Victorian Flower Oracle: Honeysuckle

.traveller.

Honeysuckle
Games

Image: A beautiful Honeysuckle woman in a fabulous hat plays with a goat. It looks like she's trying to get it to walk up the stairs. She hangs onto the ornate railing with one hand.

I think of many things when I see this card, but mostly a flirtatious playfulness. Honeysuckle always comes back and her nectar is sweet.
 

Sophie

Another favourite card! Very rococo in look and feel - reminds me of Versailles' Bergerie and the games of Marie-Antoinette.

I have strong childhood associations with honeysuckle - we had hedges and hedges of it all around the garden. The smell was too delicious for words. To this day, when I smell that scent, I am transported back to that happy, sheltered time in my life.

Joyous, spring and summer, fun, games - yes, all that. And charm - that's possibly the strongest quality I see in this card.

The goat might nibble at the honeysuckle, but she is so generous that she will keep on spreading herself regardless.

BTW - when I look at this card, I inevitably smell a funny, rather odd, clash of scents - between the goat (ho hum - gives another meaning to "games" - as in "gamey!") and the honeysuckle (gorgeous and balmy).
 

.traveller.

I saw a photograph, in the last National Geographic magazine that came in, that had goats in it. They were in a TREE, perfectly balanced on individual branches.

Which led me to the thought, Honeysuckle is encouraging something that needs no encouragement to climb higher. They are well matched in a strange way, a rampant vine meets voracious eater. The goat keeps the vine in check, and the vine in turn...feeds the goat.

I have often thought of the phrase "getting someone's goat" when I see this card.

...and I want a hat like Ms. Honeysuckle's.
 

Sophie

You're right! I saw goats in trees in Africa. And up here, in our mountains, the goats reach up to the most vertiginous places to nibble a bit futher.

Honeysuckle and goat are both climbers... I like that thought :)
 

Barbaras Ahajusts

The goat is Aries & Honeysuckle is most desirable!;) I got to digging up the astrolical stuffens on these two!

Honeysuckle is Mercury & is ruled by Virgo, or visa versa. :laugh:
She is how we communicate.
(She teases with her vine to that Aries goat...so like her to let him know what she wants and how she will give it!);)
Now that goat is Aries & is ruled by Mars. Those stinker Aries can act on a dime if tempted. They love the challenge of danger. Maybe more of that sweet smelling Virgo Honeysuckle! (Mars wants to know why he wants what he wants as he is wanting it!)})

They make for a great team. But I think this team would be better off if the Virgo wasn't to controlling over her goat lover. They love to have their head. (Most likely up the Honeysuckles skirts!)})

Since the Virgo loves to have things a certain way at a certain times, her games could very well drive many up a tree, she could drive off solid leads. But if she plays this one right, she could land exactly what she wants. Especially if she wants that Mars actions with the Aries Goat!

Maybe some serious loven with that doubled handled urn on the pedestal in the background. The emotions bated the goat, & she leads him to a stairway that could lead to complete satisfaction! Or at least her satisfaction! :laugh:
This beautiful honeysuckle attracts so many with her bounty.

Play this right and you could have what you desire. Play it nasty & it could be a one night stand! ;)

Ok, I felt like rambling this morning! :D


Barbara
 

ana luisa

This card leaves me puzzled. I have a hard time figuring out who is the smartest of the two. The lady is clearly a teaser, luring the goat upstairs. However, goats are pretty smart animals. It may pretend it does not know what's going on but it it, ultimately, to his advantage. Besides, goats are not fastidious about what they eat, so they may not be very picky about their choices. An older woman 'playing" with a younger bright man. Saucy!!

On the flower itself:
"Many of the species have sweetly-scented, bell-shaped flowers that produce a sweet, edible nectar. Breaking of the Honeysuckle's stem will release this powerful sweet odor. The fruit is a red, blue or black berry containing several seeds; in most species the berries are mildly poisonous, but a few (notably Lonicera caerulea) have edible berries."

Again, temptation (sweet nectar) with a bit of danger (poison) attached to it.
 

Rosalee

I LOOOOOVE the VFO!

The pictures are eloquent, but they speak on other levels as well. Ana Luisa mentions the flower itself. There are lots of meanings for Honeysuckle in Victorian flower language besides the keywords on the cards, so one of those might apply. Here's a bit on how it might be used in contemporary aromatherapy: link.

You can make a huge study out of all this, or you can just let all the meanings collapse into each other and say that honeysuckle is playful, childlike, healing...the picture expresses it perfectly.