The BLUE LOTUS card, our plant medicine focus for August, may just be the most visually impressive one of the deck, and it certainly includes lots of animated imagery! Notice how much is going on here: shimmering water flowing from a chalice, birds in flight, moving clouds, multifaceted crystals, sun and moon and of course the lovely Blue Lotus flowers in all phases of growth from buds to blooms.
Ariana Ayales tells us that the Blue Lotus "Flower of Enlightenment" comes with a long history as an aquatic plant revered to be a heal-all by many traditions including Egyptian, Hindu and Buddist cultures. Its familiar image as a sacred flower continues to be an iconic representation of spirituality and mysticism today.
Although Blue Lotus is recorded in ancient Egyptian texts and depicted in art as a blossom that thrived on the banks of the Nile River, it's hard for me to imagine it
growing happily in the Arizona desert without a backyard pond or an innovative green house. I can't claim to have used this water lily in my own medicine work until just recently. In fact, I admit to knowing very little about its healing properties, so I felt prompted to do some light research.
As it turns out, this plant is currently enjoying a surge in popularity for both its physical and metaphysical properties. Ayales sums it up nicely by saying it is best known for its "powers of euphoria, intuition, rejuvenation, and aphrodisia." Some sources refer to it as a psychoactive plant, and I had to confirm that I was over 18 to move forward on one site. At the same time, you can easily find dried Blue Lotus flowers as well as bottled tinctures, essential oil or incense sticks. It's also sold in preparations designed for vaping and consuming in gummies!
Speaking from my own experience, I've begun working with a plant "essence" combination that includes Blue Lotus along with other plant and mineral essences. As a reminder, plant essences are made by extracting only the frequency or vibration of a flower or plant from its physical material, and they work on an energetic level for emotional balance or a gentle, uplifting shift in consciousness.
Since Blue Lotus is said to promote spiritual insights, I've been experimenting with Blue Lotus Temple Essence in preparation for plant spirit meditations. I was interested to see what would happen when taking this essence with the intention of connecting to the spirit of Blue Lotus, so I set myself up for a meditative journey in a darkened room with recorded drumming in the background.
After taking a few drops internally and rubbing a little on each wrist, I closed my eyes and went deeper into a meditative state. I visualized moving through watery depths only to eventually surface among numerous Blue Lotus flowers. I wasn't sure which to approach at first, since they all looked the same, but one finally revealed itself as the one containing the plant's overarching spirit. It began to glow brightly while growing larger and emitting bits of light.
When I asked for any wisdom this spirit had to share, I heard that it was all about the color, meaning the color blue. I was told to look for shades of blue in all possible places, like the pale cerulean sky on a sunny day as well as the darker shade of midnight and to notice this hue in the eyes of the people who have this eye color. Blue, I was reminded, is the color that suggests calm, and when it presents itself, there's a clue to either become calm in oneself or to create calm for someone else. My brief meditation ended with visions of bluebells and cornflowers and expressing gratitude to the plant spirit for sharing this unexpected suggestion.
Well, there you have it! And if you take another look at the Blue Lotus card, there are indeed several shades of this color to see. I've always been partial to anything green, but I know I'll be responding with more awareness to "blueness" when it shows up from now on.
In addition to the message from the plant spirit and the color dominance on the card, the oracle deck guidance includes more about Blue Lotus to consider. Ayales points out that "the Lotus rises from the depths of muddy waters, untouched and impeccable, to blossom into majestic beauty." She concludes with the wise caution: "Don't allow the muddy waters of the blossoming process to suppress your intuition and belief in yourself."
This reminds me of an aphorism made popular by Vietnamese monk Thich Naht Hanh that simply states "no mud, no lotus"... a simple thought to remember during those times when we find ourselves unable to see beyond the "mud."
As always, thanks for letting me share my thoughts and journey with you. I welcome your input, so if you want to submit a comment, scroll down to the bottom of this post. If you are interested in booking a personal session, you can do this here:
You can also contact me via email at: my.plant.allies@gmail.com
For now, here's wishing you wellness, wisdom and bloomin' vibes!
Fascinating! Thank you Linda!!