Hydrangea

Decks Used: The Herbal Tarot by Micahel Tierra, The Cosmic Tarot by Norbert Loesche, The Kawaii Tarot by Diana Lopez, The Tarot Del Toro by Tomas Hijo, The Movie Tarot by Diana McMahon Collis, the Angel Tarot by Travis McHenry

Image credits go to Getty Images

Research credits go to FTD

So these general energy readings are going to be done a bit differently from the other times in that I want to share some ideas and research I’ve done on flowers that typically bloom during summer. This project arose from a conversation I’d had with a friend of mine and believe me when I say, the rabbit hole I tumbled down to do the research for this was a lot of fun. As a disclaimer, some of the research I share about the plants may include mentions of their medicinal uses. PLEASE DO NOT CONSUME THESE PLANTS!!! Some of the plants I researched for this produce poisonous chemicals and on top of that, if you do purchase these plants, pesticides were probably used on them. Again, please do not consume these plants. Okay so now that my safety spiel is over, let’s start in with the hydrangea.

image from Getty Images

The hydrangea is said to originate in Japan where it is said to be especially significant. According to legend, the hydrangea was given as a means of apology and heart-felt emotion after the Emperor left behind the girl he loved to conduct business elsewhere. Because of this, the pink hydrangea is typically given as a means of expressing deep, heartfelt emotion; apropos because the shape of the cluster of blossoms resembles a heart. Aside from this, there is a wide variety of meanings depending on cultural beliefs and stories. For example, the Victorians viewed the hydrangea a bit more negatively than the Japanese. To them, the hydrangea was seen as representing boastfulness, bragging, and vanity. This is so because the flower itself produces beautiful flowers, but not a whole lot of seeds. These flowers were also given to people who turned down love interests as a sign from the other person that they were cold and mean. (wow...dragged much?) Even the color associations have certain meanings with blue meaning coldness or apology, white meaning boastfulness, and purple meaning one has a desire to understand someone else. The name comes from the Greek words for jar (angos) and water (hydros) An interesting fact I learned from researching this plant is that the hydrangea flower picks up its color depending on the acidity of the soil. The greatest diversity of hydrangea species exist in Asia (Japan, China, and Korea) and can bloom in a number of shapes. They do require a lot of water to grow but as with anything, too much water can kill them.

So with this reading, I’d like to know what I can do to rein in my need to brag and boast, how to best show my appreciation and heartfelt emotions for the people and things I have in my life right now, and what heartfelt emotions and apologies do I need to express at this time? Let’s get to the cards and find out.

The Cards

cards were pulled from various decks

• Ariel: perception, revelation, discovery, secrets

• Nelchael: desire for knowledge, protects from lairs, evil spells, and bad spirits

• Moon: illusions, dream, exploring your darkness

• 3 of Pentacles: teamwork, a balance of novices with the energies of those with experience

• 7 of pentacles: take a step back to assess your progress, your hard work is starting to pay off

• Justice: balance, answering for actions taken in the past

• 2 of swords: choices need to be made, your missing information so take a step back to gather what you need

• 10 of cups: happiness, long-lasting love, stability, satiety

• Page of Coins: applying lessons to helo you maintain your finances, wealth, abundance, and resources

• The world: completion, a chapter is ending and a door is closing but new ones are opening and starting. This is also about love, connecting, and coming full circle

• Knight of cups: emotional, shy, romantic, taking action on emotional pursuits

• The fool: starting on a journey, naive, spontaneous, the world is their oyster and they can now explore it without hindrance.

So in order to keep me from being boastful and bragging, show my appreciation and express my heartfelt emotions, I need to know that firstly, I’m not alone. My secrets will be revealed soon enough. A change in perception will be needed to come out of a state of illusion I’ve been under, and balancing novice and experienced energies will make the choices I need to make easier to deal with. This will also bring happiness into my life and close old chapters so new ones can begin.