Come Into Flower

I have a patch of chives that return year after year in a circular garden out by my driveway.  They are one of the first plants to reappear.  Green tubular stalks in a mass of dirt and dead leaves.  I do nothing to promote their health and growth and yet here they are beginning to bloom once again.  It's the purple bloom that catches my eye, waving in the morning breeze.  Tiny star-shaped flowers mass together in a fabulous group called an inflorescence.  In Latin, "come into flower."  Apparently in ancient times chives were called "rush leeks" and used to ward off evil.  In Soul & Spirit magazine, the Celtic Wiccan high priestess Silja directs the reader to bundle a bunch of chives and tie it with a black ribbon.  She advises, hang "near the front door to ward off evil spirits and negative people." Never taken the recommendation of a Wiccan but who knows?  Records indicate the Chinese used chives 5,000 years ago and Romanian gypsies reportedly used chives for fortune telling.  They'd throw the blades in the air while thinking of a question and then interpret they way the leaves fell on the ground.  I'm going to snip a bunch of chive leaves, think about why in a world full of so much potential and beauty there so many are idiots and so much lost time while I fling them into the air and then interpret that tangled chive pile mess on my lawn.  The unanswerable questions.  Chives are botanical relatives of the onion and shallot, garlic family, and way more medicinal that I ever took note of.  The hollow leaves reduce bad cholesterol and regulate the good.  I should add that to my morning oatmeal.  They contain potassium which promotes circulatory health and the leaves contain antioxidants which promote vision health.  Chives contain anti-carcinogenic compounds so help prevent cancer and they help prevent calcium secretion so are good for my aging bones.  Surprisingly the list goes on.  Chives enhance digestion, improve sleep and support your immune system.  Google tells me that while mint symbolizes virtue, warmth and protection, and basil good wishes, chives symbolize everlasting eternity and long life, harmony, balance and abundance.  Warding off evil and promotion balance.  I will never look at this chive plant the same again.  My new favorite plant.   And my new favorite word ~ inflorescence!