15. Dried flowers

Death and rebirth, new life

Take solace in knowing that the end of a journey marks the dawning of a new one.

The art of drying flowers is a chance to breathe new life into death. While the flowers may never be as vibrant or expressive as they were in their youthful days, there is still so much beauty left to be had, and now their beauty can be preserved. There is a sort of reverence in allowing things to mature: they become exalted, having earned their place as everlasting symbols of success, and there is a chance for what was to be born again but with more complexity, interest, and the ability to stand the test of time.

Modern society’s relationship with death is not always a healthy expression of life. We have come to fear endings, avoiding them as much as possible: the ending of a relationship, job or career path, a way of being or the changing of technology often awakens deep-rooted fears of inadequacy. You may well wonder if the end means you’ve done something wrong, sabotaging what could have been joyous and successful, or perhaps there is concern that you were never on the correct path to begin with.

You have or are reaching the end of one journey, but it doesn’t represent a misstep or failing on your part. In fact, this ending represents your evolution, because with the fresh beginning making its way to you, you can expect to have deeper awareness, greater wisdom, more respect for yourself and others, and a much more robust level of experience. Celebrate how far you've come and how much more you still have to give.

Rather than assuming fault in yourself, consider how the ending of one thing only represents the new life of something else. One doesn’t have to be better than the other, nor does the beauty of what came before diminish simply because something different has taken its place. Both versions can have their season and time, equally expressing beauty in a new and ever-evolving way.