Flower Symbolism, Tree Symbolism, Energy Healing Articles

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√ Updated: February 1, 2010

Flower Symbols
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Color Symbols
Nature Symbols
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General Flower Articles

Illustrated Flower Symbolism Guide
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Flowers are a part of every significant event in our life from birth to death. In the Victorian era, flower symbolism became a complete language.

Flower Name Meanings
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Our list of flower names links to extensive information including the symbolic meanings of flowers, photos of flowers and interesting flower facts for over 150 of the world's most popular flowers.

Wildflower Lore
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Western wildflowers have a fascinating history. Read about the uses and ecology of western wildflowers including bitterroot wildflowers, snowberry wildflowers, owl-clover wildflowers, indian paintbrush wildflowers and the yucca wildflower.

Garden Flower Symbolism
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Read about the flower symbolism and fascinating facts about popular garden flowers including bluebells, foxglove, impatiens, lupines, marigolds, poppies, tulips, sunflowers and sweet peas. Your garden flowers will take on a whole new level of meaning!

History of Flower Art
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Explore the fascinating history of flower art beginning in the ancient Egyptian and Roman times and moving forwards to the modern age. Read about key flower artists including Manet, Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir, Cezanne, Matisse and O'Keeffe.

Flowers by Symbol Types

Flower Symbols Meaning Love
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Flowers are the ultimate symbol of love. Each flower has a special meaning and can convey a myriad of emotions in a discreet but clear way. The most cherished are the flowers that say "I love you".

Flower Symbols Meaning Beauty
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
The inherent beauty of flowers themselves has made them symbols of beauty the world around. There are a number of flowers meaning beauty so that each nation, people and climate can claim a flower meaning beauty for their own.

Flower Symbols Meaning Happiness
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Flowers are often associated with happy times--births, weddings, graduations--but some can also be associated with illness or death. Find flowers specifically meaning happiness.

Flower Symbols Meaning Joy & More
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
This article includes a list of flowers meaning joy and many other less common meanings. Find unusual meanings of flowers here. Since many flowers have multiple meanings, some flowers appear in more than one category.

Flower Symbols with Negative Meanings
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Although flowers are renowned for their beauty and ability to bring cheer and joy, some flowers actually do have negative associations.

Individual Flowers

Bamboo Symbolism
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA and Ning Yeh, Ph.D.
The bamboo is the most popular plant in China. Every village in Southern China is surrounded by bamboo groves. To be Chinese is to feel at home with bamboo.

Bluebell Symbolism
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Bluebells have long been symbolic of humility and gratitude. They are associated with constancy, gratitude and everlasting love. Learn more.

Calla Lily Flower Symbolism
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
The flower symbolism associated with the calla lily is magnificent beauty. Calla lilies are native to southern Africa. The calla lily is visible in many of Diego Rivera's works of art. Georgia O'Keeffe's sensual flowers redefined the flower as a pure, almost geometric form.

Camellia Symbolism
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA and Ning Yeh, Ph.D.
The symmetrical beauty and long-lasting quality of the flower have long been appreciated by young lovers as the token for expressing devotion to each other. In the eyes of the Chinese, the petals reflect the spirit of a lady, and the holder of the petals (the calyx) represents the young man entrusted by the lady as her protector.

Cyclamen Flower Symbolism
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
The flower symbolism associated with cyclamen flowers is resignation and goodbye. This symbolism makes cyclamen especially appropriate for gifts for friends who are retiring or relocating.

Daisy Flower Symbolism
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
The flower symbolism associated with the daisy is purity, innocence, loyal love, beauty, patience and simplicity. Daisies are often depicted in meadows in Medieval paintings. Learn more.

Day Lily Symbolism
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA and Ning Yeh, Ph.D.
The day lily has many names in China. When it has a cheerful position, the flower is called "Wong Yu," meaning "Forgetting Worries." Since the flower is worn by many mothers, the Chinese also venerate the day lily as a symbol of filial devotion to one's mother.

