Dreaming With Poppies
- Linda Crider
- May 26
- 4 min read
When you think about poppy flowers what comes to mind?
Some might immediately recall the scene from the 1939 film version of The Wizard of Oz where the relaxing action of the poppies lure Dorothy and her traveling companions to literally drop into a deep sleep. Of course, this was the evil plan of the dark witch to stop their journey, but they did fall quite peacefully into a meadow of those seductive blooms.
Others might conjure up images of the opium dens that surfaced worldwide during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, most notably in places such as China, Southeast Asia, London and eventually various major cities across the United States. The abuse of this euphoria producing substance taken from the Papaver somniferum species of the poppy plant along with its other byproducts heroin, morphine and codeine is considered to be the origin of America's war on drugs.
My earliest impression of the poppy flower is one of military veterans soliciting donations around the Memorial Day weekend celebrated in the US at the end of May. Benefactors were (and still are) rewarded with an artificial red poppy that my father would attach to his lapel or car visor. This I eventually discovered commemorates soldiers who died in battle, poetically cited as a call to arms from those who eternally rest in the poppy fields of Flanders, Belgium after the first world war.
The following decade, Georgia O'Keeffe found the bright hues of the poppy to be a source of artistic inspiration as she included stunning versions among her famous botanical paintings:
While O'Keeffe favored the red blooms for her subjects, there are other species of poppies in the Papaveraceae family, and they vary in color. One that grows abundantly in the western United States is Eschscholzia californica, better known by its more common name of California Poppy. The cheery, golden color of this state flower of California is familiar to those of us who live in this part of the country as a perennial that is one of the first signs of spring.
I planted these several years back as part of a local wildflower seed mix, and it's always a surprise each season to see how many pop up and where. This year they seemed to prefer the garden box that gets the most intense light since they are ardent sun worshipers! I've found them to be hardy and very low maintenance. Due to cooler spring temperatures, this year's crop is still blooming strong in late May→
As an herbal medicine, California Poppy offers a mild but effective sedative action that is gentle enough for children and especially beneficial to anyone who has trouble sleeping due to pain issues. It became wildly popular back in 2012 when it was introduced to television audiences on the Dr. Oz Show, (a weird "Oz" connection?). After this brief media exposure, it appeared to fly off the shelves of health food stores. Liquid extracts and dried powder capsules continue to be sold as a single remedy or in combination with other similar herbs to help relieve insomnia, anxiety and minor pain.
In her recent book, Co-Creating With Nature, plant spirit healer, Pam Montgomery brings the medicine of this variety of the poppy flower to a more spiritual level. She affectionately refers to this plant as "Cpop" and tells her readers how simply experiencing its presence (aka vibratory resonance) fills her with a sense of calm and joy. She focuses on the spiritually healing nature of California Poppy by exploring what this plant offered her in the "dream" state, as suggested by the key word highlighted on this month's oracle card (see above):
"While in the dreamscape of Cpop," Montgomery writes, "the felt sensation I received was a glow throughout my body, but it seemed solid. The essence of this feeling sensation seemed like what gold might feel like." She continues to explain how this "spiritual gold" creates a feeling of limitless inner wealth (or "heart of gold"), and how such an uplifting state can be sensed by those we come in contact with: "When you exchange spiritual gold with others," she suggests, "the return is tenfold in kindness and generosity."
FYI...Liquid extracts of California Poppy https://get.aspr.app/SH17de as well as other high quality herbal extracts are on sale this week at Mountain Rose Herbs. The code is ExtractSale2025 and is valid for 25% OFF single and combination extracts in all sizes. *Extract bundle sets and extract powders are not included in this promotion. While supplies last. Offer cannot be combined with other discounts or wholesale pricing. Offer ends 6/1/2025 at 23:59, PST. We are unable to apply this discount to previously placed orders.
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For now, here's wishing you wellness, wisdom and bloomin' vibes!
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