to be happy. What is the point of all of this if it doesn’t bring us joy? Why bother clinging to the mortal coil if it doesn’t make us happy?

Honeysuckle teaches us that in our search for happiness, we must focus on the little things, like the sweet taste of honeyed nectar like a secret treasure to be discovered within its petals, or the effervescent, scintillating aroma the flowers emit at peak bloom.

These things are all wonderful little miracles Mother Nature provides to remind us that the best things in life are free and that sometimes the simplest phenomena can bring the most joy.

Yes, a new shiny car or a bigger house can bring you a measure of joy, but eventually, you are prone to get bored of these things, as they are material and subject to erosion, wear and tear.

But the magical scent of the honeysuckle’s bloom, from season to season, will always be a spellbinding marvel of Nature that nothing man-made can replicate. The pleasant taste of honeysuckle nectar will always rival even the best delicacies that the most seasoned cooks have to offer.

Happiness, at the end of the day, is natural. Happiness is Nature-made.

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Valerian is powdered and used in sachets for protection and purification and can be placed under the pillow as a sleep aid. When hung in the home, it can guard against lightning strikes, and powdered and sprinkled along the threshold it can deter unwanted guests.

It is believed that if a woman pins a sprig of Valerian to her clothing, men will follow her like a child does their mother. Valerian can be placed around the home to quell couples’ quarrels and can also be placed in love sachets. Planting Valerian in the garden can bring harmony to the home, and you can add it to your ritual space to cleanse the area.

Greeks hung sprigs of Valerian on their windows to ward off evil from the home, and the dust is sometimes called “graveyard dust,” which can be used as a substitute for graveyard dust in magical work. Valerian is used during Samhain and Yule celebrations and can be added to charms and talismans for protection.

Selective focus close-up of red valerian flowers.

Like catnip, cats are magically drawn to Valerian, which can be used in spell work involving cats and other animals. It is also a very powerful panacea and can be used to treat many ailments, including headaches, cramps, and digestive upset.* The name comes from the Latin word valere which means to be strong and healthy and is also known as “all-heal.”

Valerian is believed to be able to turn any bad situation into a good one. It is a powerful sedative that can relieve stress, anxiety, and insomnia. Place valerian in your shoes to protect against the flu, and drink valerian tea when in need of purification.*

Be careful of long-term use of valerian, as it can become addictive. Pregnant women should avoid valerian.*

*FDA Disclaimer

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