Foxglove Flower Symbolism
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Foxglove flowers have both positive and negative symbolic meanings. They are said to sometimes hurt and sometimes heal. In the language of flowers, foxglove is associated with insincerity. Learn more.

Impatiens Flower Symbolism
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Impatiens are symbolic of motherly love. Impatiens flowers come in many different colors from reds to blues to near blacks and browns. The individual colors have not been given separate meanings.

Iris Symbolism
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA and Ning Yeh, Ph.D.
Blessed with the colors of the rainbow, the iris has been recognized as the dancing spirit of early summer. Its soft, fluttering petals remind the Chinese people of butterfly wings, flapping gently in the breeze.

Lupine Flower Symbolism
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Lupines are symbolic of imagination. The name lupinus actually means of wolves due to the mistaken belief that ancient peoples had that lupines robbed the soil of nutrients. See our lupine notecards and flower art gifts!

Marigold Flower Symbolism
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Marigolds are known as the Herb of the Sun and are symbolic of passion and creativity. The Welsh believed that if marigolds were not open early in the morning, then a storm was on the way. Read more.

Morning Glory Symbolism
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA & Ning Yeh, Ph.D.
The star-shaped morning glory, which opens in the morning and withers quickly before dusk, is symbolic of a single day each year in which the Chinese lovers, Chien Niu and Chih Neu, are allowed to meet.

Orchid Symbolism
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA and Ning Yeh, Ph.D.
The grass orchid is admired for its subtle beauty. Its fragrance is intimately enticing but never overpowering. It usually chooses its hermitage in the most spiritual places in nature, where the mountain is embraced by mists or rocks by the roaring streams. To sit with the orchid is a scholarly pursuit with a long tradition. It inspires purity and simplicity.

Poinsettia Symbolism
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
The ancient Aztecs considered the poinsettia to be a symbol of purity. Today, poinsettias are the most easily recognized flower symbolic of Christmas. Poinsettias originally came from Mexico and Central America.

Poppy Symbolism
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA and Ning Yeh, Ph.D.
Poppies represent the loyalty and faith between lovers. According to Chinese legend, a beautiful and courageous woman, Lady Yee, was married to Hsiang Yu, a warrior with Herculean strength. When Hsiang led his troops into battle, Lady Yee chose to follow him and stood by his side in every battle.

Rose Symbolism
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA and Ning Yeh, Ph.D.
The rose has been in cultivation since the beginning of Chinese history. Ladies carried rose petals in their purses and gentlemen made wine and herbal medicine with the petals. Along with the name Orchid, Rose is one of the most popular names for girls in China.

Sunflower Symbolism
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Sunflowers are symbolic of adoration. Sunflowers turn their heads to the sun, which is the origin of their common name. Sunflowers belong to the genus helianthus, a reference to Helios, the sun god.

Tulip Symbolism
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Tulips are generally symbolic of fame and perfect love. The symbolic meanings also change with the color of the tulips. Tulips are the foremost national symbol of Holland, rivaling wooden shoes and windmills!

Wisteria Symbolism
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA and Ning Yeh, Ph.D.
The wisteria is called "Purple Vine" in China. In one cluster, the petals shade harmoniously from the strong, dark purple tip to the soft, light pink at the open base. Among all plants, vines are the most vivid examples of nature's playful spontaneity.

All Animal Symbol Articles

Animal Symbols
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Animal symbols are so universal as to be a part of the collective unconscious, belonging to the mythology, legends and religious scriptures of virtually every culture on earth. Some animal symbols contain a secret code and reveal their inner meanings only through written and oral traditions.

Bird Symbolism: Celtic Symbols
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
The Celts flourished from 500BC to 400AD and were later reduced in numbers and geographic spread by both the Roman expansion and Germanic immigration. Among the most utilized Celtic symbols were those based on animal forms, including the bird symbols delineated below.

