Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Snapdragon flower seed pod looks like a human skull


Meet the Snapdragon flower seed pod which bears the stark appearance of a human skull (or a human face screaming in agony).

The Snapdragon flower (aka Antirrhinum or dragon flower) can be found in many household gardens and gets its name from its flower which resembles a dragon’s head (squeeze the snapdragon flower and the “dragon” mouth will open and close making it “talk”). Yet once the flower has died it leaves behind a seed pod with the macabre appearance of a human head.


The Snapdragons name (Antirrhinum) comes from the Greek words “anti,” meaning like, and “rhin,” meaning nose.  Many years ago, people thought the plant possessed mystical powers and would place them around their homes to shield the house from curses and witches. In Victorian days, the flower was a symbol of deception, suspicion, and mystery. Legend has it that concealing a snapdragon in your clothes makes a person appear fascinating, gracious, and cordial.  Today they are a favorite in gardens around Europe, United States, and North Africa because, well, they look like dragon heads!

If you are itching to grow one, know that they are cold-season plants that do best in the sunlight. You can plant them right before the spring season starts. Keep them well watered for the first few weeks and after that, give them about 1 inch of water every week. When grown, they stand from 6 inches up to 3 feet tall. When dead they’ll leave behind the creepy tokens you can collect for display.




Friday, July 12, 2019

Black flowers to add mystery to your garden

Black flowers are extremely unique in their appearance.

First thing first, black plants are not really black, but dark purple, deep burgundy, maroon or red. These type of flowers and plants of black color can transform any garden or container garden in an exquisite way by adding  mystery and elegance.

So if you’re looking to add something a little different to your floral display, here are a few of the most beautiful black flowers out there.


Tulip ‘Queen of Night’

Start spring off on the dark side with the early-blooming Queen of the Night!

The blooms are a maroon so dark that they look black.

'Queen of Night' tulips are truly a plant-it-and-forget-it flower. It is a low maintenance plant that makes it a good plant for beginners. This fairly cold hardy plant blooms in mid or late spring


Black Baccara Rose

According to legend, pure black roses—the only truly black flowers in existence—bloom each year in Halfeti, Turkey. Everywhere else in the world, the darkest rose is the Black Baccara. 

It’s an almost scentless tea rose in deep reddish black. Plant in spring for a summer of dark blooms.


Dahlia ‘Arabian Night’

For the goth gardener, Black Dahlias have the dual benefit of being linked to death and drama in one of the most gruesome crimes of American history. Though, dahlias don’t need the added glamor: these flowers are lush bundles of intensity.

Unlike so many shade-loving black flowers, dahlias soak up sunlight. Plant them in full sun and watch their color deepen under the light.


Petunia, Sophistica Blackberry Hybrid

It was only in 2010 that these black flowers were created.

Newly engendered varieties like ‘Black Velvet Petunia’ or ‘Black Cat Petunia’ look almost black but it may be hard and expensive to find their seeds. However, beautiful petunia, ‘Sophistica blackberry’ is an easier option. The dark flowers of this annual are actually deep reddish or burgundy in color and can be grown in window boxes, pots, beds and borders.

It is a low maintenance plant and usually easy to grow, that makes it a good plant for beginners. 


Helleborus ‘Onyx Odyssey’

Beautiful and elegant! The dark burgundy or nearly black hellebores are highly appreciated for their color. 

This lovely perennial can easily be grown in containers in part to full sun. Provide good air circulation around the plant and keep the soil well moist. 


Viola ‘Molly Sanderson’

Ruffled, velvety, deep-purple (almost charcoal in their darkness), this edible burst of night can be candied to top spooky cupcakes or tossed on beetroot and arugula salad for a stunning side dish.

These particular species of black flower can be grown in both the garden and in a container – making them suitable for the outdoors and indoors. Molly Sandersons can be potted up or left to spread about as border flowers. They look darkly fascinating along a garden path, or tuck them between chamomile and lavender for a dreamtime-inspired herb garden.

Flowers appear from spring to fall.


Iris ‘Before the Storm’

The darkest of bearded irises, moderately-sized, and extremely hardly. This dark beauty is the winner of a number of iris awards, including the Award of Merit and the Dykes Medal. Its bloom time is long, its blooms are abundant.

This slightly fragrant iris requires a sunny position and well-drained soil in order to grow.


Calla Lily ‘Black Star’

One of the most decorative flowers. Deep, purple-black, mysterious blooms that grace any space!

The ‘Black Star’ bloom is deep purple with a spathe that is almost black, it looks attractive in combination with light green foliage spotted with red tips. It can be planted in containers, in the garden border.


