Image Courtesy of Michael Cramer, Photographer

Pouring through beautiful images of flowers in all stages of their life cycle, I try to select just one:  one image symbolizing all that this Journey represents.  How do I choose one image that will represent the discovery and pursuit of one’s spiritual potential?  I decide to ask for the opinions of those closest to me who truly understand what it is I’m trying to create here.

When we ask for advice, we can get so many different answers that it is easy to become more confused than before!  It can complicate things to focus on recommendations, so I decide to look at the reasons behind the suggestions.  In hearing those, we can recognize perspectives not previously considered.

My close friends do indeed share their valuable insights with their choices.  I incorporate what’s true for me and the way I see the images shifts.  Yes, I want to choose one that reaches upward for its spiritual symbolism.  Since we know our best life is achieved by beginning with a clear vision of the end result, it does make better sense to use a full bloom rather than a bud.  While white background may represent absence of darkness in a spiritual perspective, brilliance against darkness seems to me more like the feeling of walking a spiritual path in a world filled with pain, fear, and purposeful distraction.  The fact that no two friends chose alike reminds me we’re all uniquely beautiful and appropriate for someone.

Opinions hold value in their ability to expand our perception and shed light where we had not looked.  Answer, however, are best found when we return to our Spirit within and find the answer that gives us the most peace.  After all, this is how God speaks to us so we can know what is true for us.