Blue Lotus (AKA Blue Water Lily; Nymphaea caerulea) has a powerful past surfacing today with the return of Goddess spirituality, the rising interest in the priestess path, herbal medicines, psychedelics, the Venus cycle, embracing the Underworld journey, and so much more connected to the realm of mystery. Blue Lotus is not the true name of this plant, and actually refers to a completely different species, however, over time this name has become popularized instead of the original Egyptian Blue Water Lily. For those of us on the geeky side of plant medicine are aware of this, but to keep it simple for those coming to the table, I will refer to the Lily as Blue Lotus in this article.
I first met this being back in my undergraduate program in the early 2000’s, when I wiggled my way into a Masters course on mystical plants around the world. Coming from a long line of herbalists and being a plant nerd, the professor welcomed me in, if not with a bit of curious suspicion as to whether I could keep up (FYI, I did). In the course we learned about all kinds of plants used for altered states and rituals, such as the Witch’s flying potion (which I made and tried for my midterm project), and more importantly, Blue Lotus. Two women came to give a talk about the cultural, religious, and spiritual significance around this beautiful flower, and how it spread to different cultures in the region. After the presentation those who wished could come join them in a traditional ceremony, which I was clearly going to attend. What took place in the ceremony was private, and we were asked to keep the details to ourselves, but it was nothing short of a deeply mystical experience for me and many other participants.
EGYPTIAN COSMOLOGY
In Egyptian cosmology the Blue Water Lily grew out of nothingness, bringing life to the world from the chaos, from a mound of dirt, through the primordial waters into light. This origin story was also linked to the three God pantheon Sehkmet (the other side of Hathor), Ptah, and their son Nefretem, who was considered the personification of the plant itself, were worshiped in ancient Egypt through the Roman times. Representations of this plant could be seen throughout Egypt on carvings, paintings, found in tombs and burials, on pottery, and in the Temple of Horus giving it the weight of importance it is due.
The Blue Lotus is referred to as “the flower of enlightenment”, and is considered a gateway of communication to the Realm of the Gods, increasing intuition, meditation, visions, awareness, and lucid dreaming. When imbibed as a tea, the nervous system relaxes and creates a calming feeling within encouraging introspection, however, when served in a ritual manner as an infused wine, or paired with other plants, it unearths the subconsciousness and opens it up the the guardians who hold the keys to mystery.
While associated with the Sun God, Ra, it is also connected to the Moon, Venus, and the Underworld due to the flower’s remarkable lifecycle moving through birth, death, and rebirth over three days before sinking down entirely into the depths. It is not lost on myself, or many other scholars of this plant the connection it has to women’s personal rhythms we move through our life. Whether through menstruation, pregnancy, perimenopause, and menopause, women move in a similar manner of initiation. The relationship between this plant, the Underworld, and the Realm of Death is significant not just because of how it grows, but also the importance it held in adorning the sarcophagus of the Pharaohs, placed at funeral rites, and other burials believing this plant would usher the spirit from the great below into the light.
What is more interesting is that images, stories, paintings, and statues were found of this plant in cultures where it didn’t even grow, such as in Mesopotamia, Crete, Greece, early Sumeria, Rome, India, and China, 3000 years before Christ. Priestess (and Priest) cults dedicated to Nefretem, Isis (which Mary Magdalene trained in), Hathor, Horus, Dionysus, the Elysian Mysteries, and the Oracles of Delphi all have connections to working with the Blue Lotus in rituals through various mediums. For example, the Phrasikleia Kore, an Archaic Greek funerary statue created between 550 and 540 BCE, can be seen holding the Lotus bud in front of her heart, with a crown of the folded flower on her head. This is just one of the many ways Blue Lotus has been revered for its properties of spiritual transformation, death honoring, and otherworldly journeys leading those who work with it through doors of mystery into enlightenment.
WHY BLUE LOTUS?
While I could, and will in my upcoming Blue Lotus Plant Dieta this November 30th, go on about the amazing properties of this plant, I want to touch on its connection to the rise of the Priestess Path, plant medicines, ritual, and shamanism.
While Blue Lotus used to grow freely along the Nile in Egypt, now the plant is cultivated since there is no longer a fertile safe place for this being to flourish. Due to damming the Nile, restricting nutrients and water flow, there has also been an accumulation of toxins and trash where once was lush land. We see this happening all everywhere with massive floods, fires and earthquakes. The Elders around the world have been crying out about this for decades, however we are in a state that it is hard to ignore the destruction taking place. Here in Peru we talk about Ayini, a Quechua word roughly meaning reciprocity, but that is not the whole story. It is about showing up for each other, but also the Earth/Pachamama, through offerings, rituals, prayers, nourishing agricultural and farming practices, beneficial waste management, reusable energy, and not taking more than one needs to keep balance with the only home we all have, Earth (the fishing and oil industries seriously need to be checked).
In Goddess focused cultures dating back 40,000 years or more (with evidence) the connection to the land was vital for human societies to thrive, cultivate medicine and food, and receive spiritual fulfillment. However, it was based not just on observation of the cycles honored in nature and the cosmos, but rather the relationship with these rhythms which were also seen in the body of women. Seeing your cycles mirrored in nature gives one a sense of kinship and divinity, reduces shame and fear around one’s lived experience, and deepens one’s purpose. Human societies cannot grow without women’s ability to bleed and give birth, and women need their mothers, aunties, and grandmothers to show them the way. By removing this connection to the Divine Feminine, which is also the living, breathing Earth, and replacing it with the patriarchal and hierarchical notion that God is a man and lives “out there”, only to be heard by men has been the downfall of all of our civilizations over the last 4000 years.
Even the Egyptians held women and their Goddesses in high regard, understanding the symbiotic nature of the masculine and feminine. To bring it back to the Blue Lotus/Blue Water Lily, Nefretem (a male) was considered the embodiment of the flower, yet the cycles it went through to be divinely female. Yes, of course men have cycles too, but none so prominent or connected to nature. Ancient cultures predating patriarchal religions understood the importance of both sexes, even when there was rising sexism and misogyny. I do not in any way believe there was a golden civilization without some form of the above, but I do believe that our connection to nature being alive, and in the body of a Goddess, who deserves our Ayini after all she does for us, to be the right direction to head in.
The rise of psychedelics, AKA Sacred Earth Medicines, interest in indigenous cultures, witchcraft, herbalism, permaculture, priestess devotion to Rose Medicine, the Venus Path, Isis, Mary Magdalene, and so many more women’s mystery traditions is a reflection of the Goddess reaching out through these practices. Women are remembering, not just discovering, who they are in the tapestry of the Universe, and coming home to the power that has been waiting within to be released. In times like these, it is important for women (and men) to rise up against the imbalances in the world causing harm to us all. I truly believe working with plant medicines in various ways reconnects us to the Earth and reduces the selfishness seen around us. It is in them that we find the voice of the Goddess beckoning us home.
Come join us November 30th online as we journey with Blue Lotus, connecting with the Crown Gateway Venus passes through, as she descends across the sky over the next 9 months before entering the Underworld. You will learn lucid dreaming techniques, more about the cultures supporting this plant, rituals, ceremonies, and meditations to support your spiritual evolution. Reach out for details, or follow the link HERE.
Until then, Stay Wild!
Seven Crow
October 26th, 2026 - Cusco, Peru
