~ June 18
The maiden goddess Europa went in search
of her dear maidens, those beloved ones
with whom she loved to play
when she was dressed for dancing, or when
she bathed laughing in the river’s mouth,
or when she gathered lilies in the fields.
She found them all, carrying flower baskets,
intent upon filling them in the meadows
by the shining sea, filling them with blooms.
And so Europa went along, with her golden basket,
and at the seashore she delighted in both
the sprawl of wild roses and the sound of the waves.
—Greek poet Mochus, Idyll
The flowers that surround us at this time of year are one of nature’s most welcome gifts. The bright colors, the sweet fragrances, the delicate petal softness, the sound of the industrious bee, the taste of honey-flowers appeal to all our senses.
While it is true that the colors and fragrances of flowers evolved in order to assist with fertilization and thus reproduction of the species, flowers seem to hold more beauty than is strictly necessary. There is much in nature that seems simply beautiful for its own sake; there is a kind of surplus of beauty that the planet offers to us. Accepting and celebrating this beauty is one of our most cherished duties as children of the goddess.
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