Purple the sign of glory and joy
Some might rely on shop windows and advertising campaigns to know Christmas is approaching, but all Perth Anglican Archbishop Roger Herft needs to do is look up.
On Mount Street in West Perth, where he has lived for the past eight years, the riot of colour in the blossoming purple jacarandas signals Christmas and all its glory is fast upon us.
"I suppose for me the colour of the jacaranda is the colour of advent," he said.
"It is the season leading up to Christmas, the season of expectant waiting and I'm just amazed at the riot of colour that comes out."
The flowers offer an important lesson in life for the Perth Anglican Archbishop.
"Whether we admire them or accept them or recognise them, they just come and offer an exotic gift and say, we are beautiful whether you recognise us or accept us, this is who we are and I often think human life should be like that," Archbishop Herft said.
"We don't live essentially by public opinion, we are of intrinsic worth or value and beauty just as we are and we don't need the admiration of others to be valued."
Archbishop Herft hopes people who use the "oxygen centre" of the city take time to reflect on the panoramic beauty the jacarandas offer.
"I hope the people take the time to look up and give thanks for the amazing gift of creation, and for ourselves," he said. "It tells us a lot about us, and the harvest and that sense of summer, exams and school leavers and completion, but it's also about somehow the flamboyance of life, all its glorious diversity and grace. I just think it's amazing how we take so much for granted."
