Lotus is known in the spiritual world to represent an awakening and expansion of the soul body and spiritual mind. It is associated with purity, rebirth and enlightenment. It’s petals opening up represent the unfolding of our layers and opening up to divine truth. The root represents nourishing self in the muddy waters and finding a way to survive in the depths of it all.

As the morning mist merges with my skin, I breathe in the electric air. I find myself sitting atop an ancient temple in Siem Reap at sunrise. We passed farmers fields full of lotus flowers beginning to awake. The meaning runs deep after my week long retreat.

In my quest to find healers, I discovered a quaint place off the beaten track. I opened the gates with curiosity and hopefulness for further wisdom. I was greeted with a smiling heart as Adele welcomed me in. I thought I would make an appointment for a service they offered and feel out the healing available there. It turned into spending over a week with them as they share their wisdom brought forth from years of training in India and a lifetime of experiences.

Each morning we would start with a moving meditation that a monk created many lifetimes ago. I am told it is one of the first forms of martial arts. As I move with intention, I feel it invigorating my energy field and connecting me with all parts of myself. We then finish with a mantra meditation that I currently can not get out of my head! As the mantra quiets my monkey mind, I feel the words penetrate deep into my being. I have visions of a lotus flower with its roots highlighting my lower torso and the petals like a crown on top my head.

During the retreat, we learned so much about the true meaning behind each chakra and start to play with the energy of them. We get to know more about what our soul and spirit bodies are trying to tell us. I’m gifted with a remedy that is made in house, from the local lotus plant with its recipe dating back to the scriptures. The liquid tincture burning my throat and lighting up my crown chakra.

I was blessed with the company of a Russian man, passionate about health, wealth and embracing the beauty this world has to offer. We got to share in the retreat experience and expand our consciousness. He reminds me of how enjoyable life can be with how he embraces every opportunity that comes his way.

As the week comes to a close I think about the history that has walked through the temples of Siem Reap and the land that contains all the layers of mystery. With all the lotus that surrounds the Cambodian people and the ancient ruins I can’t help but think about what will surface next. If each one of us are living the life of a lotus…going through the mud to get to enlightenment…then when will the sunlight reach my petals? Will it be a part of this lifetime? Or will I have to come back for more?

The lotus gives us a beautiful representation of what we all strive for. It grows in the dark and once it breaks through to the light, it gives back hundreds of seeds to nourish the path that supported its growth. These seeds then give way to the next generation.

Does this flower represent our evolution of growth? Are we designed to become enlightened only for a few days, to then go right back to the muddy water and continue on to our next level of learning? Is it our faith and our suffering that provides the necessary growth for our flower to bloom?