As a spiritual symbol, the lotus flower possesses relevance and meaning for transformation and rejuvenation.

Lotuses are perhaps the most spectacular plants in aquatic environments. The sacred East Indian lotus or Nelumbo nucifera is a species of water lilies. It is native to South Asia and grows at altitudes of up to 1,600 meters. The lotus flowers have color ranging from red, pink, pale yellow to white and blue.

Spiritual Awakening or Transformation

The sacred lotus is an important spiritual symbol in Hinduism and art. It represents purity, divine wisdom, and an individual’s transformation and rejuvenation.

The lotus grows out of mud, our ignorance, to blossom above the water, into enlightenment. As it grows upward in aspiration toward the light, its petals open out into a beautiful flower. The lotus represents purity.

The eight-petaled lotus that is used in yantra art symbolizes the eight directions and cosmic harmony. The thousand-petaled lotus of the sahasrara or crown chakra represents spiritual illumination.

An ancient Indian text refers explicitly to a wonderful quality: The white lotus, born in the water and grown in the water, rises beyond the water and remains unsoiled by the water. We are born in the world, grow up in the world, after having conquered the world through right techniques and spiritual guidance, remain unsoiled by the world.

The Lotus Flower and its Symbolism in Hindu Art

In Hindu art, deities are associated in some manner with the lotus, either being seated upon a lotus in full bloom or like the goddess Lakshmi holding two lotuses in her hands symbolizing purity, receptivity, and the flowering of consciousness or enlightenment.

The influence of a lotus flower painting is to open us up to beauty, light, and the possibility of transformation and rejuvenation.

The beautiful ‘White Lotus in the Mist’ acrylic painting shown above is a co-effort between Ma Udaysree and Linda Camarata and measures 30 x 30 in. It is available to support your personal transformation. For more information, contact Ma Udaysree here.