Lotus Flower: Symbol and Tattoos

Lotus Flower: Meaning



"I am the being, who in spite of my miry surroundings, have remained untouched and stood up to be the exemplar of beauty and purity."

If the lotus could speak it would have said these words and bragged about itself which is so unlike the humble lotus. It has been the symbol of detachment from worldly desires and illusions according to the Hindu religious scriptures. It symbolizes purity in the true sense of the word. The lotus symbolizes life ever renewed and revitalized when it peeks out of the muddy waters every morning.

The flower has been a part of almost every culture, civilization and religion in the world, where it is used to teach people something, symbolically. According to Egyptian mythology, a lotus is a flower that is created from the fluid chaos of the world. Nun and the sun God, Atum walked out of it to spread light all over the cosmos. One of the versions of this mythical tale also suggest that the Sun God emerged out of the petals of the flower as Ra. In Egypt it is rightly taken as a symbol of genesis, revival and restoration.

Buddhism adopted the concept of "Om Mani Padme Hum" - a hymn that celebrates the 'jewel in lotus'- the essence and spirit of being rooted in the core of all mankind. Christianity has the white lily depicting the same symbolic message as the lotus, related to Mary the Virgin mother, which signifies chastity and fecundity. Doesn't "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" echo "Om Mani Padme Hum"?

Lotus as a Symbol

The lotus as a flower symbolizes the journey and advancement of the soul through the transcendence of the material world to be one with the supreme soul. In Hindu Mythology, the utterance of first, 'om' brought forth the first "golden lotus", where it is also the seat of Brahma (the creator), thus making it a strong creation archetype.

The stalk of the lotus originates from Vishnu's (the preserver) navel, and also presents itself as the umbilical cord in the creation of the universe. Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity and Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge are also seated on lotuses.



Not only in Egyptian and Hindu mythology is it a strong symbol, in China as well, the lotus is a symbol of creation. It also represents the seventh month. It symbolizes unbreakable relationships taken from the concept of the flexible stalk of the flower. The color of the flower also contributes symbolically, like the white lotus means purity and transcendence; pink lotus signifies the supreme One, the Great Buddha and Goddess Lakshmi; the red lotus expresses compassion and passion; blue signifies the supremacy of the eternal over the temporal.

It is said that Tutenkhamen's body was covered with blue lotuses when his tomb was opened in 1922. The lotus also reminds one of Tennyson's poetic marvel 'The Lotos Eaters' where the seamen reach the island and get caught up in the self-induced stupor from lotus nectar.

Tattoos



A new and radical way of rediscovering the significance of this very symbolic flower is getting lotus tattoos done, which is person specific as to how you want to interpret it. Tattoos nowadays make a strong style statement and give an insight into the person's psychological labyrinth. One's conscious mind is revealed through the choice of tattoos a person gets done.

Tattoos depicting the lotus flower can frequently be seen on people. Introspection leads to such conclusions:

• Modern life is an eternal quest to know what an individual really wants, emerging successfully from a war waged with one's own self. A lotus tattoo can imply one such successful emergence or life in general as to grow from the earthly mud and be born as something more meaningful than just beautiful.
• They're popular with people who have seen hardships in life and have come out successfully.
• Among the Japanese tattoo artists, a lotus tattoo are equally popular as the Koi fish, at times they can be found together as well. The flower can be considered as an eastern equivalent to the rose.
• Some can use the lotus flower as an example of a dormant seed that lies under mud and muck, that bursts into life under sunlight. It can therefore translate into optimism, spirituality and knowledge that suddenly lights up an individual's whole being.