A Mary Garden Roses & Violets III

B. A Partial List of Flower and Marian Connection
Legend = lesson or reading, medieval usage
Legend for a modern is untruthful, deceit, a negative, make believe fairy tale

Colors, white and blue, flowers of this hue tied to BVM Iris sword pointed leaves Mary’s Sword of Sorrow
Lily chastity
Violet humility, present at the Annunciation (Protoevangelium St. James)
Rose depending on color martyrdom, love, heavenly joy, white rose virginity Song of Solomon 2:1 I am a rose of Sharon/ a lily of the valleys
Marygold, legend that Mary used golden petals as coins
Columbine- Our Lady’s Shoes/ Slippers, Mary’s foot stepped on the way to visit Elizabeth

Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) lover of nature & originator of many of these legends

Fragrant herbs- Her spiritual sweetness, lemon balm Sweet Mary
-Soothing & healing herbs denote her Mercy
Bitter & Sour herbs her bitter sorrows, dandelion & sorrel acrid pungent taste

Feast Days of Our Lady
Snowdrops Feast of Purification Feb 2
Assumption Lily for the Assumption Aug 15 (Roses & Lilies filled her tomb when top removed to show Thomas) second century legend
Italian Aster blooms around September 8 our Lady’s Birthday Flower
Roses & Violets

Miracles flowers blooming when they shouldn’t, Elizabeth of Hungary, Juan Diego. Smells roses, turns to Our Lady.

III. Personal experience Carmelite Sisters Mother Teen Daughter Retreat, Salvia, Red & White blooms, instead of ‘Hotlips’ ‘Divine Mercy’, two rays of light, red & white. A serenity of peace. Every time I see them in my gardens, I think of the Love of My Lord and the beautiful nuns who were so gracious to my daughter and self.

People detached from the earth. Loss of knowledge modern school children cannot name most common leaf shapes of trees or flower. Maybe only a rose can be named. Lexicon most of kids natural knowledge.

Social media, nontangible information acquisition loses connection to nature. Picture in book is not the dame as holding a flower. Modernist, scientific knowledge less enamored of the flower itself. Losing the beauty of the real. Lady Slippers immediate entrance into mediatavie moment. Columbine no poetry.