What did they do to bloom so beautifully?

“Seekers wander along so many paths
Struggling to find the Beloved
Becoming lost in prayers and chants
Searching and seeking
Dances and Ceremonies
… Struggle and suffering

Oh my Dear Friend
Look at the flowers
And tell me:
What did they do to bloom so beautifully?”

– Rumi

It is true that unlike many seekers, flowers do not wander far and wide, nor do they go through rituals and ceremonies. Yet they bloom so beautifully; in fact they are the most noticeable and attractive parts of the plants.

Bees and butterflies are drawn to them for sustenance on their nectar. Masters like Jesus and Buddha taught their disciples to ponder about them and feast on the significance of their beings. Inspirational writers and poets wax lyrical about them and remind readers to stop and smell the flowers. Painters and photographers love to capture their beauty in their works of art. Lovers and friends express their affection and devotion to one another through using flowers.

What have flowers done to garner so much attention? Nothing. How do they bloom so beautifully? We know the answer by now. They simply be still and know they are who they are. Blue, red, pink, yellow and violet are the many colours of their enlightenment, much like the colours of a rainbow. First a bud sprouting from a stem, then petals, then a full bloom – a flower awakens fully to its own divine nature.

They bear testimony to the gentle power of being still. Silently, they enthrall the world with their beauty. They inspire others to be like them. They give fragrance to remind the world of peace and wonder. They also give and perpetuate life as their pollen are spread through pollinators like wind and insects. Some of them also make a transition for fruits to bear in their place, giving to the world more sustenance and more love, peace and joy.

Watching the rose blooming and listening to the music in the above video gives me a spiritual high. 🙂 I think flowers not only awaken people to their true divine identity, but also inspire people to honour their highest self and thoughts, for no one remains untouched or untransformed in the beauty of their presence.

Here’s another video showing a desert bloom with evocative music as well. It reminds me of a Nature documentary I watched when I was a child – “The Living Planet” – and one of the episodes showed how flowers seem to appear out of nowhere after a long-awaited rain in a dry desert, and the whole desert landscape was transformed into vivid colours. Apparently, the seeds of the plants/flowers have lain dormant for a long time in the barren ground, waiting for that fresh touch of falling rain so that they could awaken anew and take root. In the same way, whenever we receive the water of the living Word reminding us of our divinity in our humanity, we can’t help but bloom and shine, like those flowers.

Flowers also appear to live in the present moment, and let our heavenly Father (our highest self or the divine Universal Unconditional Love) clothes them. Similarly, when we live in the present moment and trust our heavenly Father to provide for us, to clothe us, we will remain in peace and good health.