Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata)


"What we called love down there 
was mostly the craving to be loved. 
In the main, I loved you for my own sake, 
because I needed you."
 
"And now! You need me no more?"

"But of course not!" said the Lady; 
and her smile made me wonder 
how both the phantoms could refrain 
from crying out with joy.

"What needs could I have now that I have all?
I am full now, not empty
I am in Love Himself, not lonely, not weak. 
You shall be the same. 
Come and see. We shall have no need for one another 
now we can begin to love truly."

The Great Divorce, by C.S. Lewis



The floral structure of the Passionflower was seen to symbolize the crucifixion. The three spreading styles atop the stigma were thought to represent the three nails by which Christ was attached to the cross.

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