Bold and passionate red flowers come in myriad shades that evoke different and often contradictory emotional responses making it a colour of paradoxes.
There’s something about red flowers that reminds me of our deepest wild wolf self that Clarissa Pinkola Estes writes about in her wonderful book ‘Women who run with the wolves’. It’s an untamed sense of abandon, flying loose and free with the wind, totally oblivious to anything other than the joy of the immediate moment, that’s so appealing. However, red flowers come in myriad shades that evoke different and sometimes contradictory emotional responses and meanings, making it a colour of paradoxes.
I’ve grown red dahlia’s in my garden for some years now, and each summer the colour spectrum remains a mystery until the first buds unfold. Brilliant hues ranging from vermillion to crimson, cherry and rose make a startling contrast to the surrounding blooms, but it’s this scarlet vision that really hums with its layers of dazzling frills like a ballerina’s tutu, complete with tiny flounces that hug the mass of mustard yellow disc florets in various stages of opening. Like our ‘wild wolf self’, it seems bold and flamboyant, unapologetically revealing its innermost self and exuding tremendous strength in this act of exposing its vulnerability. And yet there are still places in shadow, hidden nooks and crannies that protect its inner mysteries, so that even in its joyously full and wild glory, self-preservation remains. We all have this inner nature that many of us learnt to hide to avoid displeasing those on whom we relied for our survival and protection as young children. The scarlet dahlia dares us to live our ‘wildish nature’, our truth, regardless of the company in which we find ourselves.
Traditionally red flowers have been a symbol of romantic love and passion, like these sensuous velvety blood-red roses tumbling over the edge of the fence outside my studio door. In the old Victorian language of flowers, red blooms of any kind represented love and passion, but it is red roses that poets, writers, lovers and fortune-tellers have used to symbolize these sentiments. “Oh, my love’s like a red, red rose, That’s newly sprung in June......” (Robert Burns), and “Their lips were four red roses on a stalk, Which in their summer beauty kiss’d each other” (William Shakespeare, Richard III). In the Tarot, they symbolise love, desire and passion, both sensual and spiritual. However, with love comes heartache, and although in the old language of flowers roses with thorns heralded hurt and disappointment, the paradox of the beauty and wonder of red roses is wisely captured by Abraham Lincoln: “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses”.
In contrast to the wild abandon of love and the freedom of running with our own inner wolf, the small sparaxis flower seems to mirror the power of the colour red as a grounding force, stable and strongly connected to the earth. It’s a deceptive little bloom that sits close to the earth and grows in clusters of its own, making a startling display of ruby blooms with bold yellow centres in the verdant grass on the hill above our house. Although battered by strong winds and rain during spring, they remain untouched by the elements. Their knife-blade leaves are tough and leathery and the delicate looking petals are firmly fixed atop wiry stems that flex readily in hostile conditions. Yet they are equally at ease in the serene sunshine, glowing and proud. Sparaxis embody the red energy of the base chakra (also known as Muladhara in the energy wheels within the human body) that is crucial to connect our spirit to the physical world and for us to embrace the solid ground that is the foundation upon which we build our lives. It’s the source of our life force and inner strength, and brings with it a feeling of trust that we are secure in our earthly existence and that all our physical needs will be provided for. This ‘red’ energy provides a natural balance to our more exuberant ‘red’ selves, as without being grounded, we could fly away into the night when caught up in love and passion or when our wild true nature is left unchecked.
The colour red is also associated with anger and irritation, but paradoxically is considered to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere. There’s no doubt that a room decorated with cerise, carmine, magenta, raspberry and scarlet flowers would invite the crowds to investigate whilst a gathering of irate people dressed in blood-red cloaks would have the opposite effect.
It’s difficult for me to imagine any flower generating feelings of rage or annoyance, except perhaps red in combination with another calming colour that brings out the stark contrast and highlights a sense of tension. But the voluptuous raspberry and white Iceland poppies in my garden that boast this very union inspire awe and wonder at their beauty and capacity bring joy.
Our lives are full of paradoxes, seemingly contradictory beliefs and actions, and it’s bold, passionate and earthed red flowers that teach us to embrace them all to ensure harmony and balance inhabit our everyday existence.