Flowering Wisdom
Inspiring Thoughts on Life, Love & Blooming Big
by Shannon Jackson Arnold
Flowering Wisdom Inspiring Thoughts on Life, Love & Blooming Big
by Shannon Jackson Arnold
Flowering Wisdom: Inspiring Thoughts on Life, Love & Blooming Big Words & Photos by Shannon Jackson Arnold Copyright Š 2010 by Shannon Jackson Arnold All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the author. Most of the pictures and writing originally appeared as part of the Flowering Fridays feature on my blog, www.theinspiredwriter.org, from fall 2008 to spring 2010. Words, photos, cover and book design by Shannon Jackson Arnold Typeset with The Sans Light by LucasFonts and Monotype Baskerville Roman fonts.
www.floweringwisdom.com Printed in the U.S.A. by HGI/Inland Graphics, Burlington, Wisconsin Second printing December 2010 A portion of proceeds from every book sale is donated to the Arc of Appalachia Nature Preserve System. www.arcofappalachia.org
Hello Beautiful Flower, Thank you for taking a preview look at my new book, Flowering Wisdom: Inspiring Thoughts on Life, Love & Blooming Big. This is just a taste (20-some pages) the book. If you’d like to purchase the entire book, you can order online here: www.floweringwisdom.com May these words and photos inspire you to
bloom big. love much. scatter many seeds of joy. big love, Shannon
There is nothing you can see that is not a flower; there is nothing you can think that is not the moon. — Basho
This is a book about seeing the world through the lens of flowers. I’ve always liked flowers, but didn’t fall deeply in love until 2008. In the summer of that year, I was midway through a two-and-half year personal development and leadership course called Future Thinking. Jan Smith, our teacher, had us engaging metaphors to shift how we engaged with the world. For our metaphor, we were to choose something we loved to do alone, where we felt deep peace, quiet joy and lost our sense of time. I chose flowers. For me, looking at flowers was a spiritual experience, a gateway to the mystery of life and the force that creates it all. I found that while I loved the color, shape and smell of flowers, what really drew me in were the close-up shots — those pictures that captured what I call the “sacred center” of the flower. During this time, I was at a crossroads professionally. I was exploring the question of “what’s next?” and launched a blog at my then-website, www.theinspiredwriter.org, as a creative outlet. I didn’t plan to include pictures and didn’t consider myself much of a photographer beyond capturing family events. (I use a pretty basic pocket-sized camera — a Canon Powershot SD800 — for my photos.) But my first blog post on September 3, 2008, was filled with photos I took of a dahlia garden we saw on a trip. (Among the photos was this red dahlia.) Seeing the photos made my heart stir. I wanted more.
Two days later, I launched a regular feature on my blog called “Flowering Fridays.” I described it as “a weekly look at flowers through the lens of what they might teach us about flowering fully in our life.” Each week I took a picture of a flower and paired it with some writing about the wisdom I felt the flower was sharing. Over time, my flower pictures got markedly better. What’s more, I began to notice what a support this practice was for my blooming bigger in the world. The flowers helped me through the hospitalization and passing of my mom, selling our house, releasing fear, clarifying my professional vision and so much more.
By spring of 2010, I had more than 2,200 flower pictures and more than 100 flower-related blog posts, and I began to feel a call to compile the best of the pictures and wisdom into a book. Most of the photos and words are from the blog, but some are original to this book. What you hold is the result of my joyful practice of seeing life through the metaphor of flowers. My wish is that they may inspire you to bloom, grow and shine more fully in your life, too. With Love, Shannon
If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change. — Buddha
All flowers are beautiful. Beyond the material form of colors, shapes and textures, there is a deeper, more potent beauty present. There is a spark of something that’s closer to starlight than to earth, a glimpse into the infinite mystery of life, the flutter of cosmic joy experiencing itself. So it is with us humans. We are all beautiful, too. As unique and precious as the most exquisite rose. Follow the blooming “golden rule” and treat everyone (including yourself) as a precious flower. Look beyond any wilted petals or scarred markings to the radiant spirit within.
Sometimes I wonder why the flowers bloom. Most blooms only last a few days, and it takes so much effort to go from seed to flower. I wonder why the flowers don’t just say, “You know, this blooming business is for the birds. It’s not worth the time and effort to bother blooming.” But then I remember: it’s in the flower’s DNA.
The flower knows that its bloom makes a difference. Maybe this difference is profound. Or quite small. But it does matter. And so the flower risks it all to do what it’s born to do, what it must do, which is to bloom. I believe we each carry a seed inside of us that is our “bloom” to the world. And our earthly journey is to nurture that seed and propagate it into the world. No matter the risks, the obstacles or the critical voice that says “why bother blooming?”
Take notice of the kind of flower you are.
What bloom will you offer the world? What shape, color and size is your bloom? What are the ideal soil and conditions? How many blooms will you produce? There is no right or wrong answer here. Just what’s true for you. If at first you’re not sure, trust that, like the seed, you do know exactly what flower you are meant to bring forth.
What I love most about flowers is they are unabashedly who they are. A demure columbine is not as voluptuous as a poppy. Or sunny-faced like a sunflower. Nor does it go all hippy wild-child like Queen Anne’s lace, spreading out in a field. No, columbine only does columbine and does it quite well, thank you very much. Of course, poppy, sunflower and Queen Anne’s lace do themselves beautifully, too. There is no better than in the flower kingdom.
All the flowers are needed, necessary and equally beautiful. This goes for each of us, too. You are needed, necessary and inherently beautiful. Be the flower that only you can be.
There’s power in owning and celebrating the flower you are. When you stand in your gift, beauty and uniqueness, magic emerges. We must never forget that each of us is put here to be the bloom we are. And we must remember that our offering is significant and singular.
A bloom like yours only happens once. Across all of time, there never has been, nor will there ever be, a repeat. To deny our bloom is to deny the world the precious offering that only we can give.
It helps to relax into the rhythmic timings of your life and know that your bloom will be provided for.
Everything in the universe you need is there for you. The perfect amount of sunlight. The quenching rain when you need it most. The welltimed visits of the bumblebee. That’s not to say that everything will always be easy or you will get exactly what you want, but you will (as the Rolling Stones’ song promises) get what you need. The universe cares for the littlest of flowers. It cares for you, too.
Whatever your bloom looks like, it is perfect. Truly it is. However you do it. At whatever speed. Be it quiet or flashy.
There is no one way to bloom. There is only your own unique way. No matter what happens, rest in the knowing that you are beautifully unfolding.
Take a moment to notice how your blooming is going. Is it going brilliantly? Lousy? (Just notice. No story, no judgment.) Can you believe me when I say that however it is going, it is perfect?
Even when you feel like you’re not, you are always growing. The flowers know that expansion is inevitable. It’s part of what allows them to open so easily. For us, we only need to relax and allow the bloom to emerge.
How to Cultivate Your Own Flowering Wisdom • Find Your Own Metaphor
Identify something that you love to do alone, where you feel a deep sense of inner peace and connection. It’s often nature-related, but it could be cooking or doing puzzles. Find something that lights up your eyes with joy, then use it as a metaphoric lens for looking at life. I found it helps to have practices and reminders in place, (e.g. a note on your bathroom mirror or meditating for five minutes on a photo of your metaphor). See the people you meet through the wonder of your metaphor. (For me, I might ask: I wonder what kind of flower this person is?) When you are upset by something, put on your metaphoric lens and see if it helps you shift your orientation to a more centered place. (Using flowers, you might ask: Where is the flowering in this? If this person were a flower, how would I react? If I were a flower, what would I do now?)
• Get Creative With Your Camera
It doesn’t take a fancy camera to capture great pictures. Just learn the basics of your camera and a bit about lighting. (I turn off the flash, use bright indirect light and choose macro mode on automatic setting.) Then go out and take lots of photos with a sense of wonder and love. Over time, I found I loved close-ups of single flowers. Find what calls to you. Notice how your unique thumbprint is illumined in your photos.
• Listen to the Flowers
Using the photos in this book, a vase of flowers or a walk in a garden, notice which blooms you are drawn to. Ask the flower for guidance or wisdom. Trust what intuitively comes to you.
About the Author & Photographer I’m Shannon Jackson Arnold. I love flowers and the fundamental truth and beauty of life. In my journey to share the spiritual gifts I was receiving from the flowers, I found a new voice emerging in my writing — one of a higher wisdom and bigger love that feels to me like the pure flow of Divine Love. It is my joy and honor to share the beauty of flowers as a pathway to experience love and light. My mission is for everyone to connect with their sacred center and see its divine perfection. I write, create art, host gatherings and offer classes and retreats that gather people together to remind them of their innate beauty and the precious wonder that life is. My background as a magazine editor, ice cream expert and book author and writing teacher has prepared me well. But ultimately, I don’t act alone. I am finding more and more of my writing feels divinely guided and channeled…with the support and love of Source and the wise beauty of flowers helping every step of the way. I share my life with my husband, Michael, and our daughter, Grace, in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. May you always know the precious flower you are and radiate your beauty to the world. To stay connected, receive my Flowering Wisdom e-newsletter or purchase flower photos, visit www.floweringwisdom.com
Want more Flowering Wisdom? I’d love to share the entire book with you — 84-pages of inspiring wisdom from the flowers with 42 full-page color photos of my flower photography. Need to know more? It’s softcover. 5.5” x 8.5”. Printed in the USA. Infused with flowery goodness and made with love. Books are $15.99 USD, plus tax (where applicable) and shipping. I am also offering a Gift Pack for $25 — which includes the book, a 5x7 matted professional print (signed or unsigned) (10 choices of flowers) and a 4x6 photo notecard with envelope (10 choices again; suitable for framing).
Learn more and purchase books here: www.floweringwisdom.com
www.floweringwisdom.com