Coleus ‘Black Prince’

The coleus is one of the most widespread species and most popular when it comes to choosing striking foliage plants for the garden. The coleus ‘Black Prince’ can be grown for its unusual solid black foliage and small flowers, either as a perennial in warm subtropical or tropical regions or as an annual in temperates. It is a perfect plant for borders and can be used in combinations with other plants in containers.


Colocasia ‘Black Magic’

Colocasia ‘black magic’ is an astonishing plant that can be identified from its dramatic large and dark purple-black dusty leaves. 

This ‘Elephant Ear’ requires warmth and heat to thrive as it is a tropical plant and grows best in warm temperates and subtropical to tropical climates. But even living in colder areas, you can enjoy this as an annual.


Black Mondo Grass

This evergreen perennial offers a low-maintenance way to make a dramatic statement in your yard.  They grow to be around six inches tall and are an excellent option for warm climates in rock gardens, borders or in a pot. 

In spring, the new dark green foliage emerges and then in summer it changes into a very deep purple-black. Also by mid-summer tiny bell-shaped white flowers appear, followed by small black seeds.


Heuchera ‘Obsidian’

Also called ‘Obsidian Coral Bells’ it is one of the most beautiful black color plants in our list that you can grow in borders, in flower beds or in containers to add an all season foliage interest to your garden. Its tiny flowers are also attractive, this plant requires cool weather and partial shade to thrive.


Black Rose Succulent

Aeonium arboreum 'Zwartkopf', commonly known as Black Rose or Black Rose Aeonium, is a perennial succulent with large dark burgundy leaves that resemble flowers.



Black Roses require full sun to develop the dark color, but they will tolerate partial sun. They bloom yellow flowers in the winter and provide a colorful display in the garden, in a container or in a sunny window. 


Black Charm Asiatic Lily

An absolute stunner! The Asiatic lily, one of the darkest lilies available,  is graceful, simple, haunting perfection in a spooky summertime garden. 

The majestic Asiatic lily is unsurpassable for its bold colour and elegantly formed flowers set atop tall stems with narrow, glossy green foliage. 

All Asiatic lilies benefit from deep planting to help them return each year, so dig those holes at least six inches deep. 


Black Magic Sunflower

Nothing proclaims “Gothic Garden” like the total eclipse of the black sunflower. 

With a perfect sunflower shape and the darkest of dark petals, this darkest of sunflowers swallows up the light. Your apocalyptically-inspired flower bed will flourish with this beautiful flower.

Black Magic towers above the rest of the garden at a height of up to six feet! It looms as a dark, maroon-black sun reminding plants and people alike to “memento mori“.


Dark Dimension Hyacinth

Deeply scented hyacinths are the perfumers of spring gardens. Their heavy perfume makes Dark Dimension hyacinths a decadent addition to any black flower garden. Elegant, dark purplish flowers look almost pure black.



Black Persian Lily

This tall, stately, bell-flowered lily is so striking! 

Dozens of dark, purplish black flowers hang like bells from a tall stem that can grow over three feet in height. 

Persian lilies have a rich, lily scent, and hang like funeral bells over smaller plants. Perfect for gloomy-yet-romantic gothy gardens. They bloom in late spring.


Bat Flower

Don't forget your houseplants when shopping for black blooms. 

Tacca bat flower (Tacca chantieri) is really an unique, rare and exotic flower that mimics a bat in flight. This specie is a member of the orchid family. It’s also often referred to as the ‘Devil Flower’ or the ‘Cat’s Whiskers’.

Give your bat plant a humid, warm spot with partial sun in your home. Asides from its distinctive appearance, some scientists also believe this flower to have cancer-fighting properties.


Hopefully these choices have inspired you to add some velvety darkness to your own garden. If you’re so inclined, try interspersing them with white, night-blooming flowers for dramatic effect. There’s nothing quite like basking in a mix of dark and luminous blooms under a full moon.

Click to read Plant your own magical moon garden

Monday, July 8, 2019

Unseen Worlds and Hidden Realities


Born in 1861, Rudolf Steiner was an Austrian philosopher, social reformer, architect, economist and esotericist. Steiner gained initial recognition at the end of the nineteenth century as a literary critic and published philosophical works including The Philosophy of Freedom.

