Dear ,

As I was going through some old online albums, I came across this series of Tropical Water Lily photos. Although I am not sure where they were taken, I'm giving credit to the American Orchid Society which did, in fact, close the Delray Beach grounds and gardens to the public on Tuesday of this week. I paid my last visit and was the next-to-last one out before the doors were locked.

If you missed the story of AOS and the significance to me and Picture to Ponder subscribers, see AOS Closing. Among other topics in that issue, I mentioned my first acquaintanceship with the Purple Tropical water lily and shared some products on which I used one particular image. See below today's Self-Reflecting Queries.

The pictures I took on the last day did not wind up particularly exciting, so, again, in acknowledgment of the beauty of the American Orchid Society gardens and what they offer, enjoy today's photos.

To ensure that seven photographs do not cause any mail providers to keep this issue from coming into your inbox, I've made a composite of six of them. They are each up on the blog in the larger, standard Picture to Ponder size.

I invite you to go to Purple Water Lily to more fully experience each of the photos individually.

Today's Picture to Ponder Photos -

Opening to Possibility

Self-Reflecting Queries -
Above we see seven views of the same flower, each from a slightly different perspective. I invite you to look at them and then into your own life.

Where are you most comfortable? From the outside as almost an observer of your life; midway; or getting really close? Do you find yourself making up more stories from one perspective over another?

From what vantage point do most of the "stories" you tell yourself come? What happens when you view another person and/or his/her ideas? Do you take time to check out different perspectives when being with another person or situation?

Also, in a slightly different conversation, the third photo in the composite (or the second one in the left column) has what seemed to me to be an annoying piece of debris. It's only when I was working with the photos that I looked more closely and saw what seemed to be two legs.

It left me wondering if was some kind of insect. Again, go to this post on the blog for all the photos, or check this one only by clicking on Water Lily and Insect. Use the Control and + keys on your keyboard to enlarge the photo until you can see the image in the flower on the right side.

I'm still wondering if it is an insect and the point here is, "How often do we take something for granted that we think is annoying and not even bother to go further?" What might open up for us if we shifted that automatic response?

As always I invite you to have fun with these, and please share on the blog your experience with these photos and what comes up for you.

Original Water Lily as first seen in a photo/drawing on my naturesplayground.com site.

I, and others, particularly love is the Purple Tropical Water Lily, used in both photo/drawing and plain photo versions. It was first featured in Issue 6 of Picture to Ponder in 2004 with the queries for it the next day in Issue 7.

The top is, obviously, on a pillow in my Nature Art Gift Shop, as well as on other products. The lower image is one of six flowers from the Gardens that are featured in the 12-month Flowers Wall Calendar.

And, if you missed it, the Query that went with this photo was,

"What light can you claim in your own center that warms you and expands out into the world, making a difference?"

There are still one and a half weeks left to Adela Rubio's Enlightened Gratitude series of 9 AM US Eastern time calls, on the phone or with speakers on your computer -

I am most grateful for the community that has formed around Adela's work and calls over the years. I know several of you have clicked on the link for this.

If you have been on any of the calls, I would love to hear from you. What has your experience been? Simply email me your response.

Again, the statement on the free registration web page:

"What Would Be Possible In Your World if you said YES! to Gratitude for only 10 minutes EVERY DAY for 33 Days?"

states Adela Rubio, master energy shifter, group facilitator and developer of on-line communities.

She continues:
"Are you fed up with all the stinkin' thinkin'? You know what I'm talking about: the incessant chatter mirroring the scarcity, fear and lack all around you?

It can be easy to slide into the slippery slope of consensus consciousness. With all the breakdown of our most 'trusted systems' it's the perfect time to invoke the power of our inner abundance.

Here's what you can expect...

• Embody gratitude and abundance in your inner and outer world
• Expand your ability to unhook from judgments, assumptions and resistance
• Unleash your creative essence
• Embody your infinite flow
• Are you ready to embody the energy of gratitude in your world?

Join us for a 33-Day Adventure (click) sure to shift your experience!"

Reader's Comments are welcome -
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If posting on a blog is not your style, please continue to send your comments directly to me. Learning what you are experiencing means a lot. It is part of the reward, for me, of publishing Picture to Ponder.

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Inspirationally,


Sheila
sheila[a]picturetoponder.com
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