Nursery Rhymes for Adult Spiritual Enrichment

Ring Around the Roses

Ring a ring of roses

A pocket full of posies

Atishoo Atishoo

We all fall Down

A startling fact about this nursery rhyme is that the historical reference and implications of "Ring a Ring of Roses" was not publicized until 1951, after World War 2. During World War 2, Hitler was rounding up Jewish people and slaughtering them. From here, let's mention the historical background of this nursery rhyme that was hidden for so long. Experts in nursery rhymes say that "Ring a Ring of Roses" refers to the Black Death or otherwise known as the Great Plague. The sneezing, "A-tishoo," the fatality, "we all fall down", along with the rosy rash were charactersistic of the symptoms of the plague. During this Black Death, people would carry pocket fulls of posies to ward off the smell of the disease. Sneezing and coughing was a final symptom, and "all fall down" was exactly what happened. In other versions, "Ashes to ashes," is used instead of "Atishoo Atishoo." Ashes is a reference to the creamation of the bodies, or the burning of the victims' houses, and the blackening of their skin. Even within this horrid historical reference there is important spiritual insight to increase our fruitfulness. We know how desolate Hitler was relating to the spiritual fruit. His intentions were clear, to round up the Jewish people to slaughter them so that he could claim an elite culture and world domination. Metaphorically, the Jewish people were the roses and Hitler's Nazis were those surrounding the roses as the Nazis held "posies" in their pockets. The "posies" of the Nazis were to keep the stench of their black death off of them. However, they all fall down in that spiritual plague, the Jewish culture right along with Hitler's "master race." Even then, the Jewish roses are given a rebirth to continue on from generation to generation, but the Nazis will never walk this earth in the way they did at WWII. In this light, as we flower as roses with spiritual fruitfulness of love, peace, faith, and perseverance we can expect people to have ill-intent towards goodness. So be it, because the universal deity of yesterday is the same today and will be tomorrow. History proves over and over again that eternity is on the side of the "sheep" and "roses", and is unfavorable to those carrying the posies and leading the sheep to slaughter.

The attitude we have about the spiritual fruit living in us determines how we relate to other people in the external world. A Rose in this spiritual essay, based on "Ring a Ring of Roses," represents those people who flourish with inner love, peace, faith, and they persevere. Their reverent attitude about the fruitful qualities is a way of life in their day to day qualities. In contrast, a pocket full of Posies represent those people who are quite desolate of the fruit of the spirit. Their irreverent attitude towards the goodness of the spirit utilizes fruitful qualities like putting on deodorant to cover up their inhumane stink. The stench they attempt to cover up is from their hateful, cruel, and malicious intent towards those possessing a spirit of love, kindness, and goodwill. Even so, it always happens that the deodorant eventually wears off in their degenerate ways, even though a soft and tender spirit endures to light the way for future generations. The sweet fragrance of tranquility is deeply rooted in those honoring the divine presence of the soul, but those utilizing cologne to cover up their harsh and aggressive violence towards humanity is surface deep. The degenerate acts of atrocities are short lived as they never do endure, but in the spirit of peace, meekness, and gentleness there is eternal progression for the times to come. In the serene spirit of the "Rose" is faith in the 5th Element that transcends human circumstances, an unexplainable joy in the most horrific situations, and an ever present goodness that permeates the spirit. That is obvious when considering that within the horrific history of nursery rhymes there is a joy and uplifting rhyme. Those who erroneously believe fruitful qualities are to cover the smell of their inhumane attitude towards the spiritual "Roses" are filled with evilness, pessimism, and hopelessness. Their despair is well-founded since their inhumanities never secures for them an enduring presence, but the hope of those who cherish the fruit of the spirit continue on. Through patience in difficulties, self-control during disparagement, and perseverance when fatalities are rampant we will always be a part of the eternal seed. Those who carry "Posies" to cover up the stench of their black death will never endure because they are fiendishly impatient with the eternal qualities of the spiritual fruit. They are out of control in their atrocities towards the "Roses," and they are filled with terminal attitudes to prohibit life through the eternal spirit. In essence, the eternal spirit flows from our inner life through the spiritual fruit to give continuance of life to humanity. We are more than just Posies in someone's pocket, but are essential for generations to come.