Witchcraft~OM LEATHER BLANK BOOK 5" X 7" - 200 Pgs. UNLINED

     The Lotus is millions of years old, believed to have survived the last Ice Age, and is considered sacred by many cultures.

     With its roots latched in mud, it submerges every night into river water and miraculously re-blooms the next morning, sparklingly clean. Therefore it is associated with rebirth and spiritual enlightenment. It is known as the Flower of Life.

     The Lotus was one of the most important religious symbols for ancient Egyptians.  They believed lotuses had the ability to resurrect the deceased as told in the Book of the Dead.  It is associated with the Sun, the creation, rebirth, and was a symbol for Upper Egypt.  As a symbol of the sun it is closely associated with Atum-Ra, the Sun god and later with Nefertum, lotus god of perfume.  It was also used to symbolize the deceased upon entering the underworld and the process of rebirth, regeneration and reincarnation.

     The lotus is the symbol of beauty, prosperity and fertility. According to Hinduism, within each human is the spirit of the sacred lotus. It represents eternity, purity, divinity, and is widely used as a symbol of life, fertility, ever-renewing youth. One of the most common metaphysical analogies compares the lotus' perennial rise to faultless beauty from a miry environment to the evolution of consciousness, from instinctive impulses to spiritual liberation. There is a story that the lotus arose from the navel of God Vishnu, and at the center of the flower sat Brahma. Brahma (the Creator), Vishnu (the Protector) and Siva (the Merger) are associated with this plant. There are also accounts of the world born through a "Golden Lotus" and Padmakalpa, the Lotus Age in the Padmapurana.

     Trilok Chandra Majupuria of Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, explains in Religious and Useful Plants of Nepal and India (1989, M. Gupta, Lashkar, India): "The Taittiriya Brahmana describes how Prajapati, desiring to evolve the universe, which was then fluid, saw a lotus-leaf, pushkara parna, coming out of water. It is described that when divine life-substance was about to put forth the universe, the cosmic waters grew a thousand-petalled lotus flower of pure gold, radiant like the sun. This was considered to be a doorway, or an opening of the mouth of the womb of the universe. Hindu texts say that water represents the procreative aspect of the Absolute, and the cosmic lotus, the generative. Thus, lotus is the first product of the creative principle." The role of Lord Brahma was to re-create the universe after the great flood on this planet. In order to create the universe, He used the different parts of the lotus plant.

     Goddess Lakshmi, patron of wealth and good fortune, sits on a fully bloomed pink lotus as Her divine seat and holds a lotus in Her right hand. It is also mentioned in the Mahabharata that Lakshmi emerged from a lotus which grew from the forehead of Lord Vishnu, and a garland of 108 lotus seeds is today used for the worship of Lakshmi.

     The Goddess of Power, Durga, was created by Lord Shiva to fight demons and was adorned with a garland of lotus flowers by Varuna.

     The Goddess of Wisdom, Saraswati is associated with the white Lotus. Virtually every God and Goddess of Hinduism; Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Parvati, Durga, Agni, Ganesha, Rama and Surya; are typically shown sitting on the lotus, often holding a lotus flower in their hand. The lotus which serves thus as the seat of the Deity, signifying their divinity and purity, is called padmasana or kamalasana.

    Buddha appeared atop a floating lotus, and his first footsteps on Earth left lotus blossoms. The Lotus is one of the Eight Auspicious Symbols.

     The White Lotus is associated with faith, knowledge, beauty, grace, purity of mind, wealth, and fertility. It signifies a mental state purified of all poisons. Their worldwide popularity and relevance gained it the name “Womb of the World.”

      The Pink Lotus is the Buddha’s earthly symbol. It can hold various meanings, depending on the state of its buds. A pink lotus plant with a closed bud represents passing through the spiritual path, while one in full bloom means enlightenment.

      The Yellow Lotus often symbolizes religious beliefs.

      The Red Lotus signifies compassion, sympathy, and selfless love, as well as passion and generosity. It is associated with Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. It also is associated with the heart and with our original, pure nature. 

      The Blue Lotus is wisdom, knowledge, ability to control things over emotions, worldly aspirations, and senses. It was the most frequently portrayed in ancient Egyptian art. It represents the perfection of wisdom. It is associated with the bodhisattva Manjusri. In some schools, the blue lotus is never in full bloom, and its center cannot be seen.

       The Purple Lotus symbolizes self-awakening. In Buddhist art, a fully blooming lotus flower signifies enlightenment, while a closed bud represents a time before enlightenment. Sometimes a flower is partly open, with its center hidden, indicating that enlightenment is beyond ordinary sight.

     The mud nourishing the roots represents our messy human lives. It is in the midst of our human experiences and our suffering that we seek to break free and bloom. But while the flower rises above the mud, the roots and stem remain in the mud, where we live our lives. A Zen verse says, "May we exist in muddy water with purity, like a lotus."

     Rising above the mud to bloom requires great faith in oneself, in the practice, and in the Buddha's teaching. So, along with purity and enlightenment, a lotus also represents faith. The well-known mantra Om Mani Padme Hum roughly translates into "the jewel in the heart of the lotus.”    

The Lotus is not only edible, many parts have medicinal properties.

The pink Lotus is the national flower of India.