People and Moth Orchids

Moth Orchids and Humans are very much alike.

I am a firm believer that there is much to learn about ourselves from observing and studying all the other living organisms around us. There is plenty of insight to be gleaned from observing outside of ourselves and then identifying the connecting points that unite us with other living beings. The Moth Orchid is just one example.

The Phalaenopsis or 'Moth Orchid' is the most common orchid due to its ease of production and the availability of blooming plants year-round. Like the moth orchid, we humans are all common. We are all humans who have some level of potential, potential that is often not fully realized. However, with the right care and initiative we can bloom gloriously and create uncommon or even rare blooms.

In Phalaenopsis, phenylpropanoid enzymes are enhanced in the process of plant acclimatization at different levels of photosynthetic photon flux. Human beings also have enhanced chemical outputs in our body when the process of acclimatization is active.

Acclimatization is the process in which an individual organism adjusts to a change in its environment, such as a change in altitude, temperature, humidity, photoperiod, or pH, allowing it to maintain performance across a range of environmental conditions. Acclimatization occurs in a short period of time, hours to weeks. People are designed to acclimate and adapt, our biology supports this, just like the Moth Orchid. Many of us have just been trained to not embrace and maximize these systems, but they are there to help us maintain performance, maintain joy, maintain peace, across a range of conditions and circumstances.

The Moth Orchid requires a certain amount of water. It could be without water for a small window but constant water would kill it. Just like with people, we know that showering in unmerited praise without any real filtration system will lead us to rot. We also know that we are able to sustain seasons of drought and readily drink when water is available. We don’t need constant praise; we need a certain amount to thrive.

The Moth Orchid requires a specific amount of light. Too much and it can be burned, too little and it will die. Just like with people, if we are just left out in the sun, held to a standard that maybe overwhelmingly hot, bathe constantly in a spotlight, or if we face something so bright unprepared, we may be burned. However, if we are held down, by ourselves or others, kept in darkness, away from the light, we start to die. Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, financially, and every way you can think of. There is a certain amount of light that we each need.

The Moth Orchid requires food, regularly in order to grow and continue thriving. If not properly fed the plant won’t display its absolute best. This point shares a strong correlation with humans. We already know, if you do not eat in a way that favors your optimal performance physically, then you can expect less than optimal results. If we don’t feed our minds or attempt to feed our whole being, we cannot continue to thrive. What we consume directly impacts what we produce or create.

The Moth Orchid utilizes its spikes as a pathway to bloom flowers. Sometimes those pathways need to be removed in order to produce more blooming flowers. Just like people, sometimes our old ways that served us, brought us good fruit, may not be the way going forward. In fact, they can become a hindrance and prevent new blooms, new fruit, new paths, new relationships, deep connection, true bliss, and an abundance of peace. They must be inspected and removed, the sooner this is acknowledged, the more resources you as an organism can delegate to growth and progress again.

If very healthy, a Moth Orchid may have up to ten or more leaves. They bloom in their full glory for several weeks. Then the blooms fall away, the seasons continue, and the cycle of life proceeds. Just like with people, we have seasons of growth, blooming seasons, wilting or withering seasons, then hidden unseen work seasons, that lead to growth, and repeat until expiration. The cycle of what we call life exists all around us and is part of our lives as well. We often try to prolong or hold onto cycles, sometimes the wrong cycles, and fight what we can not stop nor control and create our own suffering. We too can thrive with less suffering if we learn to accept and continue to flow.

I think humans are very similar to plants and in particular, Moth Orchids. However, if we did a better job of accepting some of these natural systems, maximizing them, we too might be able to better manifest more of the positive things that Orchids are recognized for.

Moth orchids are symbols of love, luxury, beauty, strength, grace, joy, happiness, boldness, fertility, and health. They embody these things and many of us seek these things. They turn the bad fungi around their roots into the good and produce beautiful blooms.

This is one of the reasons why Shift Training is represented by the Moth Orchid. Our goal is to help take the fungi around the roots of humanity and teach others how to turn it into useful nutrients. We want to positively impact your experience of life.