The lotus flower
“The lotus flower blooms most beautifully from the deepest and thickest mud.”
The lotus has great meaning and symbolism in Eastern cultures. For the Egyptians, the flower represented the universe. In Hindu culture, gods and goddesses sat on lotus thrones. And a story tells that the Buddha appeared atop of a floating lotus, and his first footsteps on Earth left lotus flowers to blossoms.
In the Northern hemisphere we can enjoy the water liles, as shown on numerous oil paintings by Claude Monet, and the photo below.