It knew it needed an earth walker to help bring it’s dream to form. After a search amongst the villagers Blue Lotus found the bearer it sought, an inspired woman who had birthed many incredible creations during her time upon the earth. It visited the playground of her mind to plant the golden seed of the Blue Lotus Dream.

The seed ignited a spark of possibility in the woman’s mind and she pondered its potential. Moons passed as the seed lay actively dormant, waiting for a perfect place to grow. And one day it appeared, quite suddenly so that for a moment it took the woman’s breath away. A large empty plot in the heart of the village ready to be nurtured. As she pondered the possibility, she looked down and saw upon the earth a golden coin. Reaching down to pick it up she knew the dream was starting to become real. The woman was overjoyed and set about securing the plot for planting.

Meanwhile other villagers had their own ideas for the plot though too it seemed, and for a time threw their own seeds and soil onto the plot hoping they would strike. They did not take hold though, and as the woman explored the site she found a golden key, and knew the land was in her hands.

She called out to members of the village for assistance, which came in loads of rich soil and mulch to lay upon the ground. She dug a huge bed, laid out the soil, drenched it with water and planted the tiny seed deep into the sodden earth. Each day she watered and tendered the earth, until a beautiful lotus began to grow. Locals began to show interest in the emerging flower and started to gather, and it seemed all was going to plan, and for a time it did.

But alas while the woman was tending to the visitors weeds began to grow. Her time and attention was taken with pulling up the weeds which threatened to overthrow the lotus, and the visitors started to leave. And then the lotus began to dry so she ran off to find it more water, and she found the well at her house were overgrown with weeds too, so she started pulling at them, and when she returned the rain poured and as the weeds were gone the earth started to wash away, so she ran home to dig up some soil and found she had little as It had washed away too, and the rain stopped and she ran back to the lotus to find the sun and the wind had moved in and dried the earth until the lotus was barely alive.

And as she scrambled for more soil and more water she found her own garden depleting until there was barely a fruit to eat, and she found she was without sustenance and trying to tend too much.

But the golden light of the lotus was still strong and its dream called upon her to keep going, sending her more gold trinkets to say all would be ok. She collected the last of the soil and mulch from her garden to help nourish the lotus, and it managed to survive another day.

And then came a great and angry storm which threatened to wash away the last of the soil, and she grabbed great nets from her home and flung them and herself upon the earth in the great rains to hold the earth still. And the rains didn’t reach the earth of the lotus, but managed to flood her own garden and the little foliage she had left was washed away. And as she lay the rain began to ease and the soil settled once more. The dark grey clouds opened up to a fresh new day of blue skies. The lotus had survived, and in its beauty people started coming back to admire it.

And it grew warm, and then hot, and then dry, as the rain stopped flowing the ground began to dry and crack, and the woman dug new wells in her garden but the water had dried up there too. And she sought to pull out the weeds for mulch but they had dried up too. And the lotus began to wither once more. And her own garden bed creaked and groaned in the dry scorching heat. And the lotus still strong in its dream sent more gold trinkets to say all would be well. And she surrendered once more, overwhelmed and unable to fight the elements any longer, at least not on her own.

In the distance she heard a heart beat, a loud heart beat, a rhythmic pounding of many hearts beating as one. Gathering her strength she moved closer and found herself amongst the joy and collective creations of a tribe gathering to share stories and healing and music together. It lifted her spirits and fed her soul as she realised what can be created by many hands holding each other strong and working as one.

Sisters who had heard of her lotus dream then appeared from near and far with a common thread of creativity and community weaving them together. The Blue Lotus came to be a collective dream of this small tribe, and together they came to tend it.

Singing the song of Blue Lotus in their hearts they brought with them fresh soil, water, nourishment, and trimmed back other trees to allow sunlight in. There was enough to replenish the woman’s own garden too so it could bear nourishment once again.

Blue Lotus felt the dreaming move into fruition and joy emanated from its golden light, stretching out into the long blue tendrils as they unfolded into magnificent deep blue petals. Villagers came to witness this stunning opening, and with them brought gifts to feed it, and began to gather together and share stories as they admired the lotus flower. Others brought more seeds and they began to plant a garden around the Blue Lotus so they would have somewhere nice to sit and share. Tribes from other villages came to be part of this unfolding as word reached out that this was becoming a fertile space of creativity and community.

And as more people came with gifts of ideas and nurturing the lotus became the centre of a richly fertile garden which nurtured and was nurtured by all the people and creations that came to be there. And the woman and her garden were now also well fed and nurtured, and as she felt the magic and gratitude that was growing in this place she began to dance with joy, and others saw her and they too felt compelled to dance, and soon the whole garden that the little Blue Lotus seed had sparked was moving with laughter and dance in the celebration of the people in a community thriving as one.

If you are interested in having Tjoni Johansen write a personal dreamscape or myth for your self or a project please get in touch via email at tjoni@in-spiral.org.

Many thanks.