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The photo is one of the Callas in our Finca, which I am propagating for (in the future) diverting the neighbour's black-water into flowers instead of a cool deep cave on our property (which could be put to much better use).The Callas is a good symbol for what a lot of my best designs are: turning problems into solutions.

One of my pastimes is to reclaim (and where possible even invent / design) western 'popular symbolisms' in order to help make conscious (& hopefully repair) the great self-hatered / dis-connection many of us First World people walk around with (unconsciously in the most part) which I suspect fuels our rabid consumerism and opression of other peoples.

It seems to me that the Callas could be reclaimed as the western equivalent of the Lotus Flower, which in the East symbolizes the manifestation of the universal Buddha Nature (or Christ Consciousness) inherent equally in all life, because it is a beautiful white flower which emerges from the depths of the muddy swamp.

Personally I don't have much interest in eastern symbolism but notice there are many people in the west who know (and love) much more about eastern culture than our own, nowadays.

I see this as a symptom of how lost and up-rooted we are and it seems useful to point out (over and over as is necessary) that often the very same teachings are present in our own western ancient culture (as in all earth-based cultures).

It also seems to be a recurring pattern that industrialization required a cutting off from our roots, and this includes a 'sanitizing' of the celebratio of natural Life-Death cycles by cutting out the Death part, and the Callas turns out to have an interesting story to tell in this respect, on more levels apart from the 'from shit to beauty' thing.

Apart from the name which reminds of a famous Italian opera singer, it has other Italian roots (like me) and it is also connected to Winter Solstice - which is when I put together this portafolio, Dicember 2008.

This is some stuff I found out about the Callas:

Since the days of ancient Rime the Calla Lily has been treasured as a flower of celebration.

First cherished as a celebration of light, then a funeral flower, in today’s world the Calla Lily has become one of the most desired flowers brides use to celebrate their wedding day.

It is associated with the lily as a symbol of purity and as such, these spectacular flowers are beginning to rival the rose in popularity for bridal bouquets.

The Calla Lily, originally from the continent of Africa, is rich with history, and it is an elegant and colorful flower to enjoy on any occasion.

The Calla Lily, Zantedeschia aethiopica, is often called the white or common arum lily.

In the wild, the Calla Lily prefers marshy areas.

One of its closest relatives is the Skunk Cabbage, which also prefers a marsh environment.

The central spike or spadix is the real flower.

The stalks are like giant celery stalks and the leaves are heart-shaped and have a luscious, dark green color that may sometimes be speckled.

The common Calla Lily usually spire to 3 feet and produce snowy white spathes 4 to 6 inches across with yellow centers.

Other callas are generally somewhat smaller, varying from 1 to 2 feet in height.

The small Calla Lilies are called Minis.

According to Martha Stewart’s Living, volume 2, The Calla Lily was the flower that the early Romans used to mark the passage of the winter solstice.

The Romans planted the Calla Lily just inside the portal to their homes, timing it to bloom for winter solstice and giving the effect of bringing the light indoors during the darkest days of the year.

The greater the display of Calla Lilies usually meant the wealthier the resident that lived there.

The Romans valued them so much that they often decorated the edges of the bloom with filaments of gold.

The Calla Lilies of Roman times were said to be much larger than today’s varieties, and often were as tall as seven feet! (probably grown in shit ...)

Supposedly, the Calla Lily was named after Professor Giovanni Zantedeschi, 1773-1846, an Italian physician and botanist.

The name aethiopica is thought to mean south of Egypt and Libya, though the word appears like it is related to Ethiopia in some manner.

It is not know exactly when and how the Calla Lily was introduced to Europe, but it appeared in an illustrated account of the Royal Garden in Paris in 1664.

Over time, the Calla Lily became associated with the celebration of funerals.

Most likely, because they bloomed profusely during the darkest time of the year, winter solstice.

Katharien Hepburn’s famous whispered line, “The Calla lilies are in bloom again!” in Stage Door, was a subtle reference to the dying of the light.

Calla Lilies are one of the most preferred flowers of brides.

The ancient Romans knew it as a special flower and appreciated it. Today, as it did for the Romans, the Calla Lily is a thing of timeless beauty that excels in celebration of weddings, sympathy or to bring light into one’s life and celebrate the joy of living.