If you have ever admired the trumpet-shaped flowers that unfurl with the sunrise, you may have wondered what deeper meaning lies behind these cheerful blooms. Morning glories have long been associated with spirituality across cultures and faiths.
Their connections to the dawn hint at undertones of rebirth, awakening, and new beginnings.
If you’re short on time, here’s the essence of the morning glory’s spiritual symbolism: Morning glories represent spiritual awakening, rebirth, enlightenment, and overcoming obstacles through continued perseverance much like their hardy vines.
Symbolic Ties to the Dawn and Sunrise
Awakening and Rebirth
Morning glories have long been associated with the awakening and rebirth that comes with each new dawn. As their delicate flowers open with the first light of day, they seem to embody the essence of awakening from sleep or darkness.
This has led to rich symbolic ties between morning glories and the ideas of illumination, enlightenment, and overcoming obstacles on the path ahead.
In many cultures, the dawn is seen as a time of renewal, as the light returns to begin a new day brimming with promise. Like the emerging sun rays that nourish morning glory flowers at sunrise, many societies use the morning glory as a sign of the enlightenment and vitality that comes with a fresh start.
Their transient blooms serve as a reminder of how each sunrise can inspire clarity, creativity, and the courage to grow.
Enlightenment and Insight
True to their name, morning glories are strongly linked with the sunrise glow that engulfs the earth as dreams fade to conscious thought each day. This has connected them to ideas of revelation, openness, and enhanced perspective.
In fact, some religions use morning glories to represent the profound self-awareness that comes with spiritual enlightenment.
For instance, in Buddhist symbolism, the morning glory embodies the struggle to overcome illusion on the winding path to enlightenment. The flower’s slender vines are thought to represent the challenges faced by the soul as it works toward transcendence, while the trumpet-shaped blooms symbolize breaking through to new realities illuminated by the light of awareness, truth, and understanding.
Overcoming Obstacles
While often seen as delicate, morning glories are adaptable plants that can thrive despite difficult conditions. These plants readily travel climb trellises, fences, arbors, and more to reach the light.
Their ability to overcome obstacles connects them to ideas of ambition, persistence, transformation, and ultimately victory.
In ancient Aztec belief, morning glories held a prominent place. The Aztecs saw them as representations of willpower and strength – attributes they associated with warriors. Accordingly, depictions of important Aztec gods or leaders sometimes included morning glory motifs to signify the journey to personal triumph with the rising of each new sun.
No matter the culture, morning glories retain symbolic ties to the emergence of light over shadow, clarity over confusion, and purposefulness over idleness – all notions linked intrinsically to the start of a new day.
Like the sunrise itself, they seem to instill natural wonder and inspiration that stirs creativity, productivity, and dreams of what lies ahead.
Morning Glory Symbolism in Various Faiths and Cultures
Hinduism and Buddhism
In Hinduism and Buddhism, the morning glory flower is seen as a symbol of the impermanence of life. The flower blooms in the morning but wilts by the afternoon, reminding us that all life is transient.
According to Hindu teachings, getting too attached to temporary things causes suffering, so we must learn to appreciate the beauty of the morning glory while understanding its fleeting nature.
Chinese and Japanese Culture
Morning glories have rich symbolic meaning in Chinese and Japanese art and poetry. In China, they represent love, affection, and mortality. In Japanese hanakotoba, or flower language, the morning glory represents unrequited love and longing, but also cheerfulness and positivity due to the flowers opening to greet each new day.*
An ancient Japanese legend says that if two people make a wish while looking into a morning glory at the same time, their wishes will come true. This reflects the morning glory’s association with longing and desire.
Ancient Aztec Beliefs
The Aztecs viewed morning glories as sacred. The unfolding blue petals symbolized the opening of the gates from the earthly realm to the heavenly paradise. They believed the flowers had the power to cure diseases, protect warriors in battle, and predict the weather.**
Christianity
Though less common, some Christians have used morning glories to represent spiritual awakening and renewal. Just as the flowers open with the dawn of each new day, some see them as reminding us of God’s power to bring new beginnings into our lives.
The impermanence of morning glories can also reflect humility – “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field” (1 Peter 1:24). Their beauty is a gift from God rather than our own doing.
Lessons from the Morning Glory’s Growth Habits
Continued Perseverance
Morning glories exemplify perseverance and determination. Though their vines are delicate, morning glories continue reaching, climbing, and growing day after day (Gardening Know How). Like the morning glory, we must nurture our dreams and goals daily, not giving up when obstacles arise.
With committed care and nourishment, our endeavors will blossom in time.
The morning glory’s perseverance also reminds us that great things often have humble beginnings. Morning glory vines begin as a small seed and tender sprout. Yet with consistent care, they grow into an abundant and beautiful plant.
Similarly, when we nurture our talents and relationships, we will be amazed at how they flourish over time.
Humility and Accepting Support from Others
Morning glories demonstrate the spiritual value of humility and interdependence. On their own, morning glory vines spread chaotically along the ground. But given a trellis, their growth takes shape upwards (Garden Design).
This reflects how we all need guidance and support from others to channel our gifts. By embracing humility and community, we create order out of disorder and harmony out of chaos.
Morning glories also reminder us to lend support to others in areas where we are strong. For example, while the trellis gives the vine structure to climb, the vibrant vine gives beauty and life to the plain trellis.
We all have unique gifts and abilities to contribute. But it is only by uniting together in humility and service that our highest potential is achieved.
Embracing Each New Day
Gardeners know morning glories for opening wide with each new sunrise. Their zest for mornings inspires us to also embrace each new day with optimism and joy. Seeing the dawning light as an opportunity for growth sets a positive tone for all that is ahead of us.
Additionally, morning glories close up at night and regroup with the refreshment of rest. By following their rhythm, we are reminded not to run ourselves into the ground or burn the candle at both ends.
With proper cycles of effort and rejuvenation, we can pour ourselves generously into meaningful pursuits.
Conclusion
If you have ever taken a moment to appreciate a morning glory vine winding its way up a fence or trellis, you have witnessed firsthand the unique magic these flowers hold. Beyond their cheerful flowers and heart-shaped leaves lie deeper symbolism tied to spiritual awakening, enlightenment, rebirth, and the resilience to overcome obstacles.
Much like the morning glory blooms with the promise of each new dawn, we have the opportunity every day to grow, learn, and transform into our highest potential. By embracing the spiritual lessons encoded within these hardy vines, we open ourselves to living life fully awake.
