Lotus Flowers and Herbs ©

My cousin Dionysus would always encourage us to drink, dance and break things if we were ever upset or angry.

The spirit of the drink brings mirth; the dance releases all your inhibitions and you break things so the emotion has somewhere to go.
The following day we would cleanse ourselves in the river and everything would be magically forgotten.

In London it doesn’t work that way. Drink is used to drown sorrows. Dancing is too controlled and if you break anything you’ll probably be accumulating a massive bill on your credit card.

I was trying to explain this to Emily (James’s new girlfriend and my 3rd brand new London friend) via MSN one afternoon as we both tried to spend as little time as possible doing work.

- You should try to dissolve your anger with love, she said.
- What? Just be forgiving and it will go away?
- No. Send love to the person you have unresolved issues with through chanting for them. Come to a Buddhist meeting with me and see how it makes you feel.

I was simultaneously writing to my mother, Isolde, through another chat portal.
She thought it was an excellent idea to meet some enlightened Buddhist men. I told her that was not really the point of the exercise but she wouldn’t hear of it.

Two days later I found myself in the back streets of Dalston, searching for Buddhists and peace of mind.
The meeting was held in a young girl's house. There were eight Buddhists crammed into a very small front room and they were already chanting. All female; my mother would be very disappointed.

Without much ceremony we sat on the floor and Emily started chanting immediately. I was handed a “hymn book” but I declined.
I could pick up the women’s energy and that was far more soothing. It’s so rare that humans agree with their heart. Whenever I’m in the presence of harmony it overwhelms me.

They chanted NAM – MYOHO- RENGE- KYO rhythmically, which means:

NAM – To devote one’s life
MYOHO – to the Mystic Law. MYO is Mystic nature and HO is Manifestation
RENGE – literally Means Lotus Flower and symbolises Cause and Effect
KYO – Sutra the voice or teachings of the Buddha. The sound and vibration that connects everything in the Universe.

After chanting there was a discussion and tea was handed out. Of all the things mentioned that night I kept the words of the young girl who was hosting the meeting in my heart.

- You’re here to win. That’s all there is. People think that they have to go through hard times to achieve the things that make them happy but that only leads to confusion.
If something is a struggle it’s not worth holding on to, be it a job, a relationship or anything that you feel connected to. You can only be successful in things you love, with people you love.


I spoke to Zeus about it that night. He was quite welcoming of my soul search.
He made sure to ask me to please not go crazy and shave my head. I had to explain that he was thinking of a completely different belief system.
- Were there Men at the meeting? He asked
- No, not everything has to be about men. This is about letting someone go, not finding someone new.
- Hmmm. The only way to forget an old love is to find a new one Venus. Your new friends might know about Lotus flowers but I know about herbs.
- What’s that supposed to mean?
- Lotus flowers are beautiful and symbolic and evocative but herbs nourish you and are medicinal. Search your soul but then move on and truly heal your life by giving your heart what it needs.

When we finished talking I lit my lotus flower candle but just in case my father was right I went into the kitchen and got a little stick of oregano to chew on as I chanted.