Findhorn Flower Essences Summer 2014


Summer has truly arrived this week. Lots of sunshine preceded by a week of insistent rain has caused al Summer has truly arrived this week. Lots of sunshine preceded by a week of insistent rain has caused all the plants to shoot up and out. The flowers magnetising my attention right now are the grande poppies and the iris. And the vivid pink peonies. The garden looks gorgeous!


In the last newsletter I sent news from India, where I had just developed a new flower essence, the first new essence for as many years as I can remember. Soon after my home return, I started imbibing (what better word for this experience) the Lotus lily. After a month of researching first hand, I want to share with you and my experience and what I have learned. To read my account of preparing the essence follow the link http://www.findhornessences.com/blog/india/


The lotus flower is sacred in Egypt, India, Tibet and China and earliest fossil records support the view that the sacred Nelumbo is indigenous to India. It is a symbol of divine beauty, purity, fertility and enlightenment. It has its roots in the mud and grows upward in the direction of light, which represents the aspiration to rise above and move towards the light and represents the journey from darkness to the light of knowledge or wisdom. Symbolising the progress of the soul from the primeval mud of materialism through the waters of experience and into the bright sunshine of enlightenment, in those cultures and philosophies it represents the spiritually enlightened person who bears or conducts him/herself without any material or emotional desires. This quality of detachment enables one to remain unaffected by worldly pleasures and gain and achieve spiritual perfection.


The location for solarising was at the Bodhi tree (in Bodhgaya, India) where the historical Buddha realised enlightenment. As well as the flowers I placed three leaves from the Bodhi tree around the inside edge of the bowl. They had virtually fallen into my lap as I sat under the tree and it was a spontaneous thought to include them. I saw them as falling blessings.


One morning, on taking the essence and meditating, I was impressed with this: “aspiration – to move beyond knowing into direct experience of truth/reality”. There was more, but this is the essence of it. The keynote of Lotus lily is aspiration – the aspiration of realising enlightenment, in Buddhist terms, bodhicitta. (The unique setting for preparing the essence and the symbolic and historical meanings associated with the lotus necessitates explaining some rudimentary Buddhist terms and concepts. Please see Comment 1 below)


This is achieved through right aspiration or motivation. “To move beyond knowing into direct experience of reality” I interpret this as meaning to transform theoretical knowledge into direct experience, i.e. engaging in or with (something).


Lotus lily essence helps to transform desire into aspiration through an awakening of the “heart-mind”. The essence helps me to clear my mind. I feel more ‘engaged’ or consumed in my meditation practice. It is difficult to put this feeling into words, but


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