The Lotus Blossom

I found a card from my "Relax Deck" and thought I would post the quote, along with a photo of lotus flowers that I took on Mother's Day at a local garden.  One of the things I like about the lotus is that it opens and closes each day.   In Nepal, and in Hinduism, the lotus flower is a very symbolic flower. Here is one quote I found that is pertinent to Liberated Menno Momma's:  "According to Hinduism, within each human inhabiting the earth is the spirit of the sacred lotus. It represents eternity, purity and divinity and is widely used as a symbol of life, fertility, ever-renewing youth and to describe feminine beauty, especially the eyes. One of the most common metaphysical analogies compares the lotus' perennial rise to faultless beauty from a miry environment to the evolution of woman's consciousness--from instinctive impulses to spiritual liberation." 

Another quote . . .

"'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.'" If the lotus could speak it would have said these words and bragged about itself which is so unlikely for the humble lotus. It has been the symbol of detachment from worldly desires and illusions according to the Hindu religious scriptures. It symbolized purity in the true sense of the term in spite of its seed being the stagnant water. Lotus symbolizes Life ever renewed and revitalized when it peeks out of the muddy waters every morning."

"The lotus flower, even though has its roots in the muddy waters, blooms above the water without becoming dirty by the mire below."

From the Relax Deck:

"Amid the frantic pace of modern life, it is easy to get caught up in material concerns and to neglect your spiritual side. To get in touch with your inner self, visualize a lotus blossom in a pond and imagine light pouring outward through the petals, filling you with radiant calm. Just as the lotus shines out from its muddy surroundings, so you will find that focusing on your inner self will restore harmony in your busy life."

God be with the Mother

God be with the mother.

As she carried her child
   
      may she carry her soul.

As her child was born,
    
      may she give birth to her own, higher truth.

As she nourished and protected her child
    
      may she nourish and protect her inner life
    
     and her independence.

For her soul shall be
    
     her most painful birth,
    
     her most difficult child,

     and the dearest sister to her other children.

                                                     ~ Michael Lunig

Fishbowl Metaphor

by Sue Monk Kidd, Dance of the Dissident Daughter

“But it came to me suddenly and without question that I must leave the Baptist world. I sat still on the little chair and breathed in and out very slowly, taking this in. A goldfish bowl sat on a piano across the room. It was empty of fish and water, but I saw almost immediately the metaphor it represented. For so long the Baptist world had been both my goldfish bowl and the water I swam in. I’d come to think of it as the whole realm. I’d grown used to seeing everything through that water. It had never occurred to me that it was possible to leave. At a deep level, I’d not known I could make such a large choice.

“It sounds silly, but at the time leaving this realm seemed as daunting to me as leaving the goldfish tank might have seemed to a goldfish. I wondered if I could survive outside the safe perimeters I knew so well. And I was not even thinking at that point about taking my leave from the entire church. I wasn’t yet thinking about learning how to breathe in brand new spiritual environs, in a feminine realm where the old breathing mechanisms don’t work at all.

“Despite the growing disenchantment women experience in the early stages of awakening, the idea of existing beyond the patriarchal institution of faith, of withdrawing our external projection of God onto the churn, is almost always unfathomable. It’s that old the-world-is-flat conviction, where we belief that if we sail out on the spiritual ocean beyond a certain point we will fall off the edge of the known world into a void. We think there’s nothing beyond the edge. No real spirituality, no salvation, no community, no divine substance. We cannot see that the voyage will lead us to whole new continents of depth and meaning. That if we keep going, we might even come full circle, but with a whole new consciousness.”

Something Else

I just started watching Season 3 of ALIAS.  In general, they have amazing music selections.  This was no exception.  I was even more amazed when I read the lyrics.  I just started reading Sue Monk Kidd's "Dance of the Dissident Daughter" which happens to be amazingly timely in relation to the journey I'm on right now.  I'll write more about it sometime soon, but I will just say that this song resonates with me in a very real way.  It also happens to be a lovely song.  Enjoy.

Something Else by Gary Jules

They never tell you truth is subjective
They only tell you not to lie
They never tell you there's strength in vulnerability
They only tell you not to cry


But I've been living underground
Sleeping on the way
And finding something else to say
Is like walking on the freeway


They never tell you you don't need to be ashamed
They only tell you to deny
So is it true that only good girls go to heaven?
They only sell you what you buy


And I've been living underground
Sleeping on the way
And finding something else to say
Is like walking on the freeway
I've been living underground


Trying not to burn
And finding something else to learn
At Hollywood and western

Listen to this lovely, amazing song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpvGsNCBRz0