Lotus

What it means

The lotus grows from the mud of a pond, rises through the water and opens in the air, its leaves shedding every drop. The image is easy to read: whatever you start from, you can grow towards clarity. The Bhagavad Gita asks people to act like the lotus leaf, which water does not wet.

The sacred lotus, Nelumbo nucifera, is a remarkable plant in its own right: its seeds can wait for centuries in the mud and still sprout, and the flower can keep itself warmer than the air around it. Small wonder it became a picture of patience and renewal.

In Hinduism and Buddhism

Lakshmi stands on a lotus, and Brahma appears on one that rises from Vishnu's navel. The chakras of yoga are drawn as lotuses, with the thousand-petalled lotus crowning the head. In the early Buddhist texts the Buddha compares himself to a lotus that rises above the water unstained, and Buddhas and bodhisattvas sit on lotus thrones throughout Asian art.

At home

A lotus candle holder, a small carving on the altar or a print beside the meditation cushion are the usual ways to keep it near. It also suits a bedroom or a quiet corner, where it carries the idea of starting each day clean. Lotus scents, as an oil or as incense, bring the same idea into a room.

Choosing one

A closed bud is often read as potential, a half-open flower as a path under way, a full bloom as awakening. Wipe metal and stone with a dry cloth.