Lilies Give You Permission to Be a Woman

By: Camilla Blossom

“Flower Whisperer” is what my friend Shannon calls me, but what I heard recently from the deva of Tiger Lily was no whisper! It was a loud, clear call to action. “It is time for women to embrace their creative power. Women have been enablers.” (To me “enabler” means someone who makes it possible for those wanting to control women’s power to do so.)

Several years ago the wild lilies of The Columbia River Gorge whispered their healing purpose to me, “Lilies give women permission to be women.” What does it mean to need “permission” to be a woman? If we don’t feel like we have the power or authority to be fully who we are, we seek an “OK” or permission. It seems to reside in our unconscious mind that we need this approval, yet it is present. For the most part, our feminine nature has not been supported or celebrated. It doesn’t always feel natural or safe to trust in ourselves or to express our full beauty and creativity in the world.

Our feminine nature, for women and men, is often buried deep within to adapt or seek protection from an aggressive, addictive, and over-achieving culture. This overly “Yang” (masculine) imbalance has sent Yin (the feminine) underground. It is as if women have been under a “spell” regarding their true power. Trained to side-step power and avoid conflict, we often allow others, or our inner masculine-self, to be in charge.

What does healthy, pure feminine energy feel like? How do I, personally, embrace my power to create and nurture life? First, I became a mother. Then, I turned to the lilies as my teachers. Lilies hold the resonance of pure, feminine energy and remind me of my true highly loving and nurturing qualities. Using lilies as my “medicine” has helped me break the collective spell. I honor the feminine mysteries—my creative powers, mothering qualities, sensitivity, sexuality, and spiritual gifts.

Lilies may be gentle, feminine, and pure, yet they will always be noticed for they are beautiful and potent. They offer sexual allure and purity of spirit, married in one flower. They remind us of our innocence. When we feel less than pure (ie, sexual abuse), lilies remind us to forgive ourselves for thinking we are not. Find compassion for ourselves. We are pure not matter what we have experienced. They whisper, “Let’s create a loving bridge between our pure spirituality, our heart, and our sensitive sexuality.” I feel very blessed and nurtured in their presence as they remind me to smell a little more deeply, to feel my sensuality a little more completely, to allow quiet spiritual reflection, and see beauty in all its manifestations.

Lilies are a huge family of flowers, cultivated and native. The cultivated Asiatic lilies are voluptuous and overwhelmingly fragrant. Traditionally used in marriage ceremonies, lilies were symbolic of purity. Wheat symbolized fertility. Many weddings today feature beautiful, fragrant lilies. The Madonna lily is white, pure, spiritual, and motherly and associated with Mother Mary. The Church adopted the lily to represent the saintly Mother Mary, a white on the outside, gold on the inside purity. Lilies couldn’t be extracted as an essential oil so the Church felt it was a very pure flower. The Easter Lily signifies rebirth of Christ in the Spring. My friend’s mother considered herself “born again” after staring into an Easter Lily.

The lilies that grow in The Columbia River Gorge are free spirited lilies. They are untamed, wild, and beautiful. Most of the year, their essence is stored in a dormant bulb underground until it’s time to blossom. After a short blossoming, they retreat for quiet rest and then are reborn again next year. The native lily family includes the Mariposa Lily, Mt Hood Lily, Chocolate Lily, Glacier Lily, Tiger Lily, Yellow Bells, Onion, Camas, Death Camas, Western Solomon Seal, Bear Grass, Trillium, False Lily-of-the-Valley, and many others. I have made flower essences of many of the wild lilies in The Columbia River Gorge and Mt. Hood wilderness. The most impressive is the Mt Hood Lily (Lilium washingtonianum) a 3-5 foot tall flower with large fragrant white blossoms that fade to pinkish. The Green-banded Mariposa Lily is a beautiful pink and white lily with green bands on the back of its petals. Its cup shape contains divine mother energy and it can withstand very hot, dry conditions.

