I think you would agree with me that PASSIONFLOWER is one of the most unique and mystical plants you've ever seen! Shortly after I decided to feature this card during the late February new moon, I had the opportunity to watch a teaching from Adriana Ayales, creator of the of the Herbal Astrology Oracle Card deck that I've been using for these blog posts. Adriana spoke in detail about how the "mesmerizing" blossom of Passionflower was instrumental to the beginning of her own plant medicine journey. So my focus here is on both the herb and the herbalist!
To understand the calming nature of this plant, all you need to do is look at the contented smile of the woman pictured on the card. Along with offering a dose of tranquility, the flower that sits on her head appears to communicate heavenly wisdom suggested by the two owls perched above her.
For years, I've been suggesting Passionflower to students in my natural medicine classes as an herb used to treat anxiety, especially when taken toward the end of the day for its mild, relaxing action. It's considered to be one of the most popular nervines, a group of herbs that have a soothing effect on the nervous system. After listening to Adriana's talk and researching some of her teachings, I've come to realize that this plant's medicine reaches far beyond just the ability to treat nervous disorders and promote healthy sleep.
Adriana credits this and other similar plants with their ability to expand the"field of awareness as we know it." She likens it to the Blue Lotus flower. Each of these used alone or together assist in reaching a higher, divine consciousness by dilating the pineal gland. This helps enhance practices such as deep meditation and lucid dream work.
She also cites Spiritual Properties of Herbs, (another rabbit hole to explore), a work published in the late 1980's by vibrational healing pioneer, Gurudas. When describing the spiritual and mind expanding properties of this herb, Adriana writes:
"Passionflower, is known to transfer Christ properties and vibration of Christ consciousness. This term is not associated to religious practice. It is often used to describe the type of download the plant or energy might be. In this case, Gurudas means the plant supports the repatterning of consciousness to attain wholeness again."
On a more mundane level, Passionflower can also protect us from those pesky EMF's (electro-magnetic frequencies) and ELF's (extremely low frequencies) emitted from computers and other electronics-- especially from cell phones and the towers that seem to be insidiously sprouting up everywhere. These now commonplace,"smart" devices are all around us, creating biological stress even if we don't use them ourselves. How fortunate that there are plants such as Passionflower who can be supportive allies in so many ways!
I remember having a personal experience with this plant about twenty years ago. I was living in a house in Phoenix that had two columns outside the front door, and I thought it would be fun to grow and train Passionflower vines to wind their way up the columns and show off their exotic blossoms. I remember being anxious to plant the seeds I had ordered from out of state, and they began growing at a healthy pace. Unfortunately, I noticed one morning that the plant was nearly decimated long before showing any signs of blooming. I figured a local butterfly mom decided they were a good place to nurture her offspring.
Passionflower is a host plant for a variety of butterflies, particularly the Gulf Fritillary species found in my part of the country.
These flying lovelies are instinctively drawn to what's good for them! As I watched a few of the little caterpillars devouring what remained of the leaves, I had to resign myself to the idea that they needed the plant at that time more than I did. Also, on the subject of growing Passionflower vines, it's worth mentioning here that such an exotic botanical prefers the moist, tropical climate of places like Costa Rica where Adriana spends most of her time.
For those of us who live in colder, drier places, it's nice to know that although these flowers may not grow abundantly in all areas, you can still access the energy of Passionflower and make her one of your plant allies by simply calling to her or ingesting her medicine as a tea, tincture or flower essence. You can find seeds as well as dried and liquid forms of this herb by clicking on the reputable company below:
Another reliable source for this and other herb products is at Adriana's company,
For now, take a minute to watch the amazing Passionflower bloom...
As always, thanks for letting me share my thoughts and journey with you. I welcome your input, so if you want to submit a comment, scroll down to the bottom of this post. If you are interested in booking a personal session, you can do this here:
You can also contact me via email at: my.plant.allies@gmail.com
For now, here's wishing you wellness, wisdom and bloomin' vibes!
Beautiful flower 🙌