Image of the Mystic Flower

Abstract

The most recently constructed Bahá’í House of Worship, situated in Bahapur, India, was dedicated in December 1985. The attractive and compelling design of this building creates the visual effect of a large, white lotus blossomappearing to emerge from the pools of water circled around it. The lotus flower, identified by the psychiatrist Carl Jung as an archetypal symbol, carries with it many meanings. This article will explore these meanings both in the traditions of the Indian subcontinent and in other cultures and other eras. In addition, the article will show that the flower imagery relates also to symbols employed in the Bahá’í Writings and, while reiterating the meanings of the past, also functions as a powerful image announcing the appearance of Bahá’u’lláh, the Manifestation of God for this day.