“Water Lilies Pond” by Karina Woldt

There’s something special about seeing flowers blooming on top of water. Even more so when you think about how they rise up out of the mud underneath. From mud and shadow, they reach upward until they open in full light, serene and radiant, often gently reflecting a dancing glimmer off the water’s surface. 

For centuries, people have looked to these blossoms as symbols of renewal, purity, and awakening. You might be familiar with the lotus and its symbolism in Buddhist and Hindu traditions: the lotus rising tall above the water’s surface represents transcending life’s challenges to embody spiritual enlightenment.

Waterlilies, though less often mentioned, have a similar spiritual meaning. While lotuses rise up tall out of the water, waterlilies float gracefully on the surface. Underneath, they both share the same cycle of rising from murky depths into beauty: Every night, the waterlily closes and sinks, and every morning it opens again, renewed. With this daily rhythm, the waterlily becomes a living reminder of rebirth and transformation.

In Buddhist traditions, waterlilies are connected with enlightenment, reminding us that we too can rise above suffering, release what no longer serves us, and rest in the stillness of our true essence.

Water Lilies Pond, by our new featured artist Karina Woldt, embodies the same spirit of transformation as the flower itself. If you imagine the artist painting in layers—as she did—you can see the emergence of colors and forms that echo the waterlily’s journey: rising from shadow into light, and unfolding with delicate beauty.

Inspired by Monet’s impressionist paintings of waterlilies and the local ponds near her home, Karina built this painting in luminous mixed media. The light on the surface hints at unseen depths below, reminding us that growth is always nourished by what lies beneath.

In this way, Karina’s work reflects her multilayered background as an artist, psychologist, and spiritual student of Taoism and the healing power of nature. 

A Meditation with Water Lilies

Try this meditation while looking softly at the painting, or by holding the image of waterlilies in your mind.

1. Breathe into stillness. See the surface of the pond, reflecting the sky. With each breath, let your mind settle, like water becoming clear.
   
   
2. Bring to mind something that might feel heavy, clouded, or just not as light as it could be. Is there a situation, story, or worry weighing you down? Imagine it as mud resting beneath the water.
   
   
3. Visualize rising. Picture a waterlily stem pushing gently upward out of the mud, through shadow, breaking the surface of the water, and opening into the light. As the flower opens, ask yourself: Am I ready to rise out of this? What would that feel like?
   
   
4. Feel renewal. With your inhale, draw in light and spaciousness. With each exhale, release the heaviness. Let yourself feel free, like the blossom floating in peace, fully open to the sun.
   

When you feel complete, set your intention to carry that sense of lightness forward into your life, remembering that no matter what mud surrounds you, you can open anew each morning.

If Water Lilies Pond speaks to you, bring it into your space to connect to nature, beauty, and opening into light. It’s available as an unframed paper print, framed paper print, framed canvas print, or unframed canvas print. Find them here.

To explore more energy artwork, visit our full Energy Art Gallery.