Egypt's Blue Egyptian Lotus Lily of Rebirth, Panacea Of All Ailments

 Nadene Goldfoot                                            

  Egypt's blue lotus, The Flower of Intuition, Rejuvenation & 'Aphrodisia'

Ancient Egypt's preferred flower that grew in ponds, the panacea of all their ailments.  Moses may have breathed in its aroma along with all the other people of Egypt.  It's called the  Nymphaea caerulea, also known as Blue Egyptian lotus, blue water lily, blue Egyptian water lily, and sacred blue lily. 

                            Moses in the bullrushes:  Papyrus, or bullrush, (Cyperus papyrus) is a member of the nutsedge family. It’s an aquatic plant that grows along slow-moving streams like the Nile throughout north and central Africa. Plants grow 4-8 feet tall and have dense clumps of thumb-sized stems emerging from a below-ground clump of rhizomes.

                     Did Moses Use This Flower?  

He was set into the water in a basket and found by the bathing Egyptian princess.  No doubt that this water may have had the blue lotus growing in it.  Later, he may have breathed in its intoxicating aroma if his peers, the other princes of the royal family,  were doing it.  

The history of Egypt’s national flower, the lotus flower, dates back to the ancient period, and various depictions have been found in hieroglyphics that portray both the white and blue lotus. With its natural habitat being ponds and rivers, the lotus flower has often come to be associated with purity and cleanliness. 

                     

In ancient Egypt, the lotus represented rebirth. This meaning was inspired by the nature of the lotus’s petals that spread above water upon sensing sunlight and closed during the night so as for the flower to fall back under water.

Influences of Egyptian Lotus Symbolism and Ritualistic Practices on Sacral Tree Worship in the Fertile Crescent from 1500 BCE to 200 CE

Many conventional features of world tree motifs in the ancient Near East—including stalked palmettes, aureoles of water lily palmettes connected by pliant stems, floral rosettes, winged disks and bud-and-blossom motifs—trace largely from Egyptian practices in lotus symbolism around 2500 BCE, more than a millennium before they appear, migrate and dominate plant symbolism across the Fertile Crescent from 1500 BCE to 200 CE. 

It's design was used all over Egypt on its buildings, showing the importance of this flower.  In the ancient temples of Egypt, there is hardly a monument to be found that doesn’t prominently display the Blue Lotus flower. It’s seen everywhere on pillars, thrones, stone alters, papyrus scrolls, and on the ceremonial headdresses of pharaohs. When they opened Tutankhamun’s tomb, even King Tut’s mummy was covered in what has become known as the Sacred Lily of the Nile. Yet, oddly enough, if you look around Egypt today, it is rare to find this flower growing anywhere. (Yet, there are people doing it in very small scale farming in different parts of the country.)                   

Recently, the blue lotus had its DNA tested to see what chemicals it produced that would benefit the population, and they found many.  People would hold the flower by the stem to their face and breathe in deeply to be cured of many ailments.  This has been recorded and was seen on youtube.  The plant is actually a “nervine", and “anti-spasmodic, also commonly used as a natural sedative. It's description found described a narcotic substance.  It contains small amounts of alkaloids highly similar to those used for sedation and anti-convulsant purposes. For thousands of years it was used in ancient Egypt as part of religious ceremonies to reach higher levels of consciousness and connect to the Divine. They would steep the Blue Lotus flowers in wine for several weeks and use it as a sacred sacrament. (Supposedly it nullifies the negative effects of alcohol.) 

Blue Lotus contains nuciferan (a natural anti-spasmodic) along withaporphine, which will give you feelings of calming euphoria. For that reason, it is a natural anti-anxiety and stress reliever. No wonder it was often used in ancient social gatherings. It has been reported to be useful as an aphrodisiac and to remedy erectile dysfunction (which might explain the ancient nude party scenes depicted in some of the carvings!). Perhaps its a modern-day Viagra as well. On a more medicinal front, Blue Lotus is used to treat gastrointestinal problems, diarrhea and dyspepsia, being a great aid for sleep and helping chronic stress.  

Interestingly, it “has the wonderful ability to regulate the temperature of its flowers to within a limited range just as humans and other warm blooded animals do,” states ReadNational.com, a website about national flowers.

Known for its scent, the lotus is also often found in the warm and slightly acidic water of ponds. It grows mainly in East Africa as well as in parts of Southeast Asia. As such, it is not exclusively significant to ancient Egyptians, who used to consume its roots as food, but is also considered popular in Buddhism and Hinduism. The blue lotus was, however, more abundant in ancient Egypt and is said to have a sweet-smelling fragrance. As a result of climate change, the lotus is now only found in the Delta region.

The blue lotus was actually made illegal in some countries such as Russia, Poland and Latvia in April 2009, because it is considered a drug.  While it is legal to cultivate in the US, the blue lotus is also illegal for human consumption there.

The Mysterious Blue Lotus Ritual Of The Ancient Egyptians | Private Lives Of Pharaohs |

 Parable   Pharaohs | Parable

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H50UY_cbyoc   

Resource:

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H50UY_cbyoc

2. youtube  Blue Water Lily Power, sacred weeds (Narcotics Documentary)

3. The Mysterious Blue Lotus Ritual of the ancient Egyptians-Private Lives   

https://egyptianstreets.com/2019/06/19/the-lotus-egypts-national-flower/

https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/9/9/256/htm

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/300193131423723583/

https://animamundiherbals.com/blogs/blog/flower-of-the-ancients-the-flower-of-intuition-rejuvenation-aphrodisia