Calendula for Creative Inspiration

Full Moon Greetings – August 1, 2023

Calendula officinalis is the first plant my mind goes to when I think about creativity. It holds an energetic resonance with imaginative forces and can inspire us to discover our unique style of creativity. Of course, many plants inspire creative endeavors, but Calendula bridges artistic, healing, and culinary arts. It lends itself to many creative projects. And in addition to that, it is beautiful and easy to grow. So, if you need a reminder that you are creative or are searching for a plant to be creative with – look to calendula.

Culinary Creativity

The flowers and leaves of the plant are edible. And because the dried flower petals keep their color they can be added to salads, soups, and cookies all winter long as a reminder of summer days. Flower petals can also be frozen into ice cubes or added to frostings for a beautiful effect.  Young leaves can be steamed like spinach and added fresh to salads.

Healing

Calendula is soothing for skin irritations, rashes, cuts, and bruises. One of my favorite things to create with calendula flowers is a healing salve. It is one of the easiest and gentlest salves to make.  Simply infuse olive oil with calendula energy, by placing covering calendular petals with olive oil and placing them (covered) in the sun for 5-6 hours. One quart canning jars work well for this. You can also use a double boiler to gently warm a jar of calendula flowers and oil. It is best to use dried flower petals for salve as fresh petals have a lot of moisture which can introduce bacteria into the oil.

Next, strain out the petals and add 1/3 cup of beeswax to each 1 cup of oil. Reheat gently to melt the beeswax and then pour into small containers. It is a perfect remedy for garden cuts and scrapes and also makes a great lip balm.

Artistic

We can add Calendula flowers to all kinds of creative endeavors. I have used the dried petals in hand made soaps and paper. The lovely yellow and orange petals create flecks of color throughout both projects. Flowers can be mixed into potpourri for color and fragrance. And of course, the flowers look beautiful in a fresh bouquet. The plant can also be used for dying fabric and wool, although this particular activity is still on a to-do list for me.

On Being Creative

Calendula’s energetic properties include smoothness and ease. The plant provides an invitation to embrace creativity. You can use the plant itself in an artistic project, or simply let it inspire you by drinking a cup of calendula tea as you craft.

And just a reminder that creativity belongs to all of us. It is not solely the property of professional artists. In my work as a trainer, I ask people to imagine symbols to help remember the topics we cover in training. They can draw or use pipe cleaners or playdough. Often the first response is, “I’m not creative. I can’t do this.”

And yet, we all engage in creative processes regularly. It happens whenever we bring something new into the world – from making dinner for our families to arranging flowers in a vase. If you are a gardener, the garden is your canvas. Your creative energy nurtures it into existence.

When we are paying attention, we’ll see the magic in this process as a thought becomes an idea and then slowly emerges into 3-dimensional form. We can pay more attention to the process by getting out of the way and not meeting new ideas immediately with rejection.

If there is a creative project you’ve been wanting to try or experiment with, just jump in and begin. Let Calendula energy inspire you. And if you think you are not creative, take a moment to reframe your definition of creativity. Look around you with awareness and appreciation of all of the things you have brought into form. We are all creative beings.

Lunar Blog Post Series

This post is part of my lunar blog series.  Each full moon I write about one plant, many of them are plants featured in my book, Growing Mindful.  Each new moon I write about a topic related to gardens, mindfulness, and spirituality. For more details and a list of past lunar blog posts, click here.