Young women have always been fascinated by floral tattoos and the current rage is Lotus Flower Tattoos. The range and diversity of lotus flower tattoo designs available today is testament to the creativity and artistry of skilled and imaginative people who have built upon the fascination and inspiration provided by this beautiful flower.
To a wide swathe of the Eastern world, the lotus is what the rose symbolizes to the Western mind. It traces a connection to the origin of life itself, a link that is being rediscovered in the form of tattoo designs derived from the lotus and customized to individual tastes.
Symbolism And Meaning
The esthetic beauty and appeal of lotus flower tattoos is partly the consequence of the flower’s inherent symmetry and allure. But the overall surge in popularity of this trend has to do with its symbolism and hidden meanings which are open to several interpretations.
Religious connotations differ among people. The way a lotus flower is depicted in tattoos – open, partly closed, or fully closed – has subtle and nuanced significance to the wearer. And the color choice of one’s lotus flower tattoos is loaded with even more spirit and substance.
White lotus flower tattoos, for instance, represent purity and perfection, as well as spiritual enlightenment and mental evolution. Known as “Flowers of the Buddha”, white lotuses are special in many parts of the world.
Each different colored lotus carries its own significance, though, and none is objectively better or worse than another. Picking one, like any tattoo, is a matter of personal choice and taste.
A lotus flower tattoo carries an element of grace and elegance because of its gentle, soft contours and array of colorful options. With a firmly established link to the spiritual, it suggests a form of anchoring in one’s faith and beliefs which adds to its charisma.
Lotus flower tattoos have come to stand for calm, composed peacefulness and serenity. They combine power with tenderness in an uncommon style that speaks to many youngsters who sport their tattoos proudly and happily.
The fact that accounts most for their appeal, however, may well be that the meaning of one’s lotus tattoo is always up to the wearer, who is the only person who best knows and understands what it signifies. That offers irresistible appeal to choose a lotus flower design over any other options.
Tradition And History
The lotus comes with its own rich Asian traditions. The sacred perennial blossom holds a special place for followers of several major world religions including Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains. It represents struggle, change and growth.
The history of a lotus and its symbolism is long, rich and treasured. Egyptian mythology connects the very beginning of life on earth to the blooming of a lotus from the sea. In Middle Eastern cultures, the lotus still remains a symbol of origin and reincarnation.
The Chinese consider a lotus to represent all that is pure and beautiful about women, and is said to inspire marital harmony. In the West, a lotus stands for new beginnings, and a search for meaning. Interestingly, regardless of regional differences, the lotus flower is always a positive symbol.
In Hinduism, the sacred lotus known as ‘Padma’ is the embodiment of divine purity and beauty associated with the Creators – Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma. The opening of its petals are thought to indicate the expansion of the soul and spiritual awakening.
Followers of the Buddha believe that he was born from a white lotus whose 8 petals represent the Eightfold Path. The way a lotus that originates in muddy water yet retains its purity symbolizes the soul which remains pristine and flawless despite a worldly existence.
Even in classical and contemporary literature, the lotus has been represented positively to highlight messages of importance and significance. Zhou Dunyi, an 11th century Confucian scholar, referred to how the lotus itself remains unstained despite blooming in mud and slime.
No wonder the lotus has come to symbolize purity, new beginnings, hope, endurance and long-lasting beauty. It stands for a pure body, clean speech and clear thinking.
Design And Form
Deeply and intimately religious symbols have always lured people to ink them on their skin, and the lotus flower is no exception. Adding to the attraction of having a lotus flower tattoo is the fact that it can be imprinted on men and women alike. It also looks nice anywhere on the body.
Design possibilities are limitless. There are several remarkable options for lotus flower tattoos that are either very simple or terribly complex, depending upon your preferences and tastes.
While making a weighty decision about a tattoo they will wear for the rest of their lives, some people nitpick and get fussy. There are extensive galleries of images and photographs online that offer hundreds of ideas for a lotus flower tattoo.
Even the hardest to please will find something that piques their curiosity or speaks to their heart.
Few other designs combine a lovely visual impact with symbolism like a lotus flower tattoo. The flower is readily recognized for what it is, and the connection with a deeper meaning is almost instinctive for most people across cultures, religions and geography.
This accounts for the growing global popularity of tattoo designs derived from a lotus flower theme.
Significance of Color
Does color matter for lotus flower tattoos? Clearly, yes. Different colored lotuses have interesting and unique connotations.
A blue lotus, for example, stands for wisdom and knowledge. It represents intelligence that enriches and enhances spiritualism. It can be thought to reflect a strong spirit that will resist temptation and lead a life of nobility and honor. It’s the reason why a blue lotus is tattooed half-open, as if to indicate that the process of inner growth is never complete, but continues for life.
White lotus flower tattoos reflect enlightenment, purity and perfection – in a spiritual and intellectual sense. Representing calm and quiet, this form of bodily inking could suggest a stable, restful state of mind that is reconciled with itself and the world around it.
A red lotus, symbolizing love, passion and fire, is a contrast that’s so energetic it is often tattooed in full bloom. Called the ‘heart lotus’, it stands for the fullness of life, with all its joy and verve, excitement and enthusiasm.
The purple lotus flower is of particular importance in a Buddhist context, where it is considered a sacred flower used to decorate deities. A lotus flower tattoo in that hue indicates spiritualism in its entirety.
Size and Location
Among other choices to make about lotus flower tattoos are the size and location. A major advantage is that a lotus tattoo looks nice in any size. Some lotus flower tattoos are tiny. Others are large and complex. All of them can look good.
Picking a location to get inked with a lotus is often made on practical grounds, as there seems to be no universal meaning attached to where your tattoo is sited.
Larger designs go well on the back or chest, where they can also be covered up if necessary. Smaller ones on the wrist, elbow, inner side of the arm, shoulder or foot will always be visible.
Lotus tattoos can image the flower alone or in water, singly or in larger numbers, and may even be matched for balance and harmony with another lotus, or a tribal element for contrast.
It is little wonder that lotus flowers are among the most popular choices for tattoo designs today. They are woven into contemporary as well as traditional designs, created in varying levels of complexity, and inked in color or black. They are versatile, representative and symbolic, in rich and personal ways.
The range of personalized meaning, symbolism and implication possible with a lotus flower tattoo is only restrained by the power of one’s imagination – and the skill of an artist’s needle.
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