Chinese Animal Symbols
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Understanding Chinese animal symbolism not only helps one to understand a particular people and their artistic expression, but also connects individuals from any culture with the powerful forces of nature symbolized by various members of the animal kingdom.

Dragon Meaning
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Learn the meaning of dragons. More than any other image, the dragon is associated with the Orient. A symbol of the emperor himself, the dragon was master of all of the elements of nature. The sinuous dragon can take many forms and can be victorious in any circumstance. Find out more here.

Phoenix Symbolism
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
The story of the phoenix begins in ancient Egyptian mythology and was later developed in the Phoenician, Indian and Greek traditions. The phoenix is a sacred firebird with beautiful feathers of gold and red or purple and blue. A phoenix lives for 500-1,000 years and then builds itself a nest of myrrh twigs. Find out more here.

Unicorn Meaning
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
The unicorn is one of a very few mythological creatures that are considered to be beneficial in almost all traditions. The unicorn is universally beautiful, mysterious and difficult to capture or tame. Although modern unicorns are depicted simply as horses with a single horn, traditional unicorns also possessed a billy goat’s beard, a lion’s tail and cloven hooves.

Feng Shui Animals
By Kartar Diamond
The role of both real and mythological animals is referred to frequently in feng shui theory and folklore. In many books, there is a description of an ideal house, which has a turtle behind it, a phoenix bird in front of it, and a dragon and tiger on either side. Learn more here.

Color Symbols

Colors Meanings
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Colors meanings are closely related to cultural associations with various colors. The study of color psychology, color therapy and color symbolism reveals an in-depth perspective on both society and individuals. Find more information here.

Color Symbolism
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Color symbolism affects nearly every area of life: clothing, interior design, graphic design, computer interface design, fine art, consumer product development and packaging, food choices and corporate identity.

Color Psychology
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Colors psychology is a fascinating topic that has captured the imagination of scientists, artists and poets. Color theory is is a huge part of the fashion industry, home decor and ongoing studies that try and determine the ideal surroundings for both work and relaxation. Learn more here.

Color Healing
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Color symbolism and color therapy has had a long history in many societies and is closely intertwined with cultural associations with various colors. Some modern color therapists take a purely biological approach to color therapy and healing art. Learn more here.

Blue Symbolism
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
This article covers the connections between the color blue and health, personality, language, spirituality, interior design, nature, art and the mind. Read about the world's favorite color!

Personality Colors
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Your color preferences can reveal basic aspects of your personality. Think about the colors you wear most often. These colors indicate both your strengths and your weaknesses. Learn more about personality colors here.

Five Element Colors
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Each of the five elements in the Chinese system of nature symbols is associated with a particular co lour or set of colors as well as with certain shapes, materials, designs and so forth. Learn how to use this system to balance your personality and health condition in your environment.

Bible Color Meanings
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Colors meanings play an important role in religion worldwide. In the Christian tradition, color meanings come both from the meanings in the Bible and from the traditions of religious art. Learn more here.

Food Color Energy
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Red food symbolizes energy and movement. People with lots of red energy have a great deal of physical stamina and tend to be lean and muscular. Learn more about food color energy.

Garden Colors
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Creating a beautiful garden is like painting a picture in living color. Achieving color harmony, contrast and effective color combinations in the garden is a fascinating art. More about garden colors here.

Flower Color Healing
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Dr. Edward Bach believed that disease is a manifestation of negative mental states. The chart below indicates the thirty eight remedies that Bach developed, their colors and the states of mind they are intended to treat.

Color and the Aura
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
The human aura is an electromagnetic energy field around the body. The colors of the aura can indicate the strengths and weaknesses present and allow for the correction of imbalances.

Gems and Color
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
The molecular structure of gems filter out certain wavelengths as light passes through them, giving them their characteristic colors. Both precious and semi-precious stones can be used to affect character, mood and physical health.

