This month’s post is a love letter to Rose.

As we enter the portal of February, this is a month aligned with the beautiful emotion of love.

We take a moment to pause and reflect on where we can give more intention and energy to love in our lives. Whether this is love for ourselves, love for our partners, friends, and family, or even love that is bigger than ourselves, such as love for this beautiful planet we call home.

Love is the most powerful of all vibrational energies.

It is the energy that creates harmony, and it is energy that is infinite. It is ever expansive, never limited, and can only simply grow.

 

 

Though we are deep in the depths of mid-winter, and the plants are still in deep slumber under blankets of snow, February is a month in which the Rose is revered.

Though there is the commercialization of Valentine’s Day that accompanies this month, we also find delight in the honoring that the Rose receives this time of year. In the month where we celebrate and honor the beautiful and raw emotion that is love, it is so sweet that the Rose is synonymous with the symbol of love.

And what better plant to embody love? It is beautiful and aromatic, bringing joy to all who interact with it, it is also delicate, but holds strong boundaries with its thorns, and it expands and radiates like a heart opening widely.

We warmly invite you, with a grateful and open heart, to dance amongst the roses with us.

 

“But friendship is the breathing rose, with sweets in every fold.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes 

 

Roses Have Long Been Part of Our History

Working with roses is deeply intertwined with our history as humans on the earth. First thought to have been cultivated in Asia about 5,000 years ago, this plant has become widely recognized throughout the world. And even long before humans, according to the University of Missouri, fossil records show rose to be one of the most ancient of flowers (they have evolved from plants that existed between 33 million and 23 million years ago!). Roses also make an appearance in many ancient cultures and mythologies around the world, including being symbols of love and passion for ancient gods and goddesses in Greek and Roman myths.

 

“A Rose speaks of love silently, in a language known only to the heart.” – Unknown

 

Interestingly, for those of us local to Colorado, the earliest rose species to be described for science in modern recorded history was collected in Teller County, Colorado. In 1883, paleobotanist Charles Leo Lesquereux received a specimen which he named Rosa hilliae from the US Geological Survey and Princeton Scientific Expedition of 1877, and included it in his published scientific paper titled Contribution to the Fossil Flora of the Western Territories.

In addition to being used as gifts or symbols of love, the Rose has long been revered by civilizations all over the world for its benefits for enhancing our beauty and skin, as aromatherapy, and even in teas and medicines.

 

 

In North America, Indigenous peoples revered the wild rose for centuries, using both flower and of course the rosehips, for not only medicinal properties, but as food. Robert Buist, who published the first official manual on roses is thought to have developed one of the first American rose nurseries in 1844.

Furthermore, in 1986, the rose was voted as the United State’s official national flower, and honored in a ceremony where President Regan signed into law this recognition of the beloved Rose by way of joint resolution.

The Rose is a plant that is simply a part of our ancestral heritage, from ancient times to our most recent ancestors.

On Connecting with Rose

The Rose is symbolic of the power of what can happen when we allow our hearts to expand. Though it closes at night, each morning the rose awakens and unfurls to greet the day, being generous with its sweet aroma to all who are blessed to delight in it.

Rose has a long-standing history of being used as an ally for beauty. Whether used to adorn a ritual bath with its beautiful petals, or infused in water to help tighten the pores of one’s face, the rose has incredible benefits for the skin thanks to its astringent properties. There is also something deeply refreshing about rose water in particular! Are you looking to explore the benefits of rose in your skincare routine? Check out our Rose Face Frosting, our Rose Hydrosol, or even our Rose Body Cream!

Rose also has an affinity for the heart, whether it is helping it to open and expand, or in assisting mending a broken heart. While the Rose flower itself is delicate and fragile and at times can even be described as vulnerable, it also grows amongst strong and sharp thorns. Therefore, while Rose is symbolic of love, it can also be called upon energetically for its protective properties. The spirit of Rose can support us in remembering our boundaries, and not to give our energy, beauty, and vitality to anyone who is not deserving of it, or who will not take extra care of our softness.

 

“A rose does not answer its enemies with words, but with beauty.” – Matshona Dhliwayo 

 

Rose also makes a delightful addition to aromatic and floral teas, and can be enjoyed on a hot day as a refreshing lemonade or sparkling water. Medicinally, after the flower has bloomed, the rose produces “hips”, which are one of Nature’s best sources of Vitamin C. Rose hips can be incorporated into syrups or tinctures and are deeply powerful supports to our immune system, making a welcome addition to the apothecary in the fall and winter when colds and flus run rampant. See the power of rosehips yourself in our Allergy Relief Honey, or even for your kiddos with our Kids Immunity Glycerin!

 

 

The Spirit of Rose in You

As we close our post honoring Rose, we ask you to place a hand on your heart. Slowly take in a deep breath, and as you exhale, close your eyes. As you feel the heart beating beneath your palm, imagine the deep pale pink, or even the rich red color that is associated so often with roses. How does this feel in your body?

Visualize a rose, whether it is a common red rose in a garden, or the sweet pink rose that grows high in the mountains. Ask her how you can remain vulnerable and open, while simultaneously holding boundaries. What does she say to you?

 

 

Now, express gratitude to the Rose. Thank her for growing along us humans for centuries. Thank her for so generously sharing her beauty with us for so so long.

And may our hearts feel overwhelmed with love for the Rose. May we continue to dance beside her, and be present with her.

As Efrat Cybulkiewicz once said, “In a rose, all love stories fit,” and we couldn’t agree more.

 

 

Sources:

Harvey, Sheena. “A Brief History of the Rose.” World History Encyclopedia. 16 August 2023. Retrieved from: https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2264/a-brief-history-of-the-rose/

Trinklein, David. “Rose: A Brief History.” University of Missouri. 1 February 2008. Retrieved from: https://ipm.missouri.edu/meg/2008/2/Rose-A-Brief-History/“Roses in American History.” cob.org. 2024. Retrieved from: https://cob.org/wp-content/uploads/history-of-roses-in-america.pdf