🌻 Why the Sunflower

I’m not sure how many folks have heard of the dark night of the soul.

It’s something that’s talked about in the spiritual community — a profound moment that often propels a spiritual awakening. It’s where you’re confronted with deep truths, stripped down to your most vulnerable and invited to rebuild yourself from the inside out.

I experienced my own dark night of the soul back in November 2023.

{Psst...I made a video about this on my youtube channel here or feel free to keep reading.}

And let me tell you — it wasn’t one night. It was an entire week.I couldn’t leave the house. I couldn’t interact with anyone. I cried almost nonstop. Bewildered my poor roommate at the time.

To get myself through it, I went back to the basics.

I spent time with the elements.I was living in Aotearoa New Zealand then, late spring — not super warm yet — but I’d find a pocket of full sunshine on my deck, roll out my yoga mat and just lie there soaking up the sun’s rays.

Soaking up the sun’s life force.

I moved toward the sun, knowing it would help heal me and re-invigorate me with the life force I needed to birth this new version of myself.

Because that’s what the dark night of the soul is — it’s a rebirth.

So when it came time to find a symbol for Flourish, the six-month community of practice I created for healthcare and helping professionals to reduce burnout — to help us find our life force again — the sunflower came to me right away.

Sunflowers follow the sun. They know how to turn toward what sustains their radiance.

And that’s what I want for us in Flourish.

My greatest desire is for you to feel radiant again — to feel like you’re flowing, glowing and not stuck in the darkness.

So today, I want to leave you with this: Remember how the elements can hold us.

The sun, water, earth and wind — they’re here to support and nourish us, too.

And in turn, we get to be stewards for them.

🌻 Flourish begins February 18, 2026.

✨ Earlybird saves $444 until January 30.

Learn more and register here: https://www.emilygibsonconsulting.com/flourish

*This pic was NOT taken during the dark night of the soul. It was taken on a beautiful night for love when I got to (legally!) officiate a good friend's wedding this past Fall. The sun will always help us bloom again. 💛