Sweet peas hold a special meaning for many people. If you’ve been gifted these colorful flowers or simply admire them, you may be curious about their symbolism.
In short, sweet peas generally symbolize lasting pleasure, goodbyes, appreciation, and developing strengths. Their delicacy inspires us to embrace fleeting beauty and cultivate gentleness.
Read on as we dive deeper into the history, attributes, and spiritual wisdom behind the sweet pea.
The History and Meaning of Sweet Peas
Victorian Era Symbolism
In the Victorian era, sweet peas carried rich symbolism and meaning. The ruffled blooms were seen as representing feminine beauty and charm. Giving someone sweet peas conveyed heartfelt sentiment and attachment. Their rich, candy-like fragrance came to signify a sweet personality.
Other Cultural Meanings
In addition to Victorian symbolism, sweet peas have had other cultural associations. In some traditions, the annual vine represents a departure or farewell. This may be rooted in the fact that they bloom briefly in spring and summer.
The fleeting blossoms came to embody the transience of life and relationships. Their scented blooms also suggest keeping a loved one and happy memories in one’s thoughts.
Sweet Pea Color Symbolism
Sweet pea blossoms come in a rainbow of colors, each with distinct meaning:
- White: sincerity and pure loveliness
- Purple: pleasure from being with someone; signifies intimacy
- Pink: gentle femininity and grace
- Red: deep love and intense passion
- Blue: achieving the impossible or unattainable
- Yellow: golden goodbye before parting
Sweet Pea Symbolism and Spiritual Lessons
Appreciating Fleeting Beauty
Sweet peas represent the ephemeral beauty of life. Their delicate blossoms only last a few days, reminding us to appreciate the fleeting joys that surround us. Stop and smell the roses, as they say – relish the sweetness of each moment before it fades away.
Sweet peas teach us not to take people or experiences for granted but to cherish each encounter as the gift that it is. Their delicate nature also symbolizes spiritual virtues like gentleness, grace, and tenderness which are all too often overlooked in our busy modern lives.
Gentleness and Vulnerability
With their fragile form and transient nature, sweet peas embody the concepts of gentleness and vulnerability. Like the petals of a sweet pea plant, we too are fragile beings requiring nurture, care and protection.
Sweet peas encourage us to create spaces where we and others feel safe enough to show this vulnerability without fear of harm.
Just as gardeners must handle sweet pea vines with care as they guide them up trellises, we too should handle the hearts of our fellow humans with the utmost gentleness. Sweet peas remind us that none of us are invincible or immune to the hardships of life.
We all long to love and be loved, to understand and be understood. Sweet peas call us to nurture the relationships in our lives just as a gardener nurtures their plants.
Developing Inner Strengths
Though sweet peas seem delicate, they can grow over six feet tall, spiraling upwards on sturdy vines. So while they represent gentleness and grace, sweet peas also symbolize developing inner strength, resilience and determination to weather storms.
Sweet peas remind us that behind a beautiful, gentle exterior can reside great fortitude. Their vines may sway in strong winds but will not easily be broken. In the same way, as spiritual beings having a human experience we all possess an inner light and resilience that external hardships cannot extinguish.
Sweet peas call on us to nurture our spiritual selves even when buffeted by life’s difficulties.
| External Form | Inner Essence |
|---|---|
| Delicate and graceful | Strong and resilient |
Just as sweet pea blooms are transitory but their vines live on season after season, our physical forms are temporary yet our souls eternal. Sweet peas symbolize hope – no matter what storms we face, the light of spring always returns again.
Saying Graceful Goodbyes
As sweet pea flowers fade after just a few days, in the language of flowers they represent the act of saying goodbye. So sweet peas encourage us to view endings – whether of relationships, jobs or seasons – with grace, understanding that nothing in life is permanent.
Sweet peas remind us that while partings bring sorrow, the poignancy of farewells allows us to fully appreciate the joy we shared. Their ethereal beauty is a metaphor for appreciating and letting go of each phase of our existence with gentleness and gratitude, acknowledging that while nothing lasts forever, the impressions we leave on others ripple onward through time.
Just as faded sweet pea blooms yield the seeds of new lives, death too holds the promise of rebirth. So sweet peas represent seeing life not as a series of endings but as an unbroken chain that links one generation to the next. They invite us to face all our goodbyes with courage, optimism and hope.
Sweet Peas in Mythology and Folklore
Greek Mythology
In Greek mythology, sweet peas are said to have sprang from the blood of Adonis, the god of beauty and desire. As the story goes, when Adonis was killed by a wild boar, his lover Aphrodite rushed to his side. Her tears mixed with his blood on the ground, causing sweet peas to grow in that very spot.
The sweet scent and vibrant colors of the flowers are therefore symbolic of Adonis’ beauty and Aphrodite’s eternal love for him. This myth connects sweet peas to enduring love and unfading beauty. It also ties them to the Greek goddess of love, desire, pleasure, passion, procreation, fertility, and beauty Aphrodite.
Celtic Folklore
In Celtic folklore, sweet peas were believed to attract faeries. Celtic people would plant sweet peas near their homes, hoping to bring good fortune from the mystical creatures. They saw the delicate blossoms as a representation of the faeries themselves – dainty, magical, and elusive.
This folk belief connects sweet peas to ideas like:
- Magic and enchantment
- Good luck and fortune
- Mysticism and the supernatural
It shows how they were seen as a sort of bridge between the human world and the world of myths and spirituality.
Christian Folklore
There are also a few legends about sweet peas in Christian folklore. One tale claims that sweet peas were the favorite flower of St. Theresa. It says that the flowers would spring up wherever she walked, representing her grace, wisdom and spirituality.
Another Christian legend associates sweet peas with the virtues of farewell and departure. It suggests that their sweet yet transient scent makes them a fitting symbol for the bittersweet nature of bidding someone goodbye. Theirannual life cycle also parallels themes of death and rebirth.
So in Christian folklore, sweet peas invoke concepts like:
| Spirituality | Wisdom |
| Grace | Partings |
| Rebirth | Morality |
Sweet Peas in Dreams and Divination
Dream Interpretation
In dream interpretation, seeing sweet peas can have several spiritual meanings. Often, sweet peas represent joy, pleasure, and prosperity. If you dream of picking beautiful sweet peas in a garden, it may signify upcoming success in a new endeavor or transition in your waking life.
Sweet peas can also symbolize deepening friendships and social connections that will bring you happiness.
Alternatively, wilted or dying sweet peas in dreams can warn of disappointments regarding relationships or goals you hoped would flourish. Yet with care and effort, the sweet pea’s symbolism reminds us that we can still nurture growth in difficult situations.
A field of vibrant sweet peas blooming after winter’s end reinforces themes of resilience, rebirth, and renewal.
Tea Leaf Readings
In tea leaf reading, sweet peas symbolize pleasant surprises, kindness, and affection. Seeing their image in tea leaves is thought to indicate that someone will soon bring you joy through an act of thoughtfulness. The sweet pea is seen as a sign to open your heart to welcome new relationships.
Sweet peas combined with other auspicious symbols like flowers or hearts foretell deep or romantic connections developing in your life. They remind you to nurture buds of affection so they can grow into something beautiful.
Wilted sweet pea symbols warn against taking loved ones for granted and urge you to revive fading bonds.
Flower Oracle Cards
In flower oracle and tarot card readings, the Sweet Pea card signifies gentleness, grace, and feminine energy. Its appearance encourages you to shift focus inward and get in touch with the loving, peaceful spirit within.
Let this energy ripple outward to positively impact your relationships and community.
This card also signals a time to appreciate life’s little pleasures – a warm hug, a kind word, a sunny spring day. Its gentle power reminds you that small acts of kindness and beauty hold the key to lasting joy and fulfillment.
When the Sweet Pea card wilts, it warns against ignoring your emotional needs or taking for granted the simple gifts life offers you each day.
Conclusion
The sweet pea’s delicate blossoms hold profound meaning. Throughout history, they have represented lasting pleasure, gentleness, the bittersweetness of farewells, and the quiet development of inner strengths.
We find universal truths in this modest flower. By reflecting on its symbolism, may we better appreciate fleeting beauty, move through life gently, goodbye gracefully when needed, and cultivate blossoms unique to our own souls.
