Folk Names: Blue Water Lily, Sacred Blue Lily
Gender: Masculine and Feminine (Primarily associated with the masculine deity Nefertum)
Element: Water
Planet: Venus
Powers: Access to the Dead, Ancestral Realms, and Immortality
Physical Characteristics and Growing Habits
Egyptian Blue Lotus, or *Nymphaea caerulea*, is an aquatic plant predominantly found in freshwater lakes, pools, and rivers throughout eastern Africa and parts of southern Arabia. The plant has also been introduced to other regions for ornamental purposes.
The Blue Lotus is highly adaptable, able to thrive in anoxic mud and nutritionally poor conditions. One of its unique ecological associations is with a species of snail that serves as a primary host for the human schistosomiasis pathogen.
The plant’s underwater rhizomes are edible, containing the psychoactive alkaloid aporphine.
Health Benefits and Medicinal Uses
Historically, the rootstock of the Blue Lotus was consumed in western South Africa, either raw or in curries, particularly by the Cape Malays and farming communities around the 1800s. This practice has since waned.
Some evidence suggests that the psychoactive effects of plants containing aporphine, including *N. caerulea*, were known to Ancient Egyptians. Its mildly sedative properties make the Blue Lotus a potential candidate for the Lotophagi’s lotus fruit in Homer’s *Odyssey*.
The Blue Lotus has been used to produce perfumes and aromatherapy products since ancient times.
Metaphysical and Magical Associations
The Egyptian Blue Lotus is strongly associated with the dead, ancestral work, and immortality. It has been used in rituals for magical purposes related to these themes.
Symbolism and Folklore
Both the Egyptian Blue Lotus and the native white lotus (*Nymphaea lotus*) play significant roles in Ancient Egyptian art, and are often depicted in stone carvings and paintings. They are commonly associated with rites related to the afterlife. Pharaohs’ mummies have been discovered covered in Blue Lotus petals, indicating the flower’s ceremonial importance.
It is believed that over 4,000 years ago, special farms existed to grow enough Blue Lotus flowers for votive offerings, however, they were also cultivated in traditional Egyptian garden ponds for their ornamental value.
The Blue Lotus was revered in Egyptian mythology as a symbol of the sun due to its diurnal blooming pattern, closing at night and reopening in the morning. The sun god Ra was believed to emerge from a lotus flower in “primordial waters” at the creation of the world, and retreat into the flower at night.
Associated with the solar deities Atum and Ra, the Blue Lotus was linked to the “lotus variant” of the Ogdoad cosmogeny. It was the symbol of Nefertem, the Egyptian deity of healing and beauty.
Best Ways to Use (Not Medical Advice)
Blue Lotus Tea can be brewed before a ritual to amplify and open your spirit and mind.
Cautions and Contraindications
When using the Egyptian Blue Lotus, it is essential to be aware of the plant’s psychoactive properties. Exercise caution if consuming or utilizing the plant in any form, and as always do your research.
