The Spirit of Dandelion

Cultivating Higher Mind with the Spirit of Dandelion

by Emma Farrell, author of Journeys with Plant Spirits

Many spring flowers are yellow in color, calling in and anchoring the healing and creative forces of the sun as it becomes a growing part of our life once again during spring. Dandelions are one of the most abundant of spring flowers and are present on every continent of the planet apart from Antarctica. The power and genius of this plant are evident also in its self-replicating skills and medicine. There are currently an estimated two hundred types of dandelion—and counting. If you collect lots of dandelion leaves and look at them closely, they will all look similar and unmistakably dandelion, but each leaf will have its own unique shape and contour. Our favorite garden weed masterfully demonstrates the cosmic law of sameness and difference in its expression.

The name dandelion most likely comes from a mispronunciation of its French name dent-de-lion, meaning “lion’s tooth,” and it is generally thought that this refers to its leaves, which do indeed look like rows of sharp teeth. Yet there is another aspect of its name embedded within the medicine of this wonderful garden plant. When we work with Dandelion on an emotional level, and again I emphasize that our intentions when taking any plant medicine are key to its effects, the experience can be similar to a lion roaring in your face! This is a loud plant, and you may suddenly find that behavioral patterns that are no longer serving your highest good as well as life issues, which you have put on the back burner to be dealt with later, become intolerable.

When this lion appears in your life, it can be the proverbial kick up the arse that you need, but beware because it will not stop until you address what is out of balance. The lion asks for your active cooperation. He expects you to pull the threads of your life into alignment. If there are old habits that need breaking and working through, if there are patterns that need changing or a forceful shift required, then Dandelion is your plant.

The sacred geometry of the flower of life held within the flower head and seed head of the dandelion demonstrates its association with all levels of human consciousness from the mundane to the cosmic, from the solar to the lunar. This powerful air plant knows how our world functions within the solar system and how that is reflected into the micro of us mere humans. The unification of our polarities into oneness through the integration of our shadow is the ultimate teaching of all of the plants; however, Dandelion offers us visual as well as spiritual aid. The pattern of the flower of life is the key to time, space, and multidimensionality and is why the spirit of Dandelion is known (to me anyway) as the lord of time.

During one of my plant diets with this mind-blowing being, I experienced profound coincidences, which taught me about divine timing, that when we listen from our higher self-perspective, we can surrender to the divine plan of life. I used to have a tendency to want to know that something would happen or be successful before it actually took place. I would get anxious before an event, or I would need repeated validation that my intention was going to be fulfilled. It was a lack of trust in the flow of life alongside a lack of trust in myself and my spirit team.

Dandelion shows us through clever circumstance and demonstration that when we make decisions and take actions from the perspective of higher mind—that is, one in alignment with the divine plan, with the cosmic pattern—then everything happens exactly as it should and when it needs to. There is no need to doubt or question your own intention because it is also the intention of spirit. When we expand our mind into the divine plan for Mother Earth, we can be part of the consciousness shift happening right now, a shift that is taking human consciousness into a fifth-dimensional state. This state of mind is nonpolarized and comes from unconditional love and from the realm of the eternal spirit. We are becoming more and more ensouled as we evolve and remember our place in the cosmic dance.

Allowing ourselves to flow with the current of life’s river does not, however, mean that we can bypass the things we must take responsibility for. I have seen this often in spiritual communities where “divine timing” has been used as an excuse for simply being disorganized and not holding space well for others. Dandelion is all about taking responsibility for all areas of your life; you are a cocreator and so you are responsible for what happens in your life. This plant is therefore a great ally in the cultivation of that warrior spirit within, the warrior heart and mind.

Our understanding of time, which is drilled into us from a young age, is that it is linear when we only have to look outside our window to see this is not true, that everything is cyclical and spiral. There seems to be a linear progression as we age yet only on the level of cause and effect. Outside space-time there is no linearity of time as we know it. The sacred geometrical patterns within the structure of dandelion flowers deconstruct the frameworks of time that we have built our ivory towers in, collapsing their walls so that only the present moment exists. It is hard to put into words this experience. When this particular penny dropped for me, I was sunbathing in a park in London, surrounded by dandelions, speaking to the spirit of Dandelion, and as the realization of no-time occurred, it felt as if the ground were falling away from me in every direction until I was left on a plinth of rock in no-man’s land. It only lasted a minute or so, but in that short time, my whole worldview shifted. Suddenly, my past lives weren’t past anymore and my ancestors were (are) still alive within my cells, and therefore at certain levels of my consciousness, every incarnation I had had both within and outside the human race was now accessible and the power lines to my lineages opened up to a vista of new inner space. Time took on a whole new meaning as ancestral and soul healing took on a whole new dynamic within my work, thanks to this cosmic plant spirit.

