The Goddess Collection
by Tabby Biddle
Lotus Blossom Style, founded by Tabby Biddle, is a yoga lifestyle brand on a mission to empower women to blossom into their potential. Photo Credit: Greg Smith
Seven months after the yoga retreat that introduced me to Lakshmi and Sarasvati (see my previous blog, This Goddess is Hindu), Lotus Blossom Style was born.
Birthdate: August 1, 2007
Gender: Goddess
Lotus Blossom Style started with my wish to bring positive and peaceful images and messages to everyday comfy, fun and environmentally friendly clothing. I wanted to be a force of change in the marketplace so that more companies would think about creating positive imagery and caring for our earth, not just on and with clothing, but in magazines, billboards, commercials and film.
I wanted to transform culture through clothing.
I picked the name “Lotus Blossom Style” to represent my strong belief in every human’s potential to unfold toward their potential. The lotus, a sacred flower in the Hindu and Tibetan traditions, has been a longtime symbol representing the spiritual journey. As a longtime seeker and journeyer as well as a playful soul, I decided this name would be perfect.
My first design for the clothing line was a blossomed lotus with the words underneath “live your truth.” What came unexpectedly was my next design — a Goddess!
Green Tara, the Tibetan Buddhist Goddess of Compassion in Action, blossomed right up and out through the center of the lotus to make her presence known. At first I was surprised since my initial visioning did not include goddesses, but then realized that Green Tara’s mission to act on the behalf of all human beings to help them move toward their beautiful potential somehow was moving through me.
A number of years earlier, when taking the Tibetan Buddhist vows, I had been given Tara’s name. The variation I received was “Supreme Tara of Clear Light.” This of course drew me toward her and made me want to learn more about her.
Over time I learned that Tara is the female form of the Buddha of Compassion. In human form, His Holiness the Dalai Lama is considered a manifestation of the Buddha of Compassion.
The story goes: Once upon a time when the Buddha of Compassion heard the cries of all living beings across the land, he shed two tears. From one teardrop, it is said that Green Tara emerged, and from the other teardrop, White Tara.
Green Tara is swift, courageous and playful. She is an action goddess — helping all individuals remove obstacles that may be blocking them from their spiritual growth.
White Tara is earthy, grounded, and has motherly compassion. She cares for all people as if they are her own children and reminds us that we are all sisters and brothers and need to take care of each other. She is a mother goddess.
Both of these Taras have proven to be wonderful role models for me. To see myself in their image has been incredibly empowering. To imagine that I too have the strength, wisdom, compassion, and love that these gals do has helped me move mountains.
People have asked me, “Do you consider these goddesses real people?”
The answer to that is that I sometimes consider them role models, sometimes sisters, sometimes archetypes, sometimes mythological characters, and sometimes true goddesses. In whatever role I consider them, they have allowed me to see myself in the image of the divine and have helped me wake up to a lot of strengths that were laying dormant.
Soon after Green Tara and White Tara emerged, Lakshmi came knocking on Lotus Blossom Style’s door. It became clear that a sisterhood of goddesses was being formed and that each one was here to deliver an important message. I named this sisterhood, “The Goddess Collection.”
Are there any goddesses that have come knocking on your door unexpectedly?
Tabby Biddle is the founder of Lotus Blossom Style, a yoga lifestyle company on mission to empower women to blossom into their potential. She lives in Santa Monica, CA. Learn more at lotusblossomstyle.com.