Part of the fun of getting up close with wild flowers in the Flower Essences™ series, is presenting a flower in a manner that feels authentic. However, upon digging further into this particular flower, this presentation may feel like a contradiction. Nearly every state in the US considers the Canada Thistle a highly invasive species. It grows in such density and spreads so rapidly. It chokes out native wild flower species. That’s the zoomed out context of the subject of this photo.

Zoom in though, and the view you see before you contradicts this. Delicate hairs of pink and lavender wave in the foreground, with a very tight focus being on some of the forward most spines. But even the word spines seems contradictory to the hairlike waves the Thistle emanates. And as the focus softens back to its deeper reaches, its subdued tresses blow in the breeze. You almost want to reach out and brush them back into place. Sure, you could focus on a needle like precision of the forward most spikes. But touch them, and they would again contradict.

So where would such a piece find a place in my home, you might ask? Well if your decor is soft pinks and purples with a touch of dark green, it will provide a solid anchor to your room. Also, if this wild flower resonates to a deeply relatable essence within yourself. Then this might be the ideal centerpiece for your bedroom or office. In either situation, it reinforces the complexity of life, where Softness can simultaneously be both Truth and Contradiction.

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