Red Spider Lily

I have seen the stem of these red spider lilies for a few weeks. I really didn’t know what they were. It’s like they came up out of nowhere. I was pulled in by their beauty. In various cultures they are associated with death and rebirth.

These last few years for me have been associated with various types of deaths, not just physical death. As I learned its association with rebirth, I can say I have also experienced various types of rebirths as well.

The dying process is difficult. It is painful. It can feel hopeless. It is a realization that I am not God, and I really don’t know what is best for me, for others, and for the world around me. The dying process requires surrender. This can take time. To surrender means to trust. Trust is hard work.

Rebirth gradually happens after surrender, after trust. Not necessarily in a graciously formatted way, but it does happen. If we choose to be present to our lives, we become present to the process of rebirth in our own lives and in the lives of others. I would love to say rebirth is pain free, but I haven’t found that to be true. Rebirth stretches me. It challenges me to see things in new ways. It compels me to be consciously awake and engaged with life. Rebirth is a
waking up to a presence that has been with us our entire lives. The presence that causes our heart to beat, our lungs to breathe. Rebirth is allowing oneself to feel what is happening in one’s body and embrace how each of us are fearfully and wonderfully made. This is life. This is living. This is rebirth. It is freeing. It is beautiful.

Thank you, red spider lilies, for the way you inspire me through your beauty and surprise.