The doctrine of signatures, the relationship between a plants use and it’s physical qualities, shows us the significance in the numbers, colors and shapes of lilies. All lily flowers display patterns of three and six. Three petals and three sepals create two interlocking triangles associated with Mother Earth (inverted triangle) and Father Sky (upright triangle). From the love between Mother and Father, a child is born. Each one of us is the perfect union of Earth and Sky. The six-pointed star shape is a doorway to the divine grounded on Earth. Some lilies look star-like and help ground the divine within us. Others lilies are bell shaped acting to balance our thoughts, others have cup-like qualities that contain or hold energy, like the Mariposa Lily. Some splay their petals openly like the Tiger Lily and show us how to embody trust and feel safe enough to express ourselves. Most lilies are white (purity) or pastel colors (feminine principle). Their color can also be related to chakras or specific qualities, for example the Ball-head Cluster Lily’s purple color resonates with the 3rd eye or pituitary gland and is useful for expanding our perspective.
To fully embrace and love your feminine nature, ask the lilies to help. Spend time with the lilies by visiting the wild lilies in Nature, meditating with the lily devas, planting some lilies in your garden and sitting with them, buying lilies at the florist, or taking flower essences when the lilies are not blooming.

Lilies from The Columbia River Gorge, healing & blessing the feminine:
Mt Hood Lily Lilium Washingtonianum This 3-5 foot tall, pure white, fragrant beauty reminds women to stand tall in their glorious beauty. It can heal a sense of impurity that comes with sexuality issues, as it brings more loving expression into our sexuality. The Mt Hood Lily (also called Cascade or Washington Lily) brings us a sense of glorious joy in being a woman. Remember, it’s time for the Goddesses to emerge into the light.
Green-banded Mariposa Lily Calochortus macrocarpus When spending time with this compassionate, pink beauty, I relax into true unconditional mother love. I feel nurtured. I am reminded that I can receive Universal Mother love always. I still get excited when I see green flowers petals. Its green bands signify a deep connection between the Earth and human heart. Mariposa Lily has been very successful in assisting people with addictions.
Tiger Lily Lilium columbianum The Tiger Lily is very strongly colored for a lily—dark orange with dark spots. It serves to blend our feminine lily-like qualities with our masculine aspects. This is the flower that shouted, “It is time for women to embrace their creative power! Woman have been enablers.” I believe the Tiger Lily is telling women to stand strong in their power and not allow masculine aggressiveness to dominate or sway them from their truth.
Chocolate Lily Fritillaria lanceolata Yummy. This brown and green speckled flower reminds us that we deserve unlimited abundance. It helps us ground our thoughts in material abundant of all forms and expression. Some people have pushed through financial stresses and opened to more prosperity using the Chocolate Lily.
Ballhead Cluster Lily Brodiaea congesta The deep radiant, purple cluster of florets expansion our perspective and nurture our ability to use insight. Like the name ‘congesta’ implies, the flower moves to expand us. The flower likes it when we visualize them inside our head and then work on setting goals. They will also support our commitment to move beyond self-sabotage.
Glacier Lily Erythronium grandifolium This white and yellow, delicate, expressive flower reminds us to trust. When we are feeling sensitive to energies around us or question the intentions of others, Glacier Lily brings a softening and trusting openness. Reminding us that we are safe, no struggle is necessary. We need no walls to protect us, only trust.
Yellow Bells Fritillaria pudica “Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who’s the most beautiful of them all?” You are! Yellow Bells helps you recognize and believe in your true beauty. It’s not an illusion. It’s real. See for yourself when you look within.


As soul medicine for our emotions, lilies address issues of womanhood: purity, sexuality, motherhood, and spiritually. Camilla creates flower essences (unscented vibrational remedies that hold the healing frequencies of a flower in water) from the wild lilies in The Columbia River Gorge (Oregon, Washington). Also, Camilla leads Wildflower Walks and is a Certified Aromatherapist, Reiki Master, Energy Healer, and Intuitive. She can be reached at her business in Hood River, 3 Flowers Healing 541-387-3528 or email camilla@3flowershealing.com