Salon des Plantes August - Sunflower

Today marks the 100th post on this blog. I used to post regularly, but life has gotten more complicated. One of my Summer Resolutions is to write on my blogs again on a regular basis.

Went to Annabella's Salon des Plantes yesterday at the Peralta Community Garden in Berkeley. My friend Huck met me there. Annabella makes wonderful essences and perfumes. To see her website click here.

The featured plant was Sunflower! I realized this is a plant that I take for granted. In listening to what Annabella told us about its history and uses, going through the attunement to the plant, and doing the guided visualization, I got a whole new perspective.

Sunflower originally came from Peru. It spread throughout the Americas and was brought to Europe during the Conquest. It nativized in many area and became the signature flower for Louis XIV. It became an integral part of Russian cuisine, where sunflower oil was used extensively. In addition, a cordial was made using Sunflower in vodka. Who knew?

Sunflower oil can be used both in beauty products and in cooking. The seeds of some species are used in baking and cooking. The serve as a healthy snack which contains a high percentage of protein. Sunflower seeds also feed birds and animals.

My guided visualization had me climbing a huge sunflower stalk like Jack and the Beanstalk. When I arrived at the top, I found myself on the central disk of a huge flower. I saw the spiral form of the central flowers (sunflower is a complex flower with each petal and each black/brown section as complete flowers in themselves), as a crop circle. I realized that these recurring patterns to be found in nature are there to remind us of that everything is connected. There is a plan to the Universe. We are not alone, but part of a multi-leveled Creation. The spiral at the center of the Sunflower is a hologram.

I also learned to look beyond the superficial. To deeply see the worlds within worlds. And to listen. I heard the buzzing bees of the Peralta Community Garden and realized they speak a language and that they communicate with the plants and flowers in a parallel universe that exists here and now. We live in a multi-tiered world right here on Earth.

Now when I look at the face of Sunflower I know that I am seeing the mystery hidden in plain sight.

Sunflower flower essence from FES

Positive qualities: Unique individuality, spiritualized ego forces infused into a sun-radiant personality
Patterns of imbalance: Distorted or vacillating sense of Self; inflation or self-effacement, low self-esteem or arrogance; poor relation to father or solar aspects of Self

After the Salon, Huck and I took BART to San Francisco to the Mission where we ate at Gracias Madre, an organic vegan Mexican restaurant. OMG! Incredible! One of the best, if not the best meals I have every eaten. SO GOOD! We ordered way to much food and had to bring our entries home. The first three were the appetizers and they were so good and there was so much of it that we could not even touch the last two which were our entries. Handmade tortillas from non-GMO corn! The prices were good too. We actually had ordered four meals and didn't realize it. I'm having my Enchiladas con Mole Poblano for brunch today.

Guacamole con Tostadas
Mashed avocado with cilantro, onion, chile and lime

Quesadillas de Calabaza
Butternut squash and caramelized onion folded into tortillas with cashew nacho cheese a pumpkin seed salsa

Papas al Horno
Be Love Farm Potatoes roasted with olive oil and garlic topped with cashew nacho cheese

Enchiladas con Mole Poblano
Mole enchiladas topped with mushrooms and cashew cheese, served with sauteed greens and beans

Nopales
Prickly Pear cactus from Rivenrock Farms grilled with garlic and fresh herbs, served with rice, beans, pico de gallo, cashew crema and corn tortillas