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?