Nymphaea Caerulea – Blue Lotus
History of Nymphaea Caerulea
Nymphaea Caerulea - Blue Lotus water lily is a world renowned ancient herbal spiritual tool and described narcotic. Its depiction in ancient Egyptian papyri and multiple secret society priest-crafts arose in the 5th dynasty and became ubiquitous through the 18th dynasty, suggesting it was used at many levels of the spiritual hierarchy of the time. The blooming of its flowers pedals was taken symbolically by the egyptians as the ressurrection of Osiris, blooming for 3 days out of the year, only opening for a few hours each day. This cycle brought personage of the ability to cross from the world of the living to the world of the dead. Just as the oracles of Delphi propitiators held laurel leaves, so too did those of the cult of Osiris and Horus demand the Blue Lotus for ceremony. It was likewise used for entering trance states meant for divination, prophesying, and for shamanistic ritual and ceremony among the Mayans across Mexico. Its use in Mayan psychedelic recipes involved other entheogens and even toad venom has allowed it to adopt a mythological stance among the gods which persists even to this day.
The Lotus in the Book of Spells
Book of Spells - Papyrus of Ani - Plate 38
"As if I had slept a thousand years underwater, I wake into a new season. I am the blue lotus rising. I am the cup of dreams and memory opening — I, the thousand petaled flower. At dawn, the sun rises naked and new as a babe; I open myself and am entered by light. This is the joy, the slow awakening into fire as one by one the petals open, as the fingers that held tight the secret unfurl. I let go of the past and release the fragrance of flowers.”
“I open and light descends, fills me and passes through. I float, content within myself, one flower with a thousand petals, one life lived a thousand years without haste, one universe sparking a thousand stars, one God alive in a thousand people. I am the blue lotus rising”.
———- Becoming the Lotus from the Papyrus of Ani.
Modern Medicinal Research
There is actually very little in depth research into the Caerulea sp. A phytochemical assay of the N. Caerulea remains elusive to the author of this work. Current research has inferred information about Nymphaa Caeruelea from the study of Nulembo Nucifera. These two Lilies phytochemical profile is considered to be very similar. Rigorous scientific research and thousands of years of observable historical shamanistic usage has suggested the Lily carries potent alkaloids that act as a powerful sedative, sleep-aid, and anxiety reliever. New research is looking into one of its active compounds, apomorphine, as a useful tool against Parkinson's disease which is also showing considerable promise for its use as an addiction treatment. Throughout history it has shown to reduce the alcoholic cravings by working in the brain similar to dopamine. It's also said the compound nuciferine, another psychotropic alkaloid can be responsible for the oneirophrenic catalepsy (dream-like trance state) by activating seratonin and dopamine receptors.
W.I.L.D.
Wake Induced Lucid Dreaming plant medicine, in other words, Oneirogenic plant medicine, is the form of herbalism this pharmacopeia specializes in. Blue Lotus is specifically chosen as an ideal candidate in the race to stillness. As denoted above, the Lotus can elevate your mood and stimulate your mind while subtly sedating your body. This is the ideal herb to use for an Alchemical Meditation.
Plant Based Spirituality went at length in episode one to explicate the proper use of Blue Lotus with meditation in order to achieve expanded states of awareness and inner visions. The blog on Alchemical Meditation is also an excellent blueprint for use with any herb to be used as a meditation guide and bridge to advanced natural knowledge. To sum it all up briefly here, the best way to use the Lotus to go WILD is to take it in water of under the tongue directly before a meditation or astral projection. Allowing the body to become completely still while keeping the mind awake is the key to continuity of consciousness across the continuum. Piloting your Mind to move across the manifolds of space upon its own accord is the task of Mastery. We are not alone in this task and there are many spirits and guides along the way and the sacred Lotus is a shining example.
Growing Information
Contrary to popular belief, Blue Lotus is not a true Lotus species. In fact, it is a Water Lily. This means it is not grown like the common Lotus. N. Caerulea seeds are teeny tiny inconspicuous little dark brownish black pods. As an aquatic plant, the seeds have a hard outer seed coat and usually undergo natural scarification and/or long periods of saturation before germination. This saturation can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months when done in controlled settings. The germination water should be dechlorinated and changed daily. When the seedlings have reached roughly 16 cm in length, they are ready to be moved to a pot. Aquatic potting soil can be used from the store, or you can make your own with a combination of 2 parts clay loam, 1 part sand, and 1 part compost. Place the soil in a small pot and place this pot in a larger pot containing water, or use one large pot with the potting mix packed at the bottom. Allow the mix to settle before seeding the seedlings. Maintain the temperature around 22 degreese celcius / 72 degreese farenheit.
Evolving the Lotus - Lab notes
Two ounces of organic hand picked Blue Lotus - Nymphaea Caerulea was sourced from "Herb Store 5" in Sri Lanka. Herbal material was ground to a powder with a mortar and pestle. Plant material was placed in a soxhlet apparatus under vaccuum and extracted with 10 ounces of 75.5 % neutral grain spirits. AFter two days the solvent ran clear and the herbal marc was filtered and pressed of all remaining plant juices. This solution was filtered multiple times and is termed the Spirit and Soul. The marc was then calcined to white ash, dissolved in water and filtered from the insoluble ash. The soluble salts in the aqueous solution were then crystallized from solution and ground to a fine powder. This salt powder was then reacted with the Spirit and Soul and cohobated for a period of 12 hours to encourage activation. The final spagyric was bottled on 2/20/2022.
Sources
The Sacred Narcotic Lily of the Nile: Nymphaea caerulea on JSTOR
The Blue Lotus Flower (Nymphea caerulea)
Pharmacological and Biological Properties of the Egyptian Lotus on JSTOR
