Themes :
Rose

Unlike the spiky radiance of the lotus flower, the rose unfolds in a gentle circling that invites one to yield inward. The rose is a symbol of lovers and of union. The rose resonates strongly with the gently awakened heart.

In the chakra system, the color most associated with the heart is green. But when we are in love the heart reveals its inner color: a warm rose hue.

The rose grows from a bush of thorns yet reveals a delicate inner beauty and shares an intimate, sweet wine-like fragrance, symbolic of how the soul emerges from the tribulations of worldly difficulty and, in so doing, recognizes her innate beauty.

The rose is a sacred symbol found throughout the mystical writings and poetry of Judaism, Islam, and especially developed in the esoteric Christian traditions. The rose is often used as a symbol of Christ. More precisely, it is a symbol of the soul that has recognized the presence of Christ.

The rose, with its wine-like scent and deep red color, is sometimes thought of as a more tangible embodiment of wine -- the drink of communion.

Sufi poetry often pairs the rose with the nightingale. The nightingale prowls the garden at night singing its mournful song, lost in its love for the rose. The nightingale is the lover, the seeker, the Sufi, and the rose is the Beloved, God.

The inner rose reveals itself in the heart when the individual soul completely and joyously opens itself to the Transcendent Reality.

The many Sufi references to a Rose Garden describe the awareness that occurs when God has taken up residence within the heart (or, rather, when we finally recognize the Divine presence already there). And dwelling there, God makes of the heart a living garden.