3"ø x 4.5" long
Gold & Enamel
INDIA

Hibiscus flowers are one of those rare things that provide for nearly all the senses. You can eat it, you can smell it, it looks beautiful, and it feels good. The only thing it lacks is sound, although the energy a plant projects can be converted into sound waves. A man in Pune produces our petals from gold. Primarily they are made for decorating Ganesh shrines, as Ganesh is said to be fond of the hibiscus flower; he is often shown holding one in his hand. Hibiscus are considered a "sattvic" object, their presence purifies surroundings and overwhelms "tama," dark or negative energy. It is said there are subtle frequencies of the deities active in the atmosphere and that the frequencies are attracted to flowers and emitted back into the atmosphere as "pavitrak," or pure spiritual particles. Hence flowers are often offered in puja rituals. I find this discussion very interesting; in Hinduism there are a good number of rules and directions surrounding the picking, collecting, and offering of flowers to a deity. We think of flowers as offering good vibes; in the Hindu religion these vibes are defined.