When Mary entered into intimate union and communion with
overshadowing, indwelling, espousing God, the Holy Spirit at the
Annunciation, the Holy Spirit, as St. Louis de Montfort says,
became her Spirit. In Annunciation paintings the traditional
flower symbol of the descending Holy Spirit is the dove-like
columbine (Aquilegia),
found with white lilies of Mary’s immaculate
purity.
At Pentecost, in her continuing union with Jesus, now ascended into
Heaven, Mary, on earth, joined with him, mediatingly, in his promised
sending of the Holy Spirit to the disciples, with restoration of
grace to the world. The Pentecostal descent of the Holy Spirit as
tongues of flame was symbolized by vines branches of pendant flowers,
such as the Holy Spirit philodendron, symbolizing the descending
flames of the Holy Spirit; and the red peony (Paeonia officinalis),
in bloom in temperate climates at the time of the liturgical feast of
Pentecost, and symbolizing the soul inflamed with the Holy Spirit.
The Pentecostal Holy Spirit is also symbolized by "Mary’s Pink"
(Dianthus plumarius)
with its serrated petals, recalling the pointed
tongues of flame in which it descended – adopted also because of its
bloom in Holland at the late May or early June season of Pentecost
(known there as "Pinkster"); because of its pink color; and because
of its uniquely serrated symbolic petals, from which garment "pinking
shears" receive their name.
In all, some twenty flowers have been found in our research to
have been found from their time of bloom to have had the religious
folk names of "Pentecost Flower".
As a poetic affirmation of Mary’s heavenly mediating distribution
of the Holy Spirit, a couplet from the German, applied to the
flower "Mary’s Candle" (giant mullein, Verbascum thapsis), also
known as "Heavenly Radiance", reads (translated):
"The Virgin Mary flies all over the land,
With heaven’s fire in her hand."
Also, Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis, Mary’s Heart) is known
as "Holy Spirit" in France from the "tear" of Spirit precessing to
earth through her universally mediating Immacuate Heart."
Quoted from MGardens.org
Thank you for this informative and lovely post, Donna Marie! I’m printing it out for our notebook! 🙂
Donna Marie, what a wonderful, thoughtful post. I enjoyed learning about the flowers and was excited to see the bleeding heart included. It is such a unique and beautiful flower!
Thank you both for your gracious comments! I love the bleeding heart too!!
Bless you Dawn and Rebecca!