Yesterday (September 29th) was Michaelmas, the feast of St Michael also known as Archangel Michael. My daughter and I went out and picked blackberries because according to legend, on this day St, Michael defeated the angel Lucifer. At the end of a great battle, St. Michael banished Lucifer from Heaven. When Lucifer fell into Hell – now as the devil – he landed, bottom first, onto a thorny blackberry bush. In anger, he spit and stamped on the bush, cursing its fruit. So this is why there’s a tradition that it’s not a good idea to pick blackberries after Michaelmas!
Blackberry as a flower essence can be used as an aid to manifesting your soul vision. As you can see from the image of Blackberry as the Lovers card from the ‘Flower Speaks’ oracle deck this flower is symbolic of the union of feeling and thinking necessary to bring manifestation to fruition. We could also say the union of the subconscious mind and the conscious mind. This is so important because often our conscious decisions are blocked by the subconscious mind which tries to protect us from new experiences and keep us in safe and familiar territory. This is why it’s so important to get the subconscious mind on board with our plans and flower essences can help us release subconscious (aka as unconscious) fears and other blocks. Colin Griffiths says Blackberry as a homeopathic remedy is for the fear of change when the necessary change, for the sake of well-being, requires the patient to alter their way of life.
The speed and persistence with which the plant sends out suckers to expand its territory is a signature which shows its power to strengthen willpower. The way that the branches arch out from the main bush and then seek to put roots down into the ground is also a signature which shows how Blackberry aligns the mind with the will making it easier to ground goals and ideals into the physical world. An inability to realise goals or difficulty connecting to one’s will could indicate a need for Blackberry as could a lot of emotions and passion that can only be expressed in a chaotic way. We can see this chaotic energy in the appearance of the bush which looks like a huge tangle of wire. When someone has many creative ideas Bramble can help with focus on attaining goals without distraction and with the organisation and execution of such goals
Blackberry is a member of the Rose family of plants and is said to be ruled by Venus and Libra – the zodiac sign we are currently moving through. Like apple and other members of the family the blackberry flower has five petals and the number five and the pentacle resonates with venus, indeed the planer Venus traces out a perfect pentagram as it moves through space. Libra is ruled by Venus and is the sign of balance and one-to-one partnerships. Venus and the Rose family are concerned with feminine energy and the mystery of Love and relationships, giving and receiving. Bramble teaches us to approach love with gentleness care and respect. Bramble aids forgiveness and persistence, opening to and understanding love in its deeper levels.
Jan Scholten writes about the situation of the homeopathic remedy in a negative Rubus Fructicosis (Blackberry) state: “They have a relationship that is not fulfilling. They do not feel much love coming to them. Their partner is often demanding, irritable, self-centred or egotistical. This leads to the feeling that they do not want to go on with the relationship or marriage. But on the other hand they feel responsible for the other person or because they still hope things will turn out better. They feel they cannot leave it is too painful. It reminds them of the thorns of the blackberry that are pointing inside: one can go into the bush quite easily but pulling back causes scratches everywhere.”
Myself and my daughter really noticed this yesterday: how easy it is to get stuck on a bramble and how difficult to disentangle from one it can be! This signature comes through in the healing qualities of blackberry because it is a medicine for stuckness and congestion. Blackberry flower essence is said to help with: overcoming inertia, lethargy, mental fatigue and depression and fear of dying. It is helpful during periods of restriction, debility and feeling unable to move – there is a perception of not having any control or room to manoeuvre. Perhaps a remedy to think of during a Saturn return. Blackberry is known to cleanse and purify the blood and improve the circulation. It is also said to open the chakras and energise and balance all the meridians. When energy is congested around the head Blackberry helps to disperse it and as energy comes into the limbs the soul feels greater inner power to take action in the world. The homeopathic remedy encourages the desire to spring clean.