Poinsettia

beauty in darkness, transformation, shadow work

Cast the shadows, scream silence at them, dear Witch. What lurks inside transforms into the most beautiful of beauty.

Often mistaken as flowers, Poinsettias are shrubs native to Mexico. Despite growing all year long, you'll be hard-pressed to find one much past New Year’s Day. They have become a symbol of beauty during the cold, wintery months. The bright red leaves against an equally brilliant backdrop of green make them an easy choice to weave into Yule decor. But the vibrant crimson you see during Christmas is not their natural color. Poinsettias must remain in complete darkness for at least 12 hours a day over five days - a process called photoperiodism. There is an important lesson here. Poinsettias show us the way to finding beauty in dark spaces.

You have pulled Poinsettia because your hardships, mistakes and shortcomings are your beauty in the darkness. You may feel called to hide them for a time where they will slowly morph into something new. When they are finally free to come to light, you will find your mistakes are stunning representations of your strength and determination to succeed, despite your past. But these parts of you cannot come to light without your help. They must be recovered if they are ever to be admired in the light. This process is called shadow work and when you are brave enough to enter the darkness you will return wholly transformed.

You are being guided to seek out your hidden parts. You may think others will judge you for things you’ve done. That is a natural feeling to have but know this: those parts have made you who you are. They give you character where others are hollow, and they’ve taught you lessons that have contributed to your growth. There is still so much to learn from these parts.