If we refer to the symbology of continuance presented here, the circle and spiral present deeper insight into the medicine of Taraxacum. Dandelion offers completion, renewal, regeneration, and wholeness. Its medicinal offerings are so broad that it provides remedies or relief for fifty-eight known conditions and illnesses (possibly more), from joint pain to yeast infections, from Alzheimer’s to eczema: this plant is a powerhouse of a healer and has many spokes to its wheel.

With all of this serious work that Dandelion is involved with and promulgates, it is a relief to discover that the spiritual force that works through this plant is actually very cheerful. We can experience a reconnection to the inner child and a lightness of spirit that enables consciousness shifts to take place. Strong in both air and fire elements, the spirit of Dandelion works at a fast pace and encourages us to keep up through making the teachings fun and rewarding. By inspiring a deeper connection to our sense of self through the solar plexus, dandelion can help us experience freedom on a whole new level. The spirit of Dandelion encourages us to move beyond our self-imposed limitations to rediscover our lion’s heart and express ourselves fearlessly.

Awareness of Awareness Meditation

The only way to know the mind is to look at it directly. At first you might think this sounds absurd and that looking at the mind makes no sense when it is not a solid object and does not seem to have any distinguishing features. I am not referring to thoughts, yes these are the movements of the mind and therefore are intrinsically part of it, like the waves are to the ocean, however, I am referring to the ocean itself, to consciousness and cognition itself. The mind has no discernible form yet it is right there with us all the time. By looking directly at the mind, how it moves, where thoughts arise from and where they go after we have done thinking about them, helps us to know what is reality and what is fiction in terms of our belief systems, our thought patterns and our disturbing emotions.

The following meditation is a variation on the advanced Buddhist practice of Mahāmudrā. The objective of the practice is to rest the mind in its natural luminous clarity. I can not deny that this is not an advanced practice and therefore challenging, persistence, however, delivers profound results. Underneath and within every thought is the observer of that thought, the mind that is observing and which seems to be powered by its own light of awareness. Resting in the ground of awareness and simply observing anything that arises without changing it or getting involved in it is the essence of this practice. It therefore helps us to see and understand the patterns holding us back from a higher mind perspective.

The meditation can be performed sitting with an actual dandelion out in nature or after taking some Dandelion essence, tincture or tea.

Find a comfortable place either on your meditation cushion or out in a safe place in nature where you will not be disturbed. Turn off the wifi and your phone. Set a strong determination within that this is your time to just be, nothing else needs to be done or attended to. Also set the intention with Dandelion to reveal any blockages to accessing the higher mind.

Rest your awareness on your breath and take three deep breaths, relaxing your whole body on each exhalation. Make sure both the mind and the body are fully relaxed but do not hold onto it too tightly. Just rest here.

As you rest in calmness you will notice that this does not last for long as noises, thoughts and emotions arise that want your attention. Simply notice them without labelling them and allow them to pass. They will not stay if you do not grasp onto them. The mind wants to possess and understand things by naming them, watch as it does this and notice how it does this.

Each time you get lost or caught up in a powerful thought or distraction simply and gently bring your awareness back to the natural state of observing. Notice if you suddenly start thinking about your body, notice and rest in observation. Notice if you suddenly start thinking of your parents or partner, notice and rest in observation as that thought passes. Notice a car door slam outside but don’t generate a story to fit the noise such as your neighbour arriving home from work but just allow the noise to be as it is, simply sound which passes.

Observe where your attention goes but do not try to control your attention or direct it, allow it to rest in its natural state of observing without judgement or qualification.

You may find that five minutes of this is enough to begin with. Over time build this meditation up to ten, then fifteen and twenty minutes.