The scent of fresh yarrow is one of the best that I have ever known. Yarrowsmells sweet in the way that butter, or a puppy’s breath, or a newborn all smell sweet; pure and good and wholly untouched by the complications of this world. Yarrow is a welcome reminder of all that is right in the world and when I see it in bloom, I am rarely able to resist the urge to bury my face in its wide, white blossoms.
The presence of Yarrow opens us to the irrevocable experience of our own innocence and basic goodness. It shows us that from this place our true strength arises, strength from which we can live most courageously. Yarrow helps to peel away the layers of hurt, anger and resentment built up over a lifetime, in order to allow us to access the deeper parts of ourselves; those parts which can never be touched or tainted by things of this world. In this way, Yarrow is a sort of angelic ally, with the ability to connect us to our inner sense of divinity.
Yarrow is an herb of courage and forgiveness. It reminds us that what is true is not always easy, and what true is not always popular, but that what is true will always set you free. The medicine she offers helps us to look at the hard truths in our lives and rise to meet them with integrity. Yarrow is a warrior’s herb, and through cultivating a relationship with it, we are able to more easily see and to call upon our own sense of inner strength and sovereignty to protect that which we love.
