Significance of Flowers in the Spiritual Journey

It has been noticed that Flowers have been commonly used as offering across the world amongst all group of seekers / religious groups.

Mother’s symbol gives spiritual significance to 12 flowers to explain each of the 12 attributes: Perseverance, Peace, Goodness, Gratitude, to name a few. It helps to relate essential attributes of a seeker with Nature’s gift in form of Flowers. Sri Aurobindo’s symbol also has Lotus flower in the central block to denote the spiritual meaning of supramental consciousness. In the samadhi area close to the relics and also on the photos of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo, flowers have been used to decorate the area – for their fragrance and also for the associated spiritual connect as explained by the Mother. This is also a practice in places of worship in our homes.

Mother has described flowers as Laughter of Nature in one of her messages and this looks apt considering the positive vibes we get when we smell, touch and feel their fragrance by our sensory organs and find it easy to connect with our inner planes of consciousness.

An observant look at Nature’s beauty gives credence to nurturing flower plants for their herbal, aesthetic and spiritual significance in our home gardens as also in children’s parks for the community.

In my visits to Auroville, it was a delight to see placards with flowers giving their spiritual meaning as given by the Mother.

I have found the use of flowers – as a daily offering at places of worship – rejuvenating and giving positive vibes in the ambience. I have found ‘flowering of consciousness’ a good metaphor to relate with the transformational growth journey – from seed to blooming into full bloom shape and also related with different phases of evolution of consciousness during life journey in physical  form – from birth as seed to its withering due to decay and finally culminating of the form for a new birth.

It would be really great to plant trees and nurture flowers as part of integrating our journey as a seeker on the path of Integral Yoga, as a transformational experience and for relating with the Mother Nature.

- Pranav Srivastava (India)

Comments

  1. Dr. Sudevi Basu31 July 2025 at 15:44

    Very nice thought.... beautifully written.....

    ReplyDelete
  2. Selby Beebe-Lawson31 July 2025 at 18:53

    Flowers also serve to attract pollinators, with resultant fruit holding seeds of future growth. I recently saw a young woman at a protest handing out "peace flowers". Thank you for the beautiful reminder of the role of flowers in our lives!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dr. Gaurav Ashesh1 August 2025 at 09:50

    Very thought- and action-provoking indeed!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for posting a comment.

Popular posts from this blog

Beyond Thy Gifts

What use will all the praise and applause be, If He who I yearn for I can no longer see. What joy can achievement and acclaim bring, If the tongue can spew wonders but the heart can no longer sing. In the outer changing spaces of shadow and light, Where will I find thy loving delight? O Ancient of the Worlds who silently lifts, Give to me thy self beyond thy gifts. - Anahita Sanjana (India)
Read more

Inspirations from Mother’s Voice

It is a wonderful thing that we have recordings of Mother’s voice spanning many years on a wide variety of topics such as messages, conversations, readings, and instructions. Of these what I listen to regularly are The Agenda  and the Playground talks. It is part of my morning routine to listen to each of them for a few minutes. And as both The Agenda  and Playground talks are only in French, it requires me to follow along reading the French editions of these. Although my French is good, to get the full benefit and completely understand what Mother is saying, I have the book alongside. I find the time spent listening to Mother to be quite uplifting. Because it is in French, I have to listen more closely or I miss the words. As a result, my mind becomes attentive, focused and still. And as I listen to Mother, the words in the book become alive with the added quality of her presence and personality. It is like listening to a person tell me something rather than just reading a te...
Read more

Mental Assumptions in Relationships

Relationships. This seems to be the favourite area to work upon in young people. Relationship with family – especially the parents and siblings, with friends and more and more with that one special friend who acquires a special meaning as one enters the teenage years. Meeting young people, working with them, I am again and again asked for ways to work on one’s relationships. Here are some thoughts based on self-observation – simple things that can impact any relationship in a big way...... Mental Assumptions I had some work with a colleague. She said we will do it on Saturday when she comes to the office. Saturday morning – no sign of the colleague. My angst rising by the minute. “Why is she so irresponsible? She is just not interested in the work. Always tries to make things difficult for me. Why did she have to say that we will do it on Saturday?” Hold on! Did she give a particular time? No. Then why did I assume one? Why did I imagine that she will come for the morning meditation an...
Read more