The Lotus
Padma
Rising from the mud, to open on the water.
The Lotus: what does it mean in analytical psychology?
In his seminar on Kundalini yoga (1932) Jung followed the chakras, the lotuses of the subtle body, from the root to the crown, and read them as stages of consciousness.
The lotus grows from the mud of the depths through the water to open in the light: the image of a consciousness that rises out of the unconscious without leaving it.
The Lotus: where does it appear in myth and tradition?
Brahma, born on the lotus from Vishnu’s navel; the lotus seat of the Buddha; Om mani padme hum, “the jewel in the lotus”; the lotus of Egypt, which opened with the sun.
From the Sources
Jung retells a Hindu myth in which Vishnu, sunk in ecstasy, bore Brahma, who rose enthroned on the lotus flower from Vishnu's navel, bringing the Vedas.
“Vishnu sank into an ecstasy (introversion) and during this state of sleep bore Brahma, who, enthroned upon the lotus flower, arose from the navel of Vishnu, bringing with him the Vedas, which he diligently read.”
Dr. C. G. Jung, Psychology of the Unconscious: A Study of the Transformations and Symbolisms of the Libido, Part II, Chapter VI, "The Battle for Deliverance from the Mother". Authorized translation, with introduction, by Beatrice M. Hinkle, M.D.; New York: Moffat, Yard and Company, 1916. The text, read in part
Pliny reports it said of the lotus of the Euphrates that after midnight its head begins to return upwards, emerging wholly from the water at sunrise to open its flower, and then rising until it stands high above the water.
“…after midnight it commences to return upwards, and gradually becomes more and more erect till sunrise, when it emerges entirely from the water and opens its flower; after which it still continues to rise, until at last it is to be seen raised quite aloft, high above the level of the water.”
Pliny the Elder, The Natural History of Pliny, Vol. III, Book XIII, Chapter 32, "The Lotus". Translated, with copious notes and illustrations, by the late John Bostock, M.D., F.R.S., and H. T. Riley, Esq., B.A. (Project Gutenberg eBook #59131). The text, read in part
Each passage is quoted from the text named, which the press fetched and read, and was checked word for word against a fresh copy of it; the link opens that copy. Passages are given as printed, without the editors’ footnote numbers, and with words broken across lines joined.
Where to Read
- The Psychology of Kundalini Yoga: Notes of the Seminar Given in 1932 (1996)
- “Commentary on The Secret of the Golden Flower,” CW 13
Jung’s writings are cited by the volume of the Collected Works (CW), Bollingen Series / Princeton, 1953–79.
Related Symbols
Also among Growing Things
“Learn as much as you can about symbolism; then forget it all when you are analysing a dream.”
Cite This Entry
“The Lotus.” In Symbols of the Psyche, the Symbolarium. The Thinking Press, 2026. https://thethinkingpress.org/symbolarium/psyche/lotus.
Nearby in the alphabet: Lightning: Sudden illumination, and sudden change. The Lion: Royal and devouring power. The Magician: The master of hidden powers, and their temptation. The Maiden: The girl carried below and returned.