Dear Spring,

Oh how I celebrate when I see your figure turn onto the drive, still far off, but no longer out of sight. How long I have anticipated your return, for this is the year I will blossom!

As you traverse up the drive, with migratory birds at your shoulder, I see the world gently awaken from it’s deep sleep, all pleased to see your return. I watch as the weather shifts before you, changing from sun, to rain, to snow, and back to sun again, the wind never sure whether to blow cold or warm. But the warmth of the early sun prevails and sends breaths my way, assuring me you have not changed your mind. That you will not turn back.

Reassured by your figure coming closer and the return of the full-breasted Robin, I begin my ascent. With my feet dug deep into the rich, loamy, leaf covered earth mother, rooted in where I’ve been and what I have come from, I send up my long stalk, my arms wrapped tightly around me. Then just like a morning stretch long awaited, I untangle my arms, feeling my new-found freedom. I open my chest to embrace the world. Softly in the distance, or maybe from the depths of my center, I cannot tell, I hear, “Wakerobin, Birthroot, Grandiflorum! Lift your sweet face, for all the winter-weary have waited to see it.” I take a moment, a soft pause, a baby’s breath, savoring the the swirl of emotions at the thought of fully exposing myself, but knowing that is where the fullest beauty is embodied. And with a deep sigh, I surrender my bloom to the sky. I take a deep breath into my core, allowing Spirit to enter. Before the tree canopy fills in, my petals take shape and your quickly passing sun kisses my cheeks. They procure a subtle softness and sparkle I surely could not muster on my own. Fully open, fully embodied, I take another deep breath and let out a luxurious sigh. I have arrived.

Now that you have reached my side, the days pass, and so do visitors. First are the bees and wasps bringing their pollinated paws. I blush a soft pink at their departure. Next are the ants coming to harvest my seeds, eat the outside (eliasome) and then dispose of them mindfully so that next year new shoots are sure to come. It’s a blessing how we are able to support mutual prosperity. I wonder if the deer will make an appearance this year, but thankfully they do not, sparing my grove, insuring our survival for the next. Another day, the tall creature on two feet comes. She has a large round middle, and a glow radiating from her. As she looks sweetly into my face, I look back, seeing the resemblance of the earth mother that held me once as a seed. I wonder if she will pick me to assist her during her labor, as women in past have done. But not today.

Other days are more quiet, only accompanied by the distant singing of the birds and the gentle sweep of a breeze. On those days I think back on the years; one as a seed, a few more lost in count due to attention focused on stockpiling energy, and then my favorite year; the year of my first blossoming. After 3-7 long years, I have finally made it. And because I knew that your precious, magic sunlight only shines shortly before Summer’s Sun comes beating, I had prepped my flower into a tight bud, ready to burst when you said the word.

And now that I am here, I think of the years to come. How many returns will I have to see your face appear on the horizon? 10? 15? Or like some of the elders in my grove, 25? Will I be called on by the upright to be used as medicine or will my population be destroyed by the gouging of my soil for lumber? I long to be recognized by cultures as a representation of consciousness, mutuality and Spirit embodied, and I wonder if will happen in my lifetime.

And now, as you pass in all your fresh beauty, I know my time to shine has as well. I smile as you disappear into the ever increasing thick of green, understanding you and I both have our own transformations to undergo. But I know, as sure as God above, you will return, as all seasons do and I will be there to greet you. Blessings on your way.

Love,

Trillium (grandiflorum)

Some Facts:

-Trilliums are a part of the Melanthiaceae family which belongs to the greater Lily family (liliaceae)

-There are over 49 species of Trillium in North America

-They have been used for hundreds of years as a medicine to bring balance to the downward energy; women’s menstruation, in birth(hence it’s name birthroot), diarrhea, among many other things.

-They symbolize consciousness, embodiment and mutuality

-They grow everything in 3, leaves, petals, seeds, etc…

-They contain both the female and male reproductive parts on one plant

-They are slow to mature and long living (25 years!)

-They are endangered in many areas

***As with all things, it is important to practice sustainable harvesting, which for the Trillium in many states, is not harvesting at all.

Dear Spring, Love Trillium