Botanical Oracle: Golden Poppy, Eschscholzia californica
When I first started learning about herbs and I learned about Golden Poppy, AKA the California poppy, I had visions of The Wizard of Oz. The California poppy is a cousin to the opium-producing poppy, and it was this relationship that helped me to understand why it’s used in the majority of my herbal teas and tinctures.
California poppy is a wonderful nervine, meaning it’s an herb that works on your nervous system. Many of my clients suffer from insomnia, stress, and anxiety, so this is a go-to herb for me. Because this herb doesn’t taste great by itself, I always try to add peppermint or lavender, or even a bit of honey, to make it more palatable when I use it.
Thompson's Oracle uses the word Dream for Golden or California poppy. This is because the plant is known for its sedative and nervine qualities. Drinking a cup of tea with California poppy is extremely relaxing. It shuts off your mind and gives you that quiet permission to dream. Because it also helps you fall asleep, the word dream seems like the perfect word to associate with this poppy, and why throughout history, poppies, in general, have been used as a sedative and a narcotic to help with dreams.
When I chose this card, it was a gentle reminder to give myself some grace. Every day I go and go and go just to fulfill the next line on my checklist. I need to give myself some quiet time in my own life to just dream.
So today, I'll bring home a few grams a California poppy for my Pharmacy. I will put it in a cup of tea, sit in the bathtub, and start thinking about my future and what I want it to look like. I will give myself permission to dream.
Thompson says dreaming is about balance. On the card, it expands deeper on what that means. If you would like your own cards, check them out here.
How will you give yourself permission to dream? What routines do you have? Is there a time in your life where you know you need to just stop and say no? It's time for me to take care of me. How do you give yourself time to dream?
