“A flower blooming in the desert proves to the world that adversity, no matter how great, can be overcome.” —Matshona Dhliwayo
When I came across this quote, I immediately thought of Prickly Pear. When Paul and I lived in the high desert of eastern Arizona for a couple of years, almost nothing grew there except juniper trees and rare and very tiny Prickly Pear cactus. Even though they can grow to the size of small trees, Prickly Pears only grew a few inches tall in this environment—designated a “near fatal” region for growing plants by the USDA. But they did bloom! And that was always a bit inspirational.
And Prickly Pear flower essence is actually a good essence to use in times of adversity or when you don’t want to be where you are but don’t currently have a way to leave. It helps you be more stable and resilient in the present moment and even grateful! And that can help you take advantage of where you are and make better decisions about how you want to handle it. I return to this one over and over since Paul and I have lived in Chico to take care of his father. Chico is pleasant about half the year and has its charms and places of beauty. But every summer we feel trapped indoors, thankful for air conditioning, as the temperatures soar past 100ºF and sometimes up to 115ºF. It will be 106ºF today and there is an Excessive Heat Warning in effect until 11 pm.
Prickly Pear acts differently than any other flower essence I have used. I feel stable in my heart and in the core of my body rather than deeply grounded (although it can sometimes have a grounding effect). Within a day or two I get used to this and stop noticing it as different. And then I get to a point where I don’t think it is doing anything so I stop using it, and THEN I really miss it! I don’t feel as happy or stable and I hate that in comparison. Which is interesting because I am never aware of NOT feeling that way before I use it. I always feel drawn to Prickly Pear because I feel obsessed with getting away and living somewhere else. That obsession goes away with Prickly Pear but I forget. I want a flower essence to have a more dramatic effect—silly me. Feeling more quietly at ease with where I am is actually a very nice way to be! I can still put plans in place to move away from Chico when/if the time is right; but I don’t have to be obsessed and miserable. I can be here now.