Cactus — The Evil Plant
What to do when you are stuck with a Christmas Cactus?
Best Christmas Gift ever!…
…or is it?
I had this splendid idea of gifting my friend a Christmas Cactus for inviting me to her Christmas/New Year house party. I wanted to order it a couple weeks before the actual party, thinking she could watch the beautiful pink flowers bloom. She loves plants and I thought, what a better gift to celebrate the beginning of an amazing new year with a full bloom.
Where I went wrong…
Superstitions, superstitions, superstitions…
Turns out, I was wrong. She loved the plant and the thought behind, but her mom could not have the plant in the house. She tried her best to explain to me why but it obviously sounded a bit superstitious. I decided to do my own research.
Was I wrong?…
Cactus as bad luck…
According to spiritual beliefs like Vastu and Feng Shui, the cactus is believed to bring negative energy to the house, because of its prickly looks. In fact, all plants with thorns (all except roses) are somewhat deemed to be not good for your house, expected to bring back luck to all areas of your life.
So, are cacti just bad plants?…
What’s the real meaning behind?…
Sounds scary, doesn’t it? Well, not to me. I believe that as humans, we sometimes look too hard into finding meanings in life so that we end up making our own meanings. When we think negatively, we often actually invite negative into our lives. The opposite is true when we think positive. I mean if the cactus was so bad, how come it is part of the Mexican flag, am I right?
Aztecs’ beloved plant…
Prickly pear cactus, called nopal, as part of their daily diet
Cactus have always been part of the Aztec culture, originating in parts of North America but also in parts of Southwestern United States. Aztecs used this plant for medicinal purposes, to make juice which was then used to treat burns. They also drank the juice to treat hepatitis. In addition to this, they had prickly pear cactus, called nopal, as part of their daily diet along with fruits and veggies. I think Aztecs embraced this plant because it was one of the main food sources in their environment. They grew up with it and found it in their backyards.
What about the East?…
What about it?…
The same could not be said in the Eastern parts of the word, such as India or China. This plant would have been deemed strange and not as friendly, at first sight, and seemed to be judged rather harshly. Since superstitions have a long history in different cultures, it would make sense why this plant did not make the impression it was expected to make due to limited exposure to it.
Are cacti just strange plants?…
Cacti are very similar to humans in every shape or form
I personally think the cacti are very similar to humans in every shape or form. They come in a variety of colors and textures, they are rejected by some due to their strange or unique appearance and they are extremely adaptable in the harshest of conditions. They are great house plants because they can live for many years and they need very minimal maintenance. They perform well in average home conditions. They can go without water for days and adapt to low light conditions as they don’t like direct sunlight. They prefer 12–14 hours of darkness and surprisingly do photosynthesis too, except only at night! In the wild, they can last for 100 years. In a domestic environment, they are expected to live anywhere between 15–20 years.
Conclusion
“What a right time to start a lovely plant family, with the most low maintenance plant I could find, with the minimal chance of killing it”.
I decided to keep the plant since my friend could not have it. I thought to myself, “What a right time to start a lovely plant family, with the most low maintenance plant I could find, with the minimal chance of killing it”. When it comes to the meaning, some say the cacti represent loyalty since they are long lasting plants or motherly love since they thrive through any hardship. Despite the critics and what everyone thinks, I think they make lovely house companions :-)
