Photo: Flicker

The oldest of the flowering plants. A living fossil. The lotus survived the ice age, predating humanity by many thousands of years. Much is made of the mud it lives in. Much is made of its unblemished emergence. For some a daily process. Little water, deep water as long as there’s both mud and water. much is made of the holiness of the flower. the flower alone.

It’s true for anything else that grows. Everything is rooted in soil (dirt). The earth. The unknown underground or under water. Allusions to Hades surely. Allusions to the unconscious. to night. all of it is life.

The Egyptian blue – psychedelic qualities … sacred? Weed anyone?

It’s clear: the mud doesn’t need the lotus. The lotus needs the mud. consciousness doesn’t need thought. Thought needs consciousness.
Everything about the lotus plant is edible and its green leaves useful to produce fibre.