Flowers that Fly
Flowers that Fly
Before I put my thoughts on paper about the topic of simplicity, I collected a few thoughts from the Teacher about the attributes of Higher Centers and found that the first attribute listed in the book “Awakening” is simplicity. Many of the thoughts I read were about essence and pointed to the initial process of awakening as a return to essence. One quote in particular that stood out was “essence is the bridge to Higher Centers.” To explore, discover, and uncover my essence is building the bridge.
Children are in a perpetual state of discovery, as are Higher Centers. — The Teacher
As I have come to verify more about my essence, I see that I am continually in a strange loop of falling asleep where false personality takes hold and then waking up again, becoming more aware and returning to essence. Sustaining essence requires self-remembering and then gradually the moments of being awake slowly begin to outnumber those spent in the second state of sleep. For this to happen I have to cross that bridge—not just once, but until I can make higher states dominant and eventually permanent.
Essence turns into Higher Centers. A beautiful, childlike state becomes aware of itself and aware of what it observes. — The Teacher
These words “A beautiful, childlike state” sent me to my book of fairytales by Hans Christian Andersen. I sat down and read a new fairytale called “Little Ida’s Flowers” to further explore simplicity. In the story, I found a charming explanation about the origin of butterflies that evoked my essence and inspired the whimsical image with this post. Andersen explains:
Haven’t you seen lovely butterflies—white, yellow, and red ones? They almost look like flowers, and that’s really what they used to be. They are flowers who have jumped up off their stems, high into the air. They beat the air with their petals, as though these were little wings, and so they manage to fly. If they behave themselves nicely, they get permission to fly all day long, instead of having to go home and sit on their stems. In time, their petals turn into real wings. — Hans Christian Andersen
Although Andersen wrote many of his fairytales for children, he is quoted as saying, “children could enjoy the narrative, while older listeners could appreciate the deeper psychological meanings and social critiques.” With an eye toward discovery, the meaning of this little passage from Little Ida’s Flowers could not be clearer. Eventually, the flower on the stem turns into Higher Centers, takes flight, and flies all day long, no longer needing to return to the stem.
Andersen also touches upon the need to behave themselves nicely. Children will have their own understanding of what it means to behave. In the Fourth Way, I behave by working with the weakness of the moment. If I am identified, I find something inspiring in the environment and give it my awareness. If I am in imagination, I can bring intentionality to my thoughts. If I am expressing negative emotions, I can separate and recover from the outburst as quickly as possible.
All of our exercises nurture essence: not expressing negative emotions, avoiding wit and teasing, controlling gesticulation. — The Teacher
The image of flowers that are turning into butterflies is on one of my favorite tee-shirts. I took a photograph of it because it was the perfect pairing for Little Ida’s Flowers. It takes the effort of self-remembering to turn our petals into real wings and take flight.
Photograph of Author’s Tee-Shirt with Andersen quote
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