08/01/2026
It's August 1 and National Sunflower Day. Where has the year gone?
I saw so many gorgeous, blooming sunflowers on my trip across the Midwest last month. To many, sunflowers are a powerful reminder that growth is a sacred choice. Rooted firmly in the earth while forever reaching toward the sun, they embody resilience, abundance, confidence, and the courage to seek light after seasons of darkness. Sunflowers are connected to the solar plexus chakra, awakening personal power, self-trust, and the strength to walk an authentic path. Their beauty teaches us that transformation isn’t about denying the shadows but consciously turning toward what nourishes our spirit. Like sunflowers, we are called to stand tall, honor our roots, embrace our own magic, and trust that by following the light within, we bloom into exactly who we were always meant to become.
In 2011, I read The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. She wrote sunflowers symbolize “false riches.” I had always loved growing sunflowers. They made me ridiculously happy, and I dreamed of planting them just outside my bedroom in my little courtyard. But after reading that one book, I chose not to. For 15 years, I let a single definition outweigh the joy those flowers brought me.
Lately, I’ve found myself thinking about that decision. The more I came across them during my travels, I began to research them. I discovered countless traditions don't believe the false riches narrative but define sunflowers as a symbol of resilience, hope, abundance, enlightenment, and the unwavering choice to seek the light.
It made me wonder…how many other things have I chosen not to grow because of a story I accepted without questioning it?
Sometimes growth is about planting something new. Sometimes it’s about uprooting an old belief that no longer belongs in our garden.
We’ve already entered the second half of 2026. August is here, and the final quarter of the year is just around the corner. What have you been afraid to grow? What dream, relationship, business, gift, or part of yourself have you left unplanted because of fear, doubt, or someone else’s definition?
Maybe it’s time to turn toward the light again. 🌻