Color and Music
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
The experiences of color and music have always been closely intertwined. From the days of the ancient Greeks through the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance, both color and music were widely considered to possess inherent moral powers to influence their viewers and listeners for better or for worse.

Purple Power
By Kathryn Weber
Purple is mixture of soothing, calm blue with boisterous, energetic red. Purple is associated with royalty. It symbolizes power, nobility, luxury, and ambition.

Red Color Meaning
By Joey Pebble and Abhishek Agarwal
Red may be the most powerful color in the spectrum. Less somber than black, but more powerful than orange, it is a color which incites emotions, and causes people to react, in both biological and psychological ways.

Rose Color Meaning
By Joe Griffon and Adam Carter
There are so many different kinds of roses and colors. There is a roses color meaning for each different color. Automatically everyone can see the symbolism of love with all kinds of roses, but the true symbolism comes from the color of the bloom. Here is a list of most colors.

Nature Symbols

Forest and Tree Symbolism
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Forests have always had deep-rooted symbolic meaning in virtually every culture on earth. Forests are the abode of the nature spirits. Forests are a refuge from danger as well as a source of dangerous wild animals. Forests are mysterious and constantly changing. Individual trees also have specific symbolic meanings.

Aspen Trees: Nature's Shimmering Beauty
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Aspen tree symbolism includes determination and overcoming fears and doubts. Trees in general are almost universally a positive symbol: Nordic, Celtic, Indian, American Indian, Jewish, European and many other cultures all attach positive symbolic significance to trees.

Shamrock Meaning
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
The most well-known meaning was imparted to the shamrock by St. Patrick, who compared the plant’s tri-part leaves to the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Host Spirit. Occasionally shamrocks are found with four leaves. These are rare and considered to be very lucky for the finder. Find out more about shamrock meanings here.

Apple Symbolism and Legends
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
The history and meaning of apples, apple blossoms, apple mythology, and the legend of Johnny Appleseed.

Five Elements of Nature
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
The five element form of feng shui classifies various aspects of interior design according to their relationship to the predominant forces in nature. The Chinese five element system views wood, fire, earth, metal and water as the primary natural elements. Learn more here.

Mary Gardens
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
In the late Middle Ages, depictions of the Virgin Mary in an idealized garden were common in Flemish and German paintings. Some churches began creating actual gardens devoted to Mother Mary for worshippers to visit for meditation and prayer. Learn more about flower symbolism and Mary Gardens.

Nature's Pharmacy
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
From the ancient courts of the pharaohs to the aisles of our modern health food stores, the amazing world of herbs and their mythical lore have fascinated mankind. Stories and legends about the secret powers of herbs can be found all over the world, and detailed volumes outlining their specific uses have been treasured by both kings and peasants.

Bonsai Trees
By Carolyn Anderson and Marcin Doliwa
A lot of people wonder about the meaning behind the bonsai tree. Well, let's start with the meaning of the word itself. Bonsai, first of all, is a Japanese word and could be translated as 'a tree in a pot'. The art of bonsai growing, however, did not originate in Japan but in China. Learn more here.

All Chinese Symbol Articles

The Five Elements of Nature
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
The five element form of feng shui classifies various aspects of interior design according to their relationship to the predominant forces in nature. The Chinese five element system views wood, fire, earth, metal and water as the primary natural elements. Learn more here.

Mixed Element Compatibility
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
A mixed element personality (two or more elements in equal measure) can exhibit both the positive and negative aspects of each individual element. The strength of each element will affect the way in which the elements outpicture.

Five Element Survey
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Take the survey below to determine your natural element compatibility. This survey has 15 questions and should take three to five minutes.

Five Element Colors
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Each of the five elements in the Chinese system of nature symbols is associated with a particular co lour or set of colors as well as with certain shapes, materials, designs and so forth. Learn how to use this system to balance your personality and health condition in your environment.

The Earth Element
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Earth types are tolerant, forgiving, and caring. If your predominant compatibility is with the earth element, you are natural sympathetic and have great difficulty saying no to people in need. You are a wonderful friend, willing to listen to other people’s problems. Learn more here.

