Lotus

Size: 30,3 x 22,6 cm

Materials: Watercolour on watercolour paper

For the eighth symbol, I chose the Lotus from Buddhism. Did you know that several cultures consider the Lotus a holy flower?

In Buddhism, it’s associated with purity of body, speech, and mind, as well as a spiritual awakening. It’s thought of as pure because it’s able to be perfectly clean despite being rooted in mud. It’s also a symbol of detachment because the water easily slides off its petals.

In Hinduism, it’s associated with beauty, fertility, prosperity, spirituality, and eternity. Many of the Hindu deities are linked to the Lotus. Laxmi, the goddess of prosperity, is usually depicted as being seated on a fully open lotus flower. Brahma, the god of creation, is in some accounts considered to have been born from a lotus flower growing from Vishnu’s navel.

The ancient Egyptians associated the lotus flower with the sun because it was said to sink at night, only to re-emerge in the morning. So the lotus came to symbolize the Sun and creation.

It’s also associated with rebirth, so it’s no surprise that it’s also associated with death. The famous Egyptian book of the dead is said to include spells to transform a person into a lotus, and by that allowing for resurrection.

I went with a dripping technique to create the background.