by Sue DeGregorio-Rosen, RN, CLNC, Contributing Editor
How did the beautiful poinsettia become what’s recognized today as the Christmas Flower – the curiosity began in my youth. The plant itself has a long history of medicinal use as most plants do. It was said that its milky white sap, called latex, could be used to reduce fever symptoms. The plant was so highly prized in Aztec culture that “Cuetlaxochitl,” as the plant was known, was also used to create red and purple dyes for clothing and textiles.
However, it wasn’t until the 17th century that the poinsettia, now an established decorative plant in Mexican tradition, began its journey into Christmas traditions. And so, I began my journey, first in the state of Florida, where during the holiday season, the plant grew beautifully, and then by sheer coincidence, I was off to Mexico.
Part of the journey began in the small town of Taxco de Alarcon, Mexico where Franciscan monks began using the shrub in their Nativity processions. Coincidentally, it is also around this time that the Mexican legend of Pepita and the “Flowers of the Holy Night” began. As I wandered through the streets and churches of this enchanting place, I stopped to get something warm to drink in a neighborhood that I had visited with a friend, a male friend who shared the same curiosity as me about plants and plant medicine.
Taxco is primarily known for its fine silver handwork and other crafts, being recognized as the outstanding center for silverwork in thew Western Hemisphere, the ancienrt craft was reviewed there in the1930s by a U.S. resident William Spratling.
And so we were off on our excursion to discover the wealth and beauty of this community. It was fun traveling with my friend, he was kind and smart and I so loved him as a traveling companion. He always shared and offered me a shift in consciousness that takes one away from the pleasure-pain cycle and shifts one into the flow of bliss. Aaron, that was his name, taught me tht the whole secret to life is that bliss feels better than pleasure and that the greatest feelings occur when the pain of life is gone entirely.
And so we ventured into the mysteries of plant medicine. We met this woman as we walked through the town who told us about the Mexican legend behind the poinsettia. She said there was a girl who could only offer weeds as a gift on Christmas Eve, so she picked the weeds she saw growing in her yard and brought them to church. The weeds blossomed into beautiful red plants that we know as poinsettias, and in Mexico they are known as “the flowers of the holy night”. We were both mesmerized by her story. She offered us some warm chocolate drinks at her home and we were happy to accept this lovely invite.
As we entered her home, cozy and warm, she asked us to remove our shoes and brought us to her sofa without drinks. We listened to her tales of Christmas past and cuddled into the blanket she had provided to snuggle in.
The drink she had provided began to make me feel relaxed, I noticed the same effect on Aaron. Our friend, Maritza, was a lovely hostess and brought us another one of her special chocolate and joined us. making herself comfortable beneath the same cover she had provided us with. I felt a calmness that I had not experienced before…. a blissfulness…. Aaron shared the same feeling.
We listened to more of her stories, she had such a way of making one feel safe. I had a feeling of contentedness as she snuggled closer to me and laid her head on my shoulder. It all felt good……as she stroked my hair and stroked my leg with other hand. I was beginning t feel a stirring inside of me, one that can only be brought on by this kind of tenderness. Aaron moved in closer to us, I could feel his hand gently touch my breast. Maritza gently kissed my neck, as Aaron began to find my nipple, circling his thumb, and I moved closer to allow him to continue. He unbuttoned my blouse and exposed both my breasts for his pleasure, as our friend found her way between my legs removing my panties to allow her to stimulate me. Her touch was electrifying, I felt my vagina on fire, begging for more, as they both continued touching me, kissing me. I could feel Aaron’s hardness exposed as Maritza began stroking him. She took my hand and placed it on his pulsing organ………she whispered to us both ” let me watch you make love”.
” But wait’ she said.
As we moved down into position, naked, wet, and wanting, she brought us some flowers, the red poinsettias’ and placed them nearby, Aaron stood up, removed her dress, and let it drop to the floor. Her naked body was as beautiful as anything natural, and I told her just that as I admired her sultry smile.
“And now” she said “We will experience the flowers of the holy night, the eroticism of nature…….my loves” as they both took me to that place of bliss that only nature can provide, and I held those poinsettias close to my heart.
