Faith
Longevity
Healing
Nourishment
Focus
Good Luck
Magic
Worship
Flexibility
Spiritual knowing
Vitality
Life
Warmth
Provision
Pleasure
Light
The sunflower moves itself in the most direct position in front of the sun so it can get the maximum sun rays. This is symbolic of spiritual faith, and worship because we follow our belief system as the sunflower moves to face the life-giving rays of the sun.
The sunflower is the Greek symbol of Clytie (a water nymph) who turns into a sunflower after grieving over the loss of her love (Apollo). The mythological symbolism here is that Clytie (in the form of a sunflower) is always facing the sun, looking for Apollo's chariot to return and she might be joined again with her love. The sunflower is also a symbol of Daphne (another Greek nymph).
In Chinese symbolism, the sunflower (and sunflower meaning) deals with long life, good luck and is considered very auspicious. It's yellow color signifies vitality and intelligence. It's a symbol of happiness too.
In esoteric Christianity, the sunflower is a symbol of God's love. The sunflower as a symbol can also represent the unwavering faith that guides the soul to the highest spiritual attunement.
Years ago, I was an active member of a local Spiritualist church. I mention this because their insignia was the sunflower. When I asked the church president about it, she informed me the sunflower was a perfect symbol for the faith because the blossom (bright and bountiful) is always seeking out the light. Symbolically, this is spiritually akin to the heart/soul of humankind always seeking and attaining unity with the light of faith and keeping a connection with the Source/God/Goddess of one's own understanding.
In Native American symbolism, the sunflower is used in late summer festivals as a symbol of bounty, harvest and provision. It is a symbol of the sun, and thus likened to the life-giving force of the Great Spirit. The color of the sunflower was noted for its vitality and symbolic of energy as well as fertility.
Speaking of sunflower color...I often interpret color symbolism according to the chakras. As a yellow flower, the sunflower can be compared to the solar-plexus chakra (Manipura). This chakra (and its color) governs intellect, and is a central force of perception as well as self-awareness and personal evolution. I mentioned being a member of the Spiritualist church in my area...well...the church had a course on automatic writing, which is a method of communicating with those who have passed into non-physical by writing messages in a state of heightened consciousness. I always find it fascinating that the instructor of the course insisted we all use yellow sheets of paper in this exercise. She pointed out that the color yellow is a mind-expanding, and spiritually broadening color. Keep this in mind while you connect with the sunflower.
We could also incorporate the color orange in symbolic sunflower meanings. Referring back to the chakra system, orange is associated with the sacral chakra (Swadhisthana), and is linked with areas of creativity, expansion, fertility, reproduction (of all types). Orange is also a powerful color to use in aspects of self-acceptance, and a great tool to auger self-confidence. Perhaps the sunflower might be a useful symbol in meditation as a means for bolstering security and confidence. Check out my page on chakra color meanings for more information on this aspect of symbolism.
Actually, the symbolism of water comes into play with sunflower meaning too. According to Ted Andrews in his book Nature-Speak (see link below to purchase this awesome book), water builds up in the cells of the shady side of the sunflower's stem and pressure forces the blossoming head in a steady arc toward the direction of light. Water carries powerful symbolism of force, emotion, cleansing and purification.
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