Balance

Small practices for a calmer day.

Notes on symbols, stones and practice — and how to live with a little more intention.

A dried brown lotus seed pod on a bent stalk, bowed down toward the still water, a few dark seeds falling from its holes into the pond with small ripples, autumn light, bare paper above

Inspirational

The Pod Bows
A wide pond crowded with many pink lotus flowers and round leaves stretching into soft haze, painted loosely so the blooms blur into a field of rose and sage, bare paper at the top

Inspirational

One Root Under Many Flowers
Side by side on one still pond: on the left a water lily flower and pad lying flat on the surface, on the right a lotus flower and leaf lifted a hand's width above the water on stiff stems, soft morning light, bare paper above

Inspirational

A Hand's Width Above the Water
A single cross-section slice of lotus root seen large, its ring of oval holes arranged like a flower, painted in cream and pale umber on bare white paper, delicate and botanical

Inspirational

The Root Breathes Through Its Hollows
A pale lotus root snapped in two and held a hand's width apart, with fine silky white threads still stretching between the two halves, painted on bare paper with soft umber and cream washes

Inspirational

The Root Snaps, the Threads Remain
An open pink lotus seen slightly from above, and at its center the flat-topped yellow-green seed receptacle already dotted with small round holes, the petals spread wide around it, bare paper beyond

Inspirational

The Seed Pod Is Already There
A lotus flower glowing faintly warm from its center on a cold grey-blue evening, mist over the pond, the petals a soft rose with an inner golden light, the surrounding wash cool and dim

Inspirational

The Lotus Makes Its Own Warmth
A large round lotus leaf seen from above with a few bright silver beads of rainwater resting on it, one bead rolling toward the edge, the leaf a soft blue-green with a pale center, bare paper around

Inspirational

What Rolls Off
A lotus flower half-closed at dusk, its pink petals drawing inward over still grey-blue water, the last warm light low on the horizon, soft evening haze

Inspirational

The Flower Closes at Dusk
Watercolor of a single pink lotus in full bloom held above a still, pale pond in morning light

Inspirational

The Lotus Doesn't Begin at the Surface
Lotus, Flame, and Infinity: Symbols of Growth and Inner Light - Buddha Groove

Inspirational

Lotus, Flame, and Infinity: Symbols of Growth and Inner Light

Inspirational

The Cairns We Return To: Small Anchors That Steady Us

Inspirational

The Cairn as Collective Effort: Stones Stacked by Many Hands