Today I plants the Buddha Garden at Silent Stay Retreat with Cana Lilies and Birds of Paradise. There a legend about Cana Lilies: one day Mara saw the Buddha on the road and just like Willie Coyote he pushed a rock from a high cliff to kill the Buddha. But the rock missed the Buddha but a small sliver of rock hit his big toe and the Buddha’s Blood went into the ground and up sprang the Cana Lily. The hard black seeds of this plant are turned into prayer beads for males in India.

The beautiful Bird of Paradise as also have a beautiful flower message. If you look at the stem of this flower it is strong and straight which might remind you of one’s spinal column. The flower looks like a bird in flight but it also opens up like a crown charka which represents wisdom.  This tropical plant’s flower essence represents the flowering of wisdom.

 Bird of Paradise

Cana Lily