The cactus is not a plant that it’s a good idea to offend, so we’ve decided to dedicate not one, but two articles to its endless awesomeness! In part one, we talked about the legends behind its origins, and how it got its spines and blossoms; we also talked about how it can protect your home from negativity — today, let’s delve deeper into the subject of uncanny mystical powers of the cactus. Scientists, steer clear.
Magic properties of the cactus
If you want to find your daughter a husband, rid your house of all cacti!
A folk wisdom
A sponge for bad vibes
It is said that cacti are very particular and require a double dose of care and reverence; some people actually believe that they can accumulate negative information and conserve it within themselves for a long time. So, on the one hand, they are supposed to rid us of this darkness; on the other, by doing so, they may attract similar energy, with us getting in the way.
By that logic, if there is any anger, irritation, resentment, and even hatred in the air, the cactus can use the situation to shake off its own bad vibes by letting them out and thus making things worse. Some say that this accumulated dark energy can be disposed with if you rinse the cactus under running water; another approach is replanting it (it is actually advised to replant cacti once a year regardless of whether you believe in this stuff or not).
This ability that cacti, such as opuntias, have of absorbing flashes of negative energy supposedly makes them a perfect plant for angry and quick-tempered people. The jury is out, though, on whether the cactus absorbs only bad vibes: some believers in mysticism claim that it can actually concentrate any kind of energy, including the positive one, and that a cactus that has been exposed to good energy is indeed capable of accelerating recovery of an ailing body part, if put directly next to it. So everything depends on how we see it and how we use it, apparently, like most things in life.
Tolerance and clairvoyance (with a side dish of drowsiness and homelessness)
Two of the four elements, fire and water, are supposed to be mutually destructive, but they seem to cohabitate in the cactus perfectly. This way, the green hedgehog-like plant can be seen as the epitomy of tolerance, capable of promoting large-heartedness towards things that rub them the wrong way in their keepers, too! With a cactus in the house, it may become easier for its owners to be more accepting to each other’s shortfalls.
If plants in general can be said to have a personality, the cactus is believed to have a volatile one: it often has a change of heart and radiates the feeling of imbalance. People interested in the mystical claim that if you make friends with a cactus, it can guard you against all sorts of troubles and even help you develop some psychic abilities, such as clairvoyance, clairaudience, and a way to see the invisible world of the supernatural. Neat, huh?
But be warned: if a cactus ends up disliking the owners for any reason, it can supposedly attempt to drive them out of their home; should a cactus experience starvation due to negligence, it is going to get its nourishment at the expense of others, who may start to feel weak or drowsy for no apparent reason.
Key takeaway: whether you consider all of the above gospel or quackery, if you get a cactus, be sure to care for it!
Off the deep end: cure-all, love potions, feng shui, and astrology
A curious fact: dogs of most breeds actively dislike cacti, something that has long been known and was even taken advantage of by the first settlers of the Wild West, who would plant thickets of cacti around their settlements, thus protecting themselves from coyote attacks.
The tradition went on, and since then, people grew cacti in their gardens as protection against unsolicited guests; it also gave birth to a curious superstition: a belief that a cactus in a bedroom would serve as a spiny guard that keeps the virtue of a woman intact. That is why it was considered a good idea for young women who wanted to get married to get rid of all the cacti in the house.
Early settlers of the Crimean peninsula found a use for the cactus that was more blood-pumping — literally: they produced a tincture out of opuntias that was said to help with making love, effectively functioning as a male potency drug. Men who consumed cacti even enjoyed great authority with the ladies!
In the East, a cactus-based drink was used as a remedy against pain and fever, but that’s not all: it was believed that the miracle drug could help calm the nerves, detoxify the body, invigorate the spleen, and even reduce tumors! The cactus was used to treat asthma, dysentery, and stomach pains, and ash made from burning the cactus was applied to pig and snake bites.
Chinese mystics believed that the cactus stimulates circulation of blood and qi energy. Feng-shui, on the other hand, discourages having cacti in the house: their needles are supposed to disrupt the energy flow.
Astrologers deem the cactus a perfect plant for Scorpios, for it is just as loyal and full of contradictions. Capricorns are supposed to live in harmony with cacti, as well, as they help them concentrate energy and stave off diseases; Aries should benefit from their protective power, too. Cacti also tend to communicate well with Libras, Pisces, Virgos, and Geminis, while Sagittarii and Leos would not be well-advised to keep a cactus at home.
Now, to move beyond words:
- Our catalog of plants for international delivery will help furnish your faraway lover’s or remote friends’ homes with either a noble evergreen bodyguard, a faithful companion, or a thing of beauty in a pot.
- To learn more about the legendary origins of the cactus, read part one of this article.
- Stay tuned, and be sure to share flowers both on social media and in real life!
Born in Nalchik in 1966, graduated with a major in English Lit, and working as a school teacher since 1990. My interests are diverse: music, good literature, and computer technology at the user level. I like to try new things, and I bring what I started to its logical conclusion. Oh! And I do love my pets! I’m already 54 and I still believe in miracles and hobbits with elves and Gandalf. I myself am a bit of an adventuress like a hobbit, and I love mushrooms, too, like they do.