Welcome back to a new month of Cultivating Connection, our monthly plant feature, where we explore simple, meaningful ways to connect with herbs and botanicals through observation, reflection, and gentle practices you can return to again and again.
Rose is a plant for the heart, both physically and emotionally. Rose petals have long been used to gently support the heart, lift the mood, and soothe sensitive tissues. They work in a quiet, steady way, offering comfort without pushing or overstimulating.
Rose is often connected with love, closeness, and pleasure. It’s considered a mild aphrodisiac, not because it creates intensity, but because it helps us relax and soften. When the body feels safe, it’s easier to open—to ourselves, to others, and to the moment we’re in.
At the same time, rose understands that love and grief are deeply connected. When we care deeply, we also feel loss more fully. Rose supports the heart through both experiences. It can be especially helpful when emotions feel stuck or heavy in the chest, when grief lingers, aches, or quietly asks for attention rather than being pushed away.
You can see this balance in the plant itself. Rose offers soft, fragrant petals that invite closeness, along with thorns that remind us to move with care. This pairing reflects the heart’s natural rhythm: openness alongside protection, sweetness alongside pain.
Whether you’re feeling joyful, tender, heartbroken, or simply in need of softness, rose offers gentle support, meeting the heart exactly where it is.
Plant Connection Ritual: Sitting with the Heart
A gentle way to connect to heart-centred emotions with rose.
Prepare a cup of rose tea, add rose syrup to a tea or mocktail, or enjoy the scent of rose hydrosol. Find a quiet, comfortable space without distractions.
As you sip or breathe in the aroma, bring your attention to your chest. Notice what’s present... warmth, tightness, ease, or emotion. You might think of someone or something you love, or something you’ve had to let go of. Allow the sensations to come and then to settle.
Working with rose in this simple way can help the heart feel supported and held, creating space for it to open gently.
Bring rose into your heart-felt rituals and see how this botanical ally wants to work with you.