The Fire Element
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Fire types are passionate about life and relationships. If your predominant compatibility is with fire, you attract others through your warmth and intuitive empathy. Your sunny, summer-time disposition makes you popular in any crowd. Learn more here.

The Metal Element
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Metal types are disciplined, strong-willed and posses a great deal of endurance. The element of metal can be symbolized by a majestic, snow-capped mountain—firmly grounded, and reaching towards the heavens. If your predominant compatibility is with metal, you are precise and tranquil, yet adaptable to changing circumstances.

The Water Element
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Water types have the ability to change effortlessly without ever losing their essential character. If your predominant compatibility is with water, you are resourceful, dependable and single-minded in the pursuit of your goals. You have a strong sense of elf and follow your path with purpose in spite of difficult or demanding situations.

The Wood Element
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Wood types are constantly in motion—driven to grow and expand like the green shoots bursting forth in spring. If your predominant compatibility is with wood, you appreciate being firmly grounded with deep roots at home. From this place of stability and strength, your potential is unlimited, and you have the capacity to succeed against all odds. Learn more here.

Wealth Symbols
By Kathryn Weber
Our homes, like our dreams, speak in symbols. The art, the symbols, shapes, and colors we surround ourselves with at home tells a story of our lives. Mine speaks to a love of travel and does so in the artwork that I’ve collected from around the world. It’s important that we place objects and items in our house that inspire and motivate us.

Feng Shui Gems
By Kathryn Weber
From the earliest fairytales of genies and fairy godmothers, we all have wishes that we would love to see magically happen. Luckily in feng shui there is a wonderful technique for activating the energies associated with all of the usual aspirations that everyone wants: love, wealth, health, happiness, good fortune.

Good Luck Symbols
By Kathryn Weber
Creating good feng shui that promotes wealth, happiness, and opportunities can extend way beyond your front door or the way you arrange your bedroom. Feng shui can be incorporated in the accessories in your home to the car and clothing colors you select.

Sacred Symbols Articles

Early Christian Art and Symbols
By Annette Labedzki and Ed Gallagher
The Christian Art after 313 AD consisted of messages glorifying God, the words of God, the Gospels, and the Acts of the Apostles. The art was not so much about 'Realism' or technique, as much it was about the content, conveyed through the mosaics, which embellished the interiors of the early Christian basilicas.

Tibetan Symbols
By Sylvia Smelcer
The word Aum is the primordial symbol, the first sound ever heard, and the sound that the earth was created by. The sound starts with an opening of the lips and ends with a closing. This represents pulling all things into the body while making the sound. The Om sound is similar to the Greek Logos, and in Christianity it could be linked to the Christian Amen.

Celtic Symbols
By Tim Lazaro
The life of the ancient Celt was rooted in tradition and mysticism. They revered their ancestors and the earth and the things on it were attributed with great powers. They believed in the interconnectedness of man and his surroundings and used symbols as a way to illustrate it.

Popular Symbols

Christmas Symbols
By Bernadette Dimitrov and David Robson
We all love Christmas symbols used as decorations however most people have no idea where they originally came from. It certainly adds to a deeper enjoyment of Christmas when meaning is added. Imagine the delightful Christmas conversations sharing your new insights. So read on and enjoy a deeper understanding of three popular symbols and their meaning!

Pirate Symbols
By Alison Cole and Frank Loethen
Pirates used symbols as part of their strategy to instill fear. Skeletons, flaming swords, and hourglasses were among their favorite symbols. The most popular was the “Jolly Roger”, a white skull-and-crossbones on a black background. Learn more here.

All Related Articles

Aromatherapy Colors
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Essential oils can be correlated with particular color energies. The oils themselves are often clear or slightly yellowish or bluish. The colors below indicate the frequency of the vibration of the oil rather than a physical color. Learn more.

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