Rebecca Campbell: “The rose is the mystical queen”

Dig deep into the soul of Mother Rose, with creator of The Rose Oracle Rebecca Campbell

The rose is a symbol of the Goddesses of old and She holds potent medicine for these times. The rose is an ancient flower with roots far deeper than those of humanity – they reach back more than 35 million years, with the fossilised remains of rose leaves and petals having been found in Asia, Europe and North America.  

The rose is the mystical queen of all flowers. From Ishtar to Isis, Aphrodite to Venus, Inanna to Mother Mary, the further back we trace the rose’s thread, the more often we see this flower appearing as a symbol of Goddesses in many of the world’s traditions. And often these Goddesses bear a striking resemblance to one another. Some were worshipped in secret and others were absorbed and renamed. 

How did you discover the magic of the rose?

The rose first came to me in a way that I consciously understood in 2010, during a time of deep change and a dark night of the soul. Before long I’d found my way to Queen Mary’s Rose Garden in London’s Regent’s Park and that’s when the rose really began to do Her work. The rose garden there contains the city’s largest collection of roses, with 85 varieties and approximately 12,000 blooms. I found that when I was near the roses, I could hear the ‘whispers’ of my inner voice, my soul, so much more clearly. The more time I spent with the roses the more connected with my body and soul I became and the more connected and attuned with my own true nature I felt. 

Soon, poetry and writing came flooding through me, and I found myself writing my first book. I remember the moment I finished the final chapter – I was sitting on a park bench under a canopy of roses. I looked around the garden and began to cry, realising that I’d written the entire book there with the roses. They were my gateway to planting myself more fully here, and at the same time it was as if a whole other world had opened up, like the sacred had woven the two worlds (of soul and heaven, and the physical Earth, my body) back together. 

I believe that the roses have wisdom and messages for many of us, and that beauty is a gateway to the soul, and so by connecting with the beauty of the rose it invites our soul to step forward and helps us to live a soul-led life. 

How has your whole life changed since working with Mother Rose?

We are cyclic beings living in an ever-changing world. So much of our society is built on trying to be in full bloom all year round, but that is not sustainable and that way of living is causing so many problems. With the rose as my guide I have learned to trust my cyclic nature and seasons within my life. The rose knows that it needs to burst through the constraints of the bud in order to one day bloom. It also knows that it must release its petals to the wind in order to have a second bloom.  

“When I was near the roses I could hear the ‘whispers’ of my soul more clearly”

What are your core practices?

The biggest shift in my life happened when I committed to showing up to a regular spiritual practice in a non-negotiable way. Prior to that I was a dabbler and so when my life was working I showed up to my practice, but when things got rocky my practice was the first to slide. So consistency really is the key. The more you show up, the more held by life you will feel, and the deeper your connection will get with your soul and your intuition.  

Meditation is my go-to practice. I do this for 10 minutes each day without fail. Other practices I enjoy are chanting, soul inquiry, earth pulsing and intuitive nature walking. I particularly love nature-based practices as they make me feel grounded and connect me to the Goddess that is all around us.

What shifts do you feel happening?

If you look up the word ‘nature’ in a dictionary, you’ll see that one definition is: ‘All the plants, animals, and physical features on the Earth, as well as its forces and processes’. You’ll also see that this definition doesn’t just omit humans, it specifically states that we’re not part of nature. That we’re separate from it. Is it any wonder then that so many of us feel so disconnected? And that humanity has caused so much harm to this planet rather than seeing ourselves as an extension of it?  

I believe that this is the real separation that so many of us feel, from the Earth itself and thus from ourselves and each other. I believe that humanity’s separation from the Earth as our Mother – from Her seasons, cyclic ways, and ever-changing state – has caused so many of the problems that we face on this planet today.

I believe that now more than ever we need to see the sacred in all things. To notice the breathtaking beauty that’s all around us. To see the sacred in the trees, the flowers, the plants and the stones as well as within ourselves and each other. To weave the soul back into our everyday lives. And I believe that the rose is a powerful gateway to doing so.

My newest card deck, The Rose Oracle, and my other creations are invitations to see the sacred all around us. Not just in the heavens but in the plants, the flowers and the stones too. 

What projects are you working on now?

I’ve been really busy lately working on The Inner Temple Mystery School, which is a course for mystics to attune to the wisdom of nature. Enrolment opens this summer, you can register here, rebeccacampbell.
me/mysteryschool.

I’m also leading seven days of free guided spiritual practice called ‘Discover Your Spiritual Practice’. It kicks off on 21st June. We will be exploring seven different types of spiritual practice over that week and showing up with consistency. I’ll be sharing my seven favourite practices, including the Pulse of Life Meditation, a chant to the Great Mother, Oracle Card Readings, the Rose, Bud, Seed, Thorn Process, Soul Inquiry, Intuitive Nature Walking and Earth Pulsing! Find out more at rebeccacampbell.me/practice.

I also have a podcast called Returning with Rebecca Campbell that you can listen to at rebeccacampbell.me/podcast. And I’m on Instagram @rebeccacampbell_author and Facebook @rebeccacampbellauthor.

What’s your fave affirmation?

I surrender to my ever-changing true nature.  

Rebecca Campbell is a writer, poet, mystic, artist, ritualist and mother. She is the Creator of The Rose Oracle (£18.99, Hay House) amazon.co.uk. Visit rebeccacampbell.me and follow her on Instagram @rebeccacampbell_author and Facebook @rebeccacampbellauthor