Very few scientists today are willing to explore metaphysics to examine life beyond ordinary perception in order to make a connection between the seen and the unseen. That said, Rudolf Steiner devoted much of his work to the task of peering behind the veil, sharing his insight into the deeper nature of life and of the world beyond, the world of the unseen. ― Robert Sepehr 




“There slumber in every human being faculties by means of which he can acquire for himself a knowledge of higher worlds. Mystics, Gnostics, Theosophists — all speak of a world of soul and spirit which for them is just as real as the world we see with our physical eyes and touch with our physical hands.” 
― Rudolf Steiner, How to Know Higher Worlds

“Little is accomplished if one tries to understand these words theoretically. Much more can be gained when one creates sacred moments in life when one is willing to energetically fill one's soul with the living content of such words.” 
― Rudolf Steiner, Anthroposophy in Everyday Life

“Descriptions of inner, spiritual processes are much more liable to misunderstanding than descriptions of events in the physical world. Such misunderstandings arise easily because the life of the soul is in constant movement and because we fail to bear in mind that the life of the soul is very different from life in the physical world.”
― Rudolf Steiner

“It should not be expected that what is spiritual can be brought before the eyes, before the senses. It must be experienced inwardly and spiritually.”
― Rudolf Steiner

“The Oriental thinks everything in the sense-perceptible world is 'maya'; everything perceived by our senses and all thinking connected with sense perceptions is 'maya,' the great illusion. The only reality is the reality of the soul. What a human being achieves in his or her soul is reality.” 
―Rudolf Steiner

“When human beings meet together seeking the spirit with unity of purpose then they will also find their way to each other.”
― Rudolf Steiner

“May my soul bloom in love for all existence.”
― Rudolf Steiner


Also read: Carl Jung and The Spiritual World

Saturday, July 6, 2019

Yoni Eggs, An Ancient Taoist Practice


The use of a stone or crystal to strengthen the walls of the vagina or yoni (a Sanskrit and more tantric term for the vagina), has been practiced in Asia for centuries. The yoni egg practice evolved in ancient China and over time the secret of the practice remained in the Royal Palace and was taught only to the queen and concubines. It is said that many who mastered the technique experienced excellent health, remaining youthful and flourishing into old age with sexual organs that were as tight and resilient as a young woman.

The tradition of exercising the pelvic and vaginal floor muscles with polished stone eggs inserted inside the vagina, has been around for over two thousand years. The exercises were believed by some to be a way for the queen and concubines to please the king sexually, but originally the yoni egg practice and vaginal weight lifting were implemented for improving physical and spiritual health, mainly by bringing more power to the chi muscle to enhance the chi or life force and bring the sexual energy inward and upward where it could be transformed into higher energy. When a woman does kegel (pelvic floor) exercises with a yoni egg, it is believed that the chi is intensified within, which amplifies her chi energy outward where it is transformed into spiritual energy.

In today's world, so many women are detached from the true fullness of their sexual energy. Much of what passes for satisfying sexual energy is based on what is pleasureable for a man only, what is pleasurable for a short time ending in orgasm, and what is shown in movies and television.

The female sexual energy is the single most powerful force on the earth. It IS the creative energy that literally GIVES BIRTH to life and to ALL creativity. 

Most (if not all) women have had sexual experiences that blocked the energy. Most women have had sexual experiences which were not entered into fully from an open place of joy. Most women have had sexual experiences that felt obligatory, expected, and less than magical - even where orgasm was present. Many women have had energetic damage to their chakras from partners who were unaware of the sexual/spiritual connection. Many women have experienced trauma in the area of the first, second and third chakras. Many women have experienced sexual abuse - whether it is repressed or out in the open. Many women have had experiences of fear during sexual experiences. Many women have given themselves sexually to partners who were less than an ideal energetic match. Many women have had childbirth experiences that have caused pain and trauma.

These are just some of the reasons why yoni eggs can be so useful.

The benefits of using the yoni egg can range from completely physical to spiritual and energetic, depending on how you use it. 

Strengths the pelvic floor, prevents sagging of the uterus, rectum and bladder, maintains healthy reproductive organs, and enhances sexuality and receptiveness. It can help balance hormones, promotes fertility, reduces cramping and abdominal pain during menstruation, and increases vaginal lubrication and muscle tone. It increases spiritual awareness, awakens your feminine power, balances the emotions, boosts longevity and chi, and helps remove trauma stored in the womb.

It is also a beauty technique that creates radiant skin, as the internal tone of your vaginal walls is directly related to the collagen production and the tone of your face.

Along with the energetic benefits, the yoni has reflexology points along the inside that connect to the heart, spleen, liver, lungs and kidneys. By using a jade egg these powerful points are stimulated, and this harmonises imbalances in the body, in a way similar to the effects of acupuncture. It also increases the functioning of the corresponding organs and the health of the entire body.

I mean, think of it this way—the egg is basically a Chi generator. And if you’re generating Chi in that area and connecting the energetic element to the musculature, then there is going to be more youthfulness and vitality running through your system. 

By inserting yoni eggs into this part of the body, the kundalini energy channel, known as the energy of psyche and sex could be activated. With that, it is possible to radiate energy that rises from the sacral zone, on the first chakra (located at the base of the coccyx, between the anus and the genitals), and goes up to the upper chakras. This is the path through which the energy of life flows. That way, a physical and energetic cleansing from the center of a woman’s sexual energy can occur, as well as the contribution to the progressive activation of the inactive chakras and the achievement of a higher state of consciousness.


However, the benefits of yoni eggs can be multiplied depending on what stone it is made of, because each stone has different properties according to its composition, color and vibration. However, since ancient times jade has been one of the most popular stones for yoni eggs. The Empresses of China have used jade for centuries because it symbolised wealth, and is a highly esteemed stone. Jade is said to bless whatever it touches and was believed to help the energy of the body. The minerals contained in jade enhance the body’s chi and are healing to the body. It also helps to concentrate the yin essence of a woman. Jade is believed to be a powerful force for healing guilt and it is protective, fostering life force energies and supporting the heart. 

Rose quartz I have found, is a beautiful stone to work with for deep healing, self-love and self care.

I decided to use black obsidian.

Black Obsidian cleanses the root chakra. Powerfully purifies all the body’s energy systems via the vertebral column – inclusive of all the Chakras, Nadis and Meridians. It is a very grounding stone, and very healing. Obsidian is a very protective stone and provides support during difficult changes. It works by absorbing all negativity that is around it. It is used to cut attachment cords to release old patterns. It increases self-control and forces facing up to one’s true self. This Yoni Egg is ideal for women who wish to appreciate the strength of their bodies and want assistance in remembering their purpose.


Also read:

11 Beautiful Japanese Words That Don't Exist In English


In Japanese culture, people have a lot of appreciation towards nature and it is very important to be polite towards others. That politeness and the nature appreciation reflected on to its language and created some beautiful words that are not translatable to English.

いただきます Itadakimasu

"Itadakimasu" means “I will have this.” It is used before eating any food to express appreciation and respect for life, nature, the person who prepared the food, the person who served the food, and everything else that is related to eating.

おつかれさま Otsukaresama

"Otsukaresama" means “you’re tired.” It is used to let someone know that you recognize his/her hard work and that you are thankful for it.

木漏れ日 Komorebi

"Komorebi" refers to the sunlight that filters through the leaves of trees.

木枯らし Kogarashi

"Kogarashi" is the cold wind that lets us know of the arrival of winter.

物の哀れ Mononoaware

"Monoaware" is "the pathos of things." It is the awareness of the impermanence of all things and the gentle sadness and wistfulness at their passing.

森林浴 Shinrinyoku

“Shinrinyoku” ("forest bathing") is to go deep into the woods where everything is silent and peaceful for a relaxation.

幽玄 Yuugen

"Yuugen" is an awareness of the universe that triggers emotional responses that are too mysterious and deep for words.

しょうがない Shoganai

The literal meaning of "Shoganai" is “it cannot be helped.” However, it is not discouraging or despairing. It means to accept that something was out of your control. It encourages people to realize that it wasn’t their fault and to move on with no regret.

金継ぎ/金繕い kintsuki/kintsukuroi

"Kintsukuroi" is the art of repairing pottery with gold or silver joining the pieces and understanding that the piece is more beautiful for having been broken.

わびさび Wabi-sabi

"Wabi-sabi" refers to a way of living that focuses on finding beauty within the imperfections of life and peacefully accepting the natural cycle of growth and decay.

Friday, July 5, 2019

These "Galaxy Flowers" hold the universe in their petals


Nature is just amazing. 

Known as Petunia cultivars, night sky petunias or galaxy flowers (we're sticking with 'galaxy flowers'), the rich purple color is enough to make these flowers stand out. But it's the intricate, lighter-colored patterns on these petunias that give them their name.


The scientific name of the “galaxy flower” is the Petunia Cultivars, and they are a type of Petunia. They are a deep purple flower, which tend to be specked with unique white dots on their petals, creating what bears striking resemblance to a celestial body, or galaxy. The white freckles on their petals seem to have drawn parallels to different galaxies and faraway star clusters and constellations. Indeed, these celestial flowers are a sight to behold! They are frequently referred to as Night Sky Petunias, and can be planted indoors, in a planter.


Each pattern on the flowers is unique, and no two flowers seem to come exactly the same. The pattern variance is due to temperature, and they are very reactive to their environment. So much so, that they require warm temperatures during the day (100 F), and very cool temperatures at night (50 F) to survive. They originally hail from South America, and interestingly enough have a close relation to potatoes, eggplants, and even tobacco.


The “galaxy flower”, or Night Sky Petunia, was introduced to Europe in the 19th century, and was most often used to decorate balconies and add a touch of color to gardens.

Petunias come in a wide array of colors, which span from yellow, red, pink, white, purple and include a mixture of different patterns (nearly 35 to count.)







These beautiful flowers can be sown easily from seed, and can be planted indoors, in a planter.

Want to grow a little personal galaxy in the comfort of your very own home? Then head on over to Amazon and pick up a pack of Night Sky Petunia seeds.