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Health & Fitness

How To Speak Floral, Fluently

Learn how to speak Floral, fluently! It's the new trendy language.. especially since it's Valentine's Day! What does your Flower say?

Did you know that the “Language of Flowers” was used by the ancient Egyptians, Chinese, Indians and Greeks? It’s true! Flower meanings have appeared in verses and even in Shakespearean plays. In those ancient times and in classical myth, many flowers were said to have divine origins. Some flowers supposedly sprang from the blood of the slain, and others sprang from tears and some would spontaneously spring up on the grave of a loved one. Other flowers even have associations to the “fairy folk”. So, today, I’d like to remind you that there are lots of flowers to convey what you would like to say.. and the color has an even deeper meaning. I’m sure that a lot of the actual associations have been lost or changed over time, but I still think it’s interesting. I also think it’s a dying art, to know what the flowers mean, but I’m pretty sure everybody is familiar with the flower language of “I love you” with a single red rose.

Speaking of roses, an interesting story in Christian tradition, says that the Rose first appeared in Bethlehem, near the site of the stable where baby Jesus was born. Other stories say it was a red Carnation. In other traditions the rose is said to be the most magical flower of all… like if a witch was being burned at the stake, but wasn’t really a witch, the Angels would swoop in and turn the yellow and red flames into yellow and red roses. Then she would be freed and many Pagans would convert to Christianity because of it. Roses have long been associated with the goddesses Aphrodite and Venus. Each color has a certain meaning like white, for humility and innocence, yellow for friendship, pink is for gratitude, orange conveys desire, purple says Love at first sight, and red of course means pure romance and or love, which you already knew.

Remember how we always used to take a Daisy apart by the petals -saying “loves me- or- loves me not”, and the last petal always answered the question? Or how about if you used flowers to help make a decision between two things, like “to go or to stay” or “to act or to wait”? You buy 2 rose buds that are exactly alike and put them each in a vase. You write the decision on paper and place each under the vase.. and the first rosebud to reach full bloom would give you your answer.

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Here are a couple flowers that are interesting in their meaning and maybe next time you send flowers, you will send a little note with it, explaining the reason you chose this certain flower.

 Camellia: (the shrub, any color) sends courage. It says to be brave in adversity. This is a great gift to send to someone who is having a hard time because it lives for so long and can be planted directly into the garden.

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 Carnations: It is said that (red) Carnations grew spontaneously on the graves of loved ones, and so, is associated with funerals. To send them conveys a meaning that “your absence is painful to bear”. A white Carnation means sweet and lovely and faithful. Pink or white is often the flower worn by women on Mother’s Day to church, in honor of their moms who have passed on. But to send a pink Carnation means “Thank you” and or “I will never forget you”!

 Clover, yep, Clover- is fun to find, especially if it has 4 leaves! To give it in a leaf bouquet means Fortune and says “May luck and health shine on you”. To give a bouquet of the flowers, red means Good luck on your new job and the white conveys a promise.

 Tulips, if they are red, say “I want to tell the whole world how much I love you”… but a mixed color bouquet can say “Your eyes hold my soul and I’m hopelessly in love”.

 Orchids say “I think you have a rare beauty”. Wow, need I say more? Yes I should. The Orchid is such a fabulous flower that is easy to take care of and you can pretty much water it with ice chips! Great choice, guys!

 Pansies are for true friends, and fond memories. Sending all colors means “I remember and treasure the happy times”.

 Foxglove: are the flowers of the fairies. It is said that if you plant one, you should never move it, as it is the home of a Fairy. Since it is the home of a Fairy, it should never be picked without first asking permission. (Remember, actually, that Digitalis is a poisonous plant).

 Rosemary: It’s said that to give Rosemary conveys protection and constant thought. It’s also said that it should be planted on the four corners of a house or property and will protect the owner from negative influences, people or happenings.

 Violets: It’s all about trust. Let’s say you betrayed somebody somehow. Send them violets with a message that you will never betray their trust again. Blue will show Faithfulness for now on... and white could mean a promise to be less arrogant and more modest. This is a flower that must be hand delivered or the meaning is lost.

 Which brings me to the idea of how one should deliver the flowers or bouquet. Giving them in person is actually the best way. It shows, with action, that the meaning is real.

But sometimes, (depending on the girl), she might rather you not bring them to her in person, she might prefer that you just have them delivered… LOL .. and if that’s the case, dump her please.

 Sometimes people in ancient times wanted to send certain messages but didn’t want other people to know about the meaning , so they would decide between themselves about what each flower meant. It was like having their very own secret language.. just with flowers.. You and your loved one could do this too!

 I have to tell you that when I receive flowers, my very favorite ones are the ones that still have dirt in the bucket- at any time of the year! Even my hubby knows that I’m not picky and I certainly won’t get upset if I get them on other days that aren’t called Valentine’s Day.. heehee… And hey! Now that you know how to speak Floral fluently, say it with flowers! It’s the trendy new way to talk to a girl..

 I hope everybody has a very Happy Valentine’s Day!

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