So, it’s Cinco de Mayo. ¡Viva Mexico! Feliz Cinco de Mayo!
I’m recalling the research I did a while back on the history of this annual celebration of Mexican culture, for an article on dahlias I wrote for the Santa Fe Master Gardeners newsletter. Dahlias being Mexico’s national flower. And not to mention, one of my all time favorite flowers.
As the energies of this Taurus New Moon begin to affect me on this day (two days before the exact New Moon happening on May 7th), I’m feeling called toward the Taurean agenda of closeness to the earth and enjoyment of sensual beauty. I have no actual dahlias to gaze at, currently… but I sure do have plenty of gorgeous pictures of them to scroll through on my phone.
And I’m suddenly remembering the mysterious phenomenon that happened to me, that spring several years ago when I was so focused on dahlia research.
Did you know that dahlias originated in the mountainous regions of Mexico, Central America, and Colombia (written documentation dates back to the 1500s, but there’s evidence going back to the ancient Aztecs), and today comprise over 40 species and 50,000 varieties? And that their extreme variety can be seen in infinitely fascinating ways: size (diameters range from quarter-sized to Frisbee-sized); shape (from flat, evenly-spaced petals to irregularly placed, rolled-tip petals); and color (virtually infinite shades, in solid, bi-color, and variegated types).
I recall being consumed, for weeks, on all that I was uncovering about dahlias… But mostly staying in my head about it all. I never actually brought myself as far as procuring and planting tubers.
At least, in my normal 3D waking life.
And yet, two months after the article was published, mid-summer in my garden—I swear I’m not making this up—all of a sudden, there popped up a beautiful, simple, yellow dahlia. WHAT?!?! Where did that come from?! It bloomed right outside my office window where I’d spent all those hours learning and writing about dahlias… out of thin air!!
What is it we used to say as children — “cross my heart and hope to die” — to assure others we’re telling the truth?! I did not plant a dahlia tuber in my garden! Nothing was in that spot the previous year (and dahlias are not known to overwinter outdoors in this climate). I have no rational, scientific explanation for how that thing got there. And for the record, I never dug up the tuber that fall; no dahlia has appeared again since.
Honest to God, I feel like somehow I manifested that darling dahlia.
Whether you choose to believe me or not, this experience has inspired me to reflect on the quantum phenomenon of manifestation. Under this Taurus New Moon, where the earthy and the magical coalesce, I feel a profound connection to the earth and to the potential of our thoughts shaping our reality. The conjunction of the Sun, Moon, Uranus, and Jupiter in Taurus right now underscores this magical potential—inviting us to tap into the universe’s expansive energies for creation and surprise.
In the same way that the Taurean energy nurtures the soil, our intentions, deeply seeded, can bloom in unexpected ways, just like my surprise dahlia. It’s a beautiful reminder of this truth: what we focus on, grows—sometimes literally before our eyes.
So this Cinco de Mayo, let's embrace the unexpected, nurture our deepest desires, and watch as beauty unfolds in our lives, sometimes where we least expect it. To the mysterious and beautiful dahlia, a toast—may it inspire us to cultivate beauty in every corner of our lives.
Back to Soul Map Songs.
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