17/11/2025
Marigold has been a real ally for me during our travels this past month, plants are so amazing just when I think I know them, there’s always another layer of connection to experience. So when we arrived in Guatemala the plants were so lush and vibrant the energy just fizzing off them, exuberant blooms and colours my eyes don’t see in the wild at home, every corner turned was a feast of delight, papaya growing all around , avocado trees, hibiscus, mango, cacao, bourganvillia , brugmansia, Cannas, bananas just to start with. And marigolds so many different varieties at the side of the road, in gardens on hillsides. As we sped by in a bus the fumes streaming into the open windows i glimpse all manor of Beautiful plants. I knew that Mexican marigold tagetes erecta was very important for “day of the dead”, and when we arrived in San Cristobal she was everywhere, every shop had a display even the immigration office we went to as we entered Mexico had an altar festooned with pine needles and marigolds crystal skulls with photos of loved ones. Women wove pine needles into garlands on the streets so perfect they looked like something factory made, I was wondering where I might buy some marigolds from and then one evening we were sitting on a bench in the square enjoying the goings on and a young girl came to me offering a marigold garland, we didn’t understand the price but she was very patient as she waited some boys nearby showed us on their phone 120 pesos about £6 it was more than I thought it would cost but I knew they were for me. She went away happy and so did I. They smelled amazing and when I put them over my head something changed in me a brightness and new confidence. They filled the hotel room with their lovely scent when touched and we took them with us to the grave celebration at Romilliro where Karen set up a little altar for her ancestors, then I wore them as the main part of my costume for the evening, what fun I had letting the spirit of marigold play through me, everyone seemed drawn to me in a mixture of fear and delight. Children first surprised and weary then happy and joyful when i produced a sweet for them with a smile. Older women caught my eye and smiled knowingly, people walked past and turned back to look at me, I playfully looked them in the eye and smiled or laughed or blew a kiss I was having a ball. So many people asked to have their photo taken with me. My confidence was sky high!! This wasn’t just a costume it was an accessing of part of myself lost in growing up, a part that loves to show off have innocent fun and play. Guided by marigold I didn’t want the night to end. When we got to lake Aititlàn we went to a herbalist garden I was so pleased to see so many of my friends, yarrow, lemon balm, rosemary, mugwort etc and so many plants I didn’t know too, after we visited the garden we only had a few minutes to explore the shop I bought a tea I was drawn to Té du Pericon , later when I opened it I saw small dried yellow orange flowers and a scent of tarragon, it was marigold lucida, here she was again ( apparently when drunk freshly cut lucida are known to have psychoactive properties and were used by the Aztecs in rituals. Consumption of a tea made from the fresh leaves, or ground plant material, has been said to induce sleep, cause hallucinations, or be useful as an aphrodisiac, these effects are lost when dried so wasn’t going to get high but the health benefits are impressive) my first meeting with marigold was Beltane at Nathaniel Hughes’s school of intuitive herbalism, each morning we would move, dance, feel for 30mins and this particular day I was broken apart into 1000 pieces tears streaming down my cheeks as we finished the session I was dissolved and empty, Lisa handed me a marigold flower and she shone a light within me that very slowly but surely stoked my flame and resuscitated my soul. It can be hard to look at the parts of self she shines her light on but often when we are brave enough to look that is where the treasure resides. Marigold has illuminated the parts of myself I didn’t think existed anymore the calm confidence of centre, remember who you really are she whispers I see you and your truth is spectacular. Let your light be seen. I feel she has left her mark on me again and again and I will endeavour to remember her wisdom as I go forward. Jeni x
