Dandelions for Resilience

Blessings at the Full Moon – March 18, 2022

This Dandelions for Resilience post is part of my lunar blog series featuring one plant and its correspondence each full moon. (Read more details on the lunar mindfulness series. )

Resilience

I love dandelions and I’ve written about them often in this blog  and in my book, Growing Mindful. They exemplify resilience from many different perspectives. To begin with, anyone paying attention knows that dandelions are resilient at staying alive. If you are trying to keep them out of your yard – good luck- because they’ve developed many strategies for bouncing back. But dandelions are also an ally for human resilience. As an easy to collect wild food, they are packed with vitamins and minerals. And as a healing herb, they help tone internal organs that make us more resilient. So there are many aspects to dandelion’s resilient energy.

Deep-Rootedness

But in this post, I want to focus on one specific characteristic of dandelions that makes them resilient – their deep rooted-ness.  It is not easy to dig up a dandelion. The deep tap root anchors it in the ground. And if you miss a tiny piece of dandelion root when trying to pull it up, it will regenerate, sometimes even stronger.  I think we can take this concept of deep rootedness and embrace it as an energetic quality in our own lives.

Cultivating our own Deep-Rootedness

Resilience is a trait that can be developed.  Obviously, we are not plants, but we can consider what this concept of deep-rootedness might mean for us. What helps us stay anchored in times of chaos?

For me, there are two things that come to mind immediately – values and allies. And both of these, like garden plants, need attention and nourishing.  Without attention they can wither.

Values

Beginning with values, making time to take stock is a good practice. We can stop and ask: What exactly are my values? What provides purpose and direction in my life? And most importantly, are my values exemplified in the way I act and move in the world?

Aligning with deeply held values empowers us to do things that might be difficult or even scary. Taking the time to examine and affirm our values increases our resilience.

In the training and coaching that I do, I ask participants to identify their top five values. This takes some time and thought. The result is greater awareness of personal beliefs and purpose. And like striking a tuning fork, it creates a re-alignment with stated values, and fortifying of resilience.

Help from My Friends

When I think of resilience, I often think of the line in the Beatles song, “I get by with a little help from my friends”. Friends, family, animal companions, and other entitites that support us are all allies for resilience. This includes our gardens and green world. Anything we turn to for support in difficult times is part of this circle. My support circle has been instrumental in getting me through the last few years – acknowledging fears and concerns, but also lightening the load with laughter and love. We are stronger together.

The trick to enhancing our support circle is to recognize this circle during good times so that the circle is solid during difficult ones. As we did with values, we can take stock of this circle of support. Where might it need strengthening? Are there allies we take for granted?  And if so, how might we change that?

Contemplation and Jounal Prompts for Resilience

The world can be a challenging place. We can embrace the deep-rooted resilience of dandelions by shining a light on our values and nurturing our connections with allies. Knowing that we can take steps to strenghten our resilience is empowering. The questions below are a starting point for cultivating resilience through values and allies.

How do I define resilience?

What are my personal values that can guide me through difficult times?

What practical steps can I take to embrace these values in a more action oriented way? 

Who is in my circle of support and what can I do to strenghten and nourish the circle for all of us?

How does the image of dandelion’s deep-rootedness inform my own ideas of resilience?

 

Just some Recipes for Including Dandelions in our Lives

Dandelion Green Recipes from Herbal Academy

  Recipes from the Farmer’s Almanac

Dandelion Celebration – Mother Earth News