The Lotus

I was walking in one of the local parks the other day, and noticed the lotuses (is there a plural form of lotus?? Loti sounds just stupid), were still blooming. Unusual, as they usually stop blooming early February. Sure, its not like the whole Lotus pond was filled with flowers, but they're still pretty special regardless. Ross River has lots of Lotuses along the edges, and they bloom for a good 6 weeks around Christmas and New year. All of these elegant, blousey flowers towering above the quiet waters of the river. And there is something decidedly sturdy about them as well. The flowers sit a good metre above the waterline, tall and strong, among these large, robust leaves.

The Buddhists revere the Lotus as a symbol of life, something beautiful and wondrous rising out of mud. A symbol of the potential in life, and in all of us.

So I brought home some seeds from one of the dried pods. I was kind of impressed I managed to do it without getting wet to be honest. Usually I try and do something "clever" like that and end up falling into the mud. "Gracefully" of course. Especially if there are a few people watching. I always did enjoy playing in creeks as a child.

But not Sunday. "Graceful" managed to stay out of the water. And get her Lotus seeds.

Now, I just have to save up for a nice big water barrel of some description to put them in! No rush to plant them out I figure, all these articles cited Lotus seeds from various tombs surviving thousands of years, so I think a few months will be quite safe. I just have to decide whether its best to get them going now while the weather is warm, or wait until closer to the growing season at the end of the year. I don't know that the plants really go dormant up here in winter, the water really doesn't get cold.

Might wait until I get that pot sorted first, just in case they decide to really take off and grow fast.

I love the whole idea of having a lotus plant, their beauty and tenacity, and the delicate strength of the flowers. Now I get why you're supposed to meditate on them. And on that minor epiphany, I'm going to actually do some work...... its less than four weeks until my acupuncture exam now - bleh. Better get cracking.