Flower of Life Symbols
Found in India & Other Locations
Included: India, Turkey, Spain, China,
Marrakesh, Lebanon, Egypt, Austria, Denmark,
the Louvre and More
Updated: September 23 , 2008
(More photos are below)
Report by Marja de Vries (the Netherlands) - September, 2001
"I found the Flower of Life last summer in India.
Last summer I went for the first time in my life to India and already on the third day of my stay in that country (july 30, 2001) I happened to be in Amritsar, a city in Punjab, and found a beautiful Flower of Life made out of marble inlay at the Golden Temple of the Sikhs. I was on my way to Ladakh and did not know anything about Amritsar nor about the Sikhs. I only had seen a few pictures of the Golden Temple and I liked the mosaic patterns on the marble floors on those photo's so I wanted to see this place.
Before I entered the area of the Golden Temple I had to take off my shoes and cover my head. This way I went down the steps to the "Pool of Nectar", the water that surrounds the Golden Temple and immediately I felt an atmospheer of peace and tranquility. Together with many other people I started to walk clockwise around the tank enjoying looking at the people dressed in their most beautiful dresses, looking at the reflections of the temple in the water and looking at the mosaics in the marble floor all around us.
The last week before I left for India I had been reading "The Ancient Secret of the Flower of Life" books as a preparation for the Flower of Life workshop I was going to follow in september instead of reading books about India to prepare myself for this journey. As soon as I arrived in India I did not think one minute about the Flower of Life anymore... until I was about halfway walking around the parikrama and looking once again towards the Golden Temple and suddenly saw it. Here as one of the hundreds of mosaics in the marble floor that surrounds the water, there was the Flower of Life. I could not belief my eyes. I had not expected this here at all. While standing there looking at it I tried to remember which countries Drunvalo mentioned in his books, but I could not remember having read that India was one of the countries where he had found the Flower of Life.
And this was not in a hidden place, it was not small, it was not hard to see. It was completely out in the open visible for all the thousands of people who come there every day, pilgrims as well as tourists. I did not see any one paying attention to this Flower of Life and I did not find any person there who seemed to know about it.
And this is also not an ancient temple. I bought a book about this place and learned that the Sikh religion started about 500 years ago with Guru Nanak. This place was chosen by the fourth Guru Ram Das to make the site a pilgrimage centre. At that time the Pool of Nectar was no more than a pond that lay amidst thick forest and the fifth Guru, Arjun Dev, started to build a temple here in 1581 A.D. Of course I was curious what the book would say about the Flower of Life. Well, nothing. It was nowhere mentioned and it was not on one of the more than 80 beautiful photographs of this place.
I walked around the tank three more times to look at all the marble inlays, but this one seemed to be the only one of the Flower of Life."
Below are more photos of the FOL symbol found in India.
Submitted by Aiyana Willard (Canada).
Symbol found in Hampi, India. Symbol found in a Buddhist Temple in Ajanta, India
Sai Baba's Ashram, Prashanti Nilayam, Puttaparthi, India
"At the entrance of the Baghawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba ashram there is a gate that covers and protects Ganesh's temple, and the whole gate's design is made of the Flower of Life symbol! Unfortunately, photography is not allowed."-- By Juan Carlos Toffano, FOL Graduate (Mexico).
FOL Symbol in the Louvre
by Nancy Altmann
"The first time I ever saw the Flower of Life motif was last January in the Louvre. I was studying the Mesopotamian section with a friend of mine, and I saw the motif carved into a slab of gypseous alabaster that's about 3 and a half feet by 5 and a half feet.With carved tassles on all sides, it was made to look like a rug and was probably once painted. According to the museum, it was once laid in the entrance of the ancient Palace of Assourbanipal in Nineva, and dates back to c. 645 BC. I had no idea what the motif was at the time but stood there mesmerized, staring at it for well over half an hour. I couldn't take my eyes off it. I finally managed to peel myself away but kept going back to look at it."
[Note: Nancy said the Louvre does not allow photographs to be taken, but she is going to see if she can get a photo of this particular piece. Thank you to Nancy for sharing this story!]
FOL Symbol in Turkey
While touring Turkey this summer, I passed by the enchanting city of Ephesus, in Izmir. One of my companions had a priviliged entrance being a reporter, so we were able to enter the sealed off area. While moving to the top, I noticed the FOL mosaic on the roof of one of the little houses. It was so magical to actually see it in life. It's around 8x8 m. It took me by surprise. It was so beautiful. Right across from it is another symbol (of the Sun I suppose).
Taher Afridi, Network Engineer, Dubai UAE.
"In September 2002, I made a trip to Turkey. In the Topkape's Palace, in Istanbul, in a room where they keep the suits worn by the sultans, what I noticed most were these garments called Mystic Shirts (below.) These shirts were worn under the clothing and they had a great number of sacred symbols on them to protect the sultan." -- Submitted by Eduardo Antunes, FOL