Yarrow
The keeper of fine boundaries
Nature of the plant
Yarrow grows along paths, in meadows and pastures – almost everywhere people walk. Its leaves are so finely divided that it is called "thousand-leaved". Its flowers form flat white to pale pink umbrellas. Its botanical name recalls the Greek hero Achilles. It is tough and tender at once: it is trodden on, and it rises again.
Inner attitude
Yarrow is open and yet clearly bounded. It lets much pass through and knows where it ends. Its strength lies in the fine.
The essential qualities
- fine
- clarifying
- tough
- ordering
- protective
It shows that fineness and strength belong together.
Meaning
Yarrow calls when you have become too permeable and everything enters you. It teaches you to draw your boundaries finely and clearly – without closing yourself off.
Voice of the plant
"You may be open. And you may say no."
Encounter & working together
You meet it by the wayside in summer, when its umbrellas are in bloom. Run your fingers over its feathered leaves and smell the bitter scent.
Pay attention to
- where you open yourself too much
- where a clear boundary protects you
- where the fine in you needs space
Yarrow works when you are ready to take good care of yourself.
Essence
I am open and I know where I begin and where I end.
