🌕Victoria Amazonica – The Moon and the Water Lily
An ancient Native American tale tells the story of a girl named Naia who longed for love. Though many men proposed to her, she felt no attraction—her heart belonged to the Moon. One night, she climbed the tallest tree to try to reach him, but failed. Then, she saw his reflection in the water and dove in, chasing the image of her love.
But the lake was filled with dangers—reptiles, crocodiles, snakes, piranhas, leeches. As they pursued her, she fled to the muddy bottom of the lake, where, in darkness and solitude, she found safety… and transformation. There, she realized she was not chasing love, but becoming it. She had always been the seed—of a lotus. She began to grow, protected by thorns, reaching upwards from the depths until she finally bloomed under the moonlight.
The Victoria Amazonica, named after this myth, blooms only at night. It dances with the Moon—just like Naia.
🌊 Blue Lotus – The Birth of God in Ancient Egypt
In the beginning, there was nothing—only a vast, feminine sea of potential. From this watery void rose a mound of earth. And from that earth, a sprout: the Blue Lotus.
As the lotus bloomed, Atum-Ra, the first god, emerged within its petals. When he opened his eyes, light was born. Everywhere he looked, creation followed. Consciousness awakened existence itself. Thus, the Blue Lotus became the flower of origin—the body of God, the bridge from formlessness to form.
Because of this myth, the Blue Lotus symbolizes divine creation and self-realization. It represents the moment when something eternal chooses to become embodied—when the soul becomes matter.
The Blue Lotus was also linked to fertility, creativity, and divine ecstasy. Ancient Egyptians used it as an aphrodisiac and to connect with sacred sexuality. When steeped in wine, the lotus’s euphoric effects intensified while the intoxicating effects of alcohol diminished. In royal ceremonies, nobles would dress as gods, celebrating unity, sensuality, and divine bliss.
🪷 Kuan Yin – The Lotus-Born Goddess of Compassion (Buddhism)
In Buddhist tradition, Kuan Yin is often called Padma-Pani in Sanskrit—"she who is born of the lotus." She is almost always shown standing or seated on a lotus flower, or holding one in her hand. The lotus, in Buddhism, symbolizes purity of heart—rising from the mud untouched, its petals immaculate.
Kuan Yin’s mission was to bring love and compassion to those drowning in suffering. Her myth says that when she was about to enter Nirvana, she heard the cries of the world and chose to return, refusing eternal peace in favor of service. Instead of Nirvana, she received the gift of immortality in the hearts of all who suffer.
She is revered not only as a goddess of compassion, but also as the ideal of feminine beauty in Chinese culture. Unlike other deities, Kuan Yin is only loved, never feared.
🌸 Lakshmi – The Lotus of Prosperity (Hinduism)
In Hindu mythology, Lakshmi is the goddess of abundance, purity, and divine fortune. She is often shown standing on a fully bloomed lotus, flanked by elephants who pour water over her in blessing.
The story of Lakshmi is deeply connected to the churning of the Ocean of Milk. After Indra, the warrior god, disrespected a sacred garland by throwing it on the ground, Lakshmi left the heavenly realms and descended into the ocean. Without her, prosperity faded. The gods lost their power, and darkness spread.
Desperate, the gods turned to Vishnu. He told them to churn the ocean to bring Lakshmi back. After 1,000 years of effort, treasures began to surface—including a radiant lotus with Lakshmi herself standing upon it.
With her return, light and balance were restored. The gods regained their strength and banished the demons.
This myth teaches us that abundance comes through sincere effort, humility, and devotion. And that success, if taken for granted, can vanish just as easily as it came.
🌫️Nana Buruku – Afro-Brazilian Candomblé – The Grandmother of the Mud, Death, and Deep Wisdom
Nana Buruku is one of the most ancient and enigmatic orixás in Afro-Brazilian Candomblé and Yoruba-rooted traditions. She is known as the grandmother of all orixás — a primordial being who holds the mystery of both the beginning and the end of life. Her domain is the mud, the swamps, and the slow, sacred processes of decay and rebirth.
Nana lives in the murky waters — the same dark, fertile mud from which the lotus rises — making her a symbolic ancestor of the lotus path. She teaches us that purity is not about avoiding the mud, but rising from it. Her wisdom flows through silence, patience, and the deep remembering that comes from ancestral connection and surrender.
In rituals, Nana is associated with:
Clay and ashes, symbolizing the return to Earth and the cyclical nature of life and death.
Swamps and still waters, places where things dissolve and are reborn.
Emotional healing, especially grief, loss, and ancestral wounds.
Maternal, ancient energy, reminding us that slowness and darkness are part of the sacred journey.
Though not traditionally linked to the lotus flower, her mythic resonance mirrors the lotus' path — both showing us that even in the muddiest, most stagnant places, transformation and renewal are always possible.
8/18/2022