The Lotus Blossom

 I am the being, who in spite of my miry surroundings, have remained untouched and stood up to be the exemplar of beauty and purity.


Ahhh.....the lotus. A beautiful flower, yes, but there is a deep and powerful meaning behind this gorgeous and fragrant blossom.

The Lotus as a symbol is used throughout history and in many cultures.  The Buddhist teaching explains that although the lotus blooms in mud and its roots grow in mud, the flower blossoms above. The stem of the flower projects upwards and the sweet scented flower blooms in the sunlight. This theory is used to explain the pathway of purification of the soul. The materialistic human mind is compared with the root that grows in mud while the pathway that the stem follows is connected with the progression of the soul through experience and finally it receives sunlight like the flower, i.e. the soul is enlightened.

Lotus Necklace

I have this beautiful lotus pendant that I wear very often.  It is so lovely.  Most of the time I receive compliments on it. There are also occasions when I am actually reprimanded for wearing it or frowned upon and quickly dismissed as 'one of them'. Those who understand the meaning of the lotus admire it.  Others see it as a symbol of something wrong or evil, i.e. I am involved in some kind of New Age Buddhist practice that is a long way off from my traditional Christian roots.

I see beauty and truth in everything. I look for God in everything. I believe He leaves messages, clues and proof of His existence and love for me. I just have to be willing to open my eyes and my ears.  I wasn't always this way. It took some soul searching and a bit of  de-programming to be this way. I am, after all, the daughter of an Assembly of God minister. In my own quest for truth and God, I studied Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism extensively. While my foundation is Christian and I believe in God, it is impossible for me to adhere to a list of rules and regulations or deny or reject another person's faith or truth just because it is different from mine. If others believe I am wrong for this, so be it.

I don't think God really cares about religion or which church, temple or mosque you attend.  It makes no difference if you are sitting in church every Sunday morning or setting aside private time to pray, meditate or to reflect on His marvelous love for you and for mankind.  Even if you are not sure of God's existence, taking a moment to admire the trees, the flowers in bloom, or a beautiful sunny day with gratitude is a spiritual act.

When anything is done in faith, love and appreciation, I believe it is a spiritual form of worship- a gift offered to something or someone greater than who we are.









I believe what truly matters is the heart of a person. In my heart, I want to be a lotus:  a gorgeous fragrant flower in the midst of a smelly, murky mire of mud. I want my fragrance to be so strong and so beautiful that others cannot help but be drawn to it. I do not want them to be attracted to me, but to the force that gives me the strength and the power to bloom in such undesirable surroundings.

That can't be wrong.......








The lotus is a symbol of mankind. We live in a smelly, messy, chaotic world. It is said the smellier the pond, the better the lotus. What an analogy for human life.  As the lotus flower emerges pristine and beautiful from the muck of the pond, so human potential and true self emerges. Some call this enlightenment. I think of enlightenment as the complete surrender of SELF : the "I am, I feel, I want, I deserve" attitude. This is when God is finally able to flow in us and through us.

As far as I am concerned, if one cannot see God in the lotus flower or a message in it, they are on the wrong path and do not know God at all.

My prayer is that you find God for yourself--not man's interpretation of God, but who God is in you and through you.

 Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat Pray Love) discovered the truth when she took her her own personal journey in search for God. This is what she learned:

"God dwells in me, as me."
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Rise up from the mud and be beautiful.  Be fragrant. Be different.  Be a symbol of purity and peace in a confused and hectic world.

Be a lotus blossom......

And this is my Daily Cyn......