sainthiraeth

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Self Portrait, late 1930s-early 1940s

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my sweet and kind butch grandmother (photo by carlo alberto, 2025)

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be the social media account your 15 year old self would have longingly lurked in secret

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Bony Ramirez (Dominican, 1996) - The Nightstorm that United Us (2024)

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there was a summer i started collecting knives…

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LONG LIVE THE BLACK PARADE

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...BE SURE TO STEP IN TIME !

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Adolph Menzel (German, 1815-1905) Studio Wall, 1872 Oil on canvas, 111 cm × 79.3 cm

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Do Women Have To Be Naked To Get Into The Met Museum? (1989) by The Guerilla Girls. Screenprint on paper.

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how much of a cruel year can you call my fault?

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1983

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notes of Twin Peaks x

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Vyva Melinkolya live at Roadburn festival The Netherlands, 2025

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Page illustration detail from What Makes it Go? Joe Kaufman - 1977.

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anybody else feel like they have blood on their hands and are drowning in a river of blood coming from the society and lifestyle we live or is it just me

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In the heart of Indian culture, blooms a flower that holds beauty so graceful, so enchanting, so pure that it leaves one in awe and has deep spiritual, philosophical, and national significance — lotus. Rising from the murky waters to blossom unblemished, lotus teaches us that it is possible to rise above the dirt and darkness of life, and bloom in our own unique light.

This natural phenomenon has made lotus a symbol of purity, detachment, and resilience across Indian religions and philosophies.

The lotus is a metaphor for life, growth and transcendence.

The blooming of lotus🪷

Lotus typically blooms in the summer season from late May to august. In warm temperatures the lotus bud usually blooms in 2-3 days after it comes out of the water and each flower lasts about 4-5 days.

Each morning, the lotus reawakens, fresh, untouched by the muddy waters below. Its petals stretch wide as greeting the sun, and by evening, they close again in stillness, waiting for another dawn. It speaks of resilience, of rising daily despite adversity, and of the promise that no matter how murky the world may be, beauty can still emerge quietly, steadily, and without apology.

The roots of the lotus are deeply beneath the mud in the water. From that unseen darkness, the stem grows and tries to reach the light. This journey often creates the illusion of easy and soft journeys, of a delicate and floating flower. But beneath lies a complex network of roots and stems anchoring and sustaining the bloom. It reflects the journey of the human soul, though we are often grounded in worldly struggles (the mud), with effort, discipline, and grace, we can rise toward light and truth.

Cultural and spiritual significance 🪷

In Hinduism, Lotus represents the concept of primordial birth from the cosmic waters of creation. Lord Brahma, the god of creation, emerging from the navel of Lord Vishnu sitting on the lotus symbolically represents that life begins in water. Numerous gods and goddesses in the Hindu pantheon are depicted as sitting on the lotus or carrying it. Goddess Saraswati, the Hindu Goddess of learning, is shown sitting on a lotus. Lotus flower is a symbol of eternity, plenty and good fortune and Goddess Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth are depicted with lotuses, reinforcing the idea that the divine arises from the ordinary, just as a lotus blooms from mud.

The lotus is also connected to the chakras, particularly the Sahasrara (crown chakra), which is represented by a thousand-petaled lotus and signifies supreme consciousness and enlightenment.

Lotus flower is frequently mentioned in the ancient Sanskrit Hindu scriptures, as padma (pink lotus), kamala (red lotus), pundarika (white lotus) and utpala (blue lotus). The earliest reference can be found in the Rg Veda.

The ultimate aim of each human being is to be the lotus flower – perform the Dharma without being attached to the world.

❛❛One who performs his duty without attachment, surrendering the results unto the Supreme Lord, is unaffected by sinful action, as the lotus leaf is untouched by water.❜❜

— Bhagavad Gita 5.10:

────── ⋆⋅ 𖤓 ⋅⋆ ──────

In budhism, The lotus is closely associated with the Buddha, who is often depicted seated on a lotus throne or with lotus flowers at his feet. This association further emphasizes the flower's connection to enlightenment and the Buddha's teachings.

In Buddhist art and scripture, the lotus is a metaphor for spiritual awakening :-

The muddy roots represent samsara the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, where suffering arises from attachment and ignorance.

[Samsara- the cycle of death and rebirth to which life in the material world is bound.]

The stem rising upward symbolizes the noble eightfold path, the journey of spiritual discipline, morality, and mindfulness.

The blossom above the water signifies nirvana, the state of ultimate liberation and peace.

Different-colored lotuses have different meanings. The white lotus represents mental purity and spiritual perfection. The red lotus is the symbol of love and compassion. The blue lotus represents wisdom and intelligence and is always pictured partially opened. A gold lotus represents the achievement of complete enlightenment.

❛❛As a lotus flower is born in water, grows in water and rises out of water to stand above it unsoiled, so I, born in the world, raised in the world, having overcome the world, live unsoiled by the world.❜❜

— The Buddha

The lotus posture, a way of meditation🪷

In meditation practice, the padmasana or lotus posture is more than a sitting position. It symbolizes stillness amidst chaos, just like the lotus remains calm above the swirling water.

The posture brings both balance and strength, creating a stable base for the mind to settle and awaken just as the flower needs strong roots to bloom.

National significance🪷

In 2017, to one of Right to Information queries, it was responded that Botanic Survey of India has not named any flower to be the National Flower of India but Indian Government website mentions Lotus as the National Flower of India. The reason of Lotus to be the National Flower can be:

National Emblem of India which was adopted on 26th January 1950 stands on full-bloomed inverted Lotus flower showing the importance of the flower. Chosen as India’s national flower, the lotus reflects the very essence of Indian identity—resilient, timeless, and deeply spiritual. It flourishes in adversity, thrives in silence, and rises in beauty. Much like India herself.

🪷Final thought, the lotus within us🪷

Every time a lotus blooms and it offers a silent teaching

No matter how muddy your past is, no matter how dark your surroundings are, you always have the power to rise, to bloom, and to become free. The mud is not the enemy. It is necessary. Without it, the lotus could not grow. In the same way, our challenges, pain, and struggles are the soil from which compassion, wisdom, and awakening arise.

To see a lotus in bloom is to witness a miracle, a symbol of everything hidden beneath the surface that gives rise to something sacred above. In Indian culture, the lotus teaches us that while the world may see our outer bloom, our real strength lies in the roots we cultivate within.

So let us root deeply, rise mindfully, and bloom gloriously—just like the lotus.

[sainthiraeth]

I want to learn to paint in an over the garden wall kind of look so here is my first attempt