A year ago I planted a White Magnolia Tree in my back garden. We had cleared away the old gnarly growth of tree and brush to make way for the new fence. With a new fence we took the opportunity to choose new plants to take us forward. The sheer beauty of the White Magnolia Tree had mesmerised me throughout the years, its full, luxurious blooms reason enough for this, but a little research on its symbolism cemented my choice. It is thought to be one of, if not the, oldest blooming plants on Earth, having lasted millenia without much alteration. Connotations of endurance, reliability, resilience and nobility are suggested. The white Magnolia additionally connotes purity, spirituality and peace.
And so the White Magnolia became the first new plant for our garden. It has flowered after being in its new ground for a year now. The new year of 2022 was only two days old when the first tulip- shaped white flower opened. This is the year in which I launch the new venture, my manifesto, with my co-founder, Justin, after building and trialing the experience and product over the course of the past year.
While the two events – the planting and establishing of the White Magnolia Tree over the course of the past year and the founding and development of my manifesto – may not necessarily be viewed as synchronistic, we are playfully choosing to connect them in this way. In another blog, we speak of ‘synchronicity’ and make the point that meaning- making is subjective, that we can view synchronistic experiences as ‘ticks from the universe’, a sign that we are living our lives congruently. In the context of such a connection, the parallelism of the tree flowering with a large, beautiful luminous flower in these first days of the New Year in which my manifesto is launched, is exciting.
Launching my manifesto, we happily accept all the encouragement from the natural world that this timely flowering offers, choosing to accept it as an endorsement of our purposeful intention to be of service to others. Our work stems from the shared desire to do some good in the world, to work with others to help them tap into their essential selves, to assist them select the inspiring words which represent them and the life they choose to lead.
Might we also claim more alignment with the symbolism of the White Magnolia Tree? Its purity and nobility and our authenticity and whole-hearted intention? Maybe to some we are over- reaching, but we would rather that, than never daring.