On the morning of April 27, 2015 I woke up to the news that a large earthquake had occurred in Nepal. There were thousands of casualties and it felt so heavy that I decided I would say a prayer and do a meditation by drawing the rhododendron which is the national flower of Nepal.

As I was drawing, I realized for the first time that doing these drawings of flowers felt like a prayer to me. Not just that day, but for all the drawings I had made.  

There is something about the focused looking and clearing of the mind, an intent arising from the heart to draw what I see and then the translation of what I see and intend becoming marks made by a pencil from my hand. It all feels like a prayer. 

When it comes down to it, doesn’t prayer feel that way. There is a heart’s intent that is put into words with the hope that it manifests in our lives. 

When I see this card, I always feel the sheer power of prayer in all those phases - the intent, the will that ultimately manifests something tangible in our world. And this rhododendron, to me, will always hold the intent to bring comfort to those who are most in need of it.