Jai Ganesha!

Philosopher's Guild Ganesh finger puppet

I find myself drawn to elephants of all kinds--cartoon elephants, cute elephants, Ganesh, Babar--I could go on forever. Elephants have long been known as the memory-keepers of the wild. In fact, the saying, "memory like an elephant" has a lot of truth to it. Elephants have excellent long term memories that aid survival. This could be because their brains are bigger than any other land animal. In fact, elephants are known to make music and art. They also have human emotional characteristics like grieving and compassion.

Ganesh burnout tee (available in the boutique or on the webstore)

Yet my love affair with elephants has its roots in Indian culture, home of Ganesh. There are little Ganeshas lurking all over Lily Lotus, and the gentle beast symbolizes a lot more than I had initially thought. Ganesh, the patron saint of yoga studios is well-known as the destroyer of obstacles.

NEW "waste not" stationery (coming soon!)

But what about his accouterment? Ganesh carries a few things in those four arms of his. He is typically shown holding sweets in one hand that symbolize the sweetness of enlightenment. Needless to say, Ganesh has a sweet tooth! In another hand he carries a noose that isn't for strangling, but for pulling his admirers closer to him, no matter how far away they may be. Sometimes he is shown with a conch shell. It's sound reminds him of his fellow elephants and makes him smile. His large belly symbolizes prosperity and abundance and his large ears hear the cries of the needy all over the universe.

With all this goodness, how could anyone not love an elephant?

Inspired Living

Every season we're creating new tanks, tees, and bottoms with symbols we find inspirational in our daily lives. As a result, we get a lot of customers who aren't really sure about what it all means. To help out our customers and the random blog-reader, we're giving short, succinct definitions of some of the beautiful designs in our boutique.

First, why lotuses? And why "Lily Lotus"? It's pretty simple really -- we love lotuses! Although Lily Lotus as a brand was inspired by the Yin and Yang of life. Lilies are inherently feminine, and lotuses bridge the gap between the feminine and the masculine. We hope this imparts a feeling of strength and beauty in everything we do.

While you certainly don't need a shirt to embody the meanings behind these symbols, we like to wear them as simple reminders of what's important in life.

Below is a list of a couple of our best selling designs. Look forward to weekly updates on what it all means.

OM blossom long sleeve burnout tee

OM

Om is one of our most widely used designs, used on tanks, tees, and bottoms. In short, om represents the divine and by chanting om you chant the sound of the Universe.

our logo!

Lotuses

Lotuses, aside from our own personal interpretation, signify purity and divinity. They also symbolize the soul's progress from materialism to enlightenment, since lotuses are born in the muck, eventually becoming beautiful flowers.

Hamsa burnout tank

Hamsa

The Hamsa has been called the Hand of God. It protects anyone who wears it. It is said to bestow health, happiness and good fortune to the wearer.

Purposefully Beautiful

A good practice during the New Year's holiday is to reflect on the past and make good intentions for the future, so that we may let go of what is outdated and make room for whatever good awaits us. Everyone has a different ritual to ring in the New Year. Some of us toast with friends and relatives, while others clean house. Yet almost everyone makes affirmations of health and wellness at the beginning of every year. We at Lily Lotus support all healing modalities and are always looking for ways to bring that awareness into the walls of our boutique. In addition to practicing yoga, meditation, and sustainability, we're fortunate enough to be blessed with an abundance of local jewelry designers, each of whom uses a variety of healing gemstones. This month, Jewelry by Justine is offering 2 black Tahitian pearl necklaces--one with labradorite and the other with smoky quartz. Refer to our gem guide below to see how wearing these pieces will help you be purposefully beautiful. We have many types of gems and jewels available at the store. Come by, and we will be happy to help you pick a piece that will help bring you beautifully and purposefully into the new year!

Pearl: Pearl helps the wearer achieve advancing states of wisdom while helping to receive spiritual guidance. Pearls are known as symbols of purity and innocence. Pearls are maternal in nature and therefore aid in childbearing and fertility.

Labradorite: Labradorite protects the wearers aura, keeping it clear from outside influences. It's also helps us use our intuition in practical ways. It is also said to improve faith and reliance on oneself.

Smoky Quartz: Smoky Quartz is grounding and helps to dissolve negative energy and therefore acts as a protector to the wearer. It allows positive energy to come through the wearer while helping with depression, stress, and nightmares. It can be useful in aiding PMS.