A bower of roses creates a special kind of sacred space, filled with a scent
that can connect us to the past. Whether freshly cut and placed in a crystal
vase with winter greens, or tumbling out of an old watering can, dried for a
Victorian potpourri or the center of an herb filled tussie mussie, the rose
connects us to our inner selves, to memories of another time, another place, as
past and present merge. A dried pressed rose petal, falling out of a precious
book, means someone was once deeply loved. Throughout the ages the rose has
symbolized love, life, sexuality and passion, death, the sun, the moon, the
heart, the soul, perfection itself. Hafiz, a Sufi poet, calls it the "heart
enchanting flower."
Lucia Bettler shares more in this lovely meditation on the rose.
