Mindfulness Lesson
“The rose is a rose from the time it is a seed to the time it dies. Within it, at all times, it contains its whole potential. It seems to be constantly in the process of change: Yet at each state, at each moment, it is perfectly all right as it is.”
Paulo Coelho, Warrior of the Light
We often use roses in our courses and teachings because of their powerful symbolism. Roses act as a metaphor for life.
Unburden yourself of secrets, fears, and judgements to step into your full potential.
The symbol of the rose represents divine love and protection. We use the rose throughout our teachings as a symbol of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual growth. Blowing roses is a process of letting go of old, outdated psychic baggage that we recognize in the form of negative self-talk, limiting ideas, and judgments.
In order to create anew, we have to be willing to release the old and outdated ideas that hold us hostage to our past pain, loss, regret, and resentment. Old fears, secrets, and judgements keep us attached to our past and dictate our future reactions.
Judgements we’ve created over the course of our life become ingrained in our thoughts, bodies, and actions. The quality of our beliefs is reflected in all areas of life, most importantly in our peace of mind, happiness, and self-acceptance.
The Hindu Trilogy
Brahman is the supreme being. Vishnu is the protector and preserver of the status quo. Shiva is the destroyer.
Creating and destroying are equal on an energetic level. One is not better than the other. Both are equally necessary to our own evolution. Release past fears to cultivate something better for you now.
Our power is in our vulnerability.
We will hold on to the known even if it’s bad for us. We’re therefore continually adding to our internal emotional clutter. Shiva teaches that with destruction, we can begin the process of renovation or starting anew.
Define what you want. Release what limits you from having it.
Rose Theory
Roses act as a metaphor for life. They’re a symbol of love, passion, protection, and even immortality. Protected by thorns, the rose is a beautiful flower, representing love, transformation, secrets, life, death, and rebirth.
The rose life cycle relates to our own lives. We go through cycles of growth, trimming, and tumultuous seasons that can leave us tattered and vulnerable to our environment. The result is strength, regeneration, and flourish.
Roses have been used for hundreds of years to convey messages without words. Just like in our energy system, each energy center has a color which lends itself to the meaning and message that it projects.
The Latin expression “sub rosa” literally means, “under the rose,” i.e. something told in secret and held in confidence.
In ancient Rome, a wild rose was placed on the door to a room where confidential matters were being discussed. Blowing roses is the process of unburdening ourselves of secrets.
The fragrance of roses is said to represent the presence of god. It also relaxes and clears the mind.
Mindfulness Experiment
Notice areas of your life where you would like to make changes. Start simple. Select a repetitive negative thought or something that you tell yourself that is non-resourceful or unkind. Holding that thought in your mind’s eye, return your attention to your breath. As you exhale, release the energy of the judgmental thought. Allow the thought to begin to disappear. Now experiment by imagining a white rose in front of you. Imagine the white rose about five feet in front of you and release the energy of the thought into it. Now imagine the rose magnetizing the energy of the unproductive thought. Imagine the rose combusting and falling away in an “ashes to ashes, dust to dust” sort of way.
Fun, right? I always think it’s fun to mentally blow bad stuff up. For example, when someone says something false, put that statement and energy into a rose and blow it up. Keep doing it until it becomes reflexive. When you catch yourself saying an untruth, put it in a rose and let it go.
We use a white rose for our blowing rose exercises because it represents humility, innocence, and purity.