Fire Lotus

Rebirth by
Toni Carmine Salerno

In Buddhism, there is a beautiful symbolism present in the blossom of a Lotus Flower. In nature, the Lotus, which is known for its delicate beauty, blooms forth from the blackest of mud and deepest depths. The Lotus therefore, represents the human struggle to rise up from the "mud"of our existence and blossom into the beautiful, spiritual person that we are. It is a symbol of rebirth, renewal, and overcoming the darkness in our lives. Fire is symbolic of cleansing... starting over. In nature, fire destroys all that it touches, making room for new growth. It is an end to the old and a beginning of what is to come.

Since my divorce, I've taken the screen name FireLotus to symbolize my rebirth from the darkness much like the Lotus... but also my cleansing from pain and devastation of the past and the growth that has followed, which is symbolized by Fire.

Now you may be wondering what brought all this up. But I am considering getting another tattoo... and getting this one in a spot I can actually see. For those of you that haven't seen my tat, I have a tattoo of a purple Lotus on my lower back right above my butt. I'm flexible, but not that flexible, and I don't spend a lot of time looking at my own butt. I got it right after my divorce chose it because of the above symbolism. But I wanted something that could be easily covered... a symbol I knew was there, but one that not everyone would know about.

I want the new tattoo to be symbolic as well, so I was thinking about taking the symbolism of the lotus to the next level by getting a "FireLotus" on my front right shoulder. It will be covered at work, but more visible when I'm out and about in my everyday tops... or in a bathing suit. Plus I won't have to worry about it stretching out orgetting saggy... since it's a naturally tight and toned area. A lot of people don't take this into consideration when they get a tat... and eventually, as age and gravity work their magic, their mighty oak transforms into a weeping willow... or the delicate daisey on their belly becomes a sunflower when they're pregnant. Our bodies change, and since a tattoo is permanent, I want to make sure it looks as good when I'm 60 as it does now.

So now I just need to figure out what it should look like. Unfortunately, I lack the artistic ablity to put my thoughts into form on paper, so I've been looking around for either a lotus where the petals resemble (or can be made to resemble) flames... or two pictures I can combine into a composite... like a Lotus with flames surrounding it. I'd love to know what you think... your ideas and feedback would be much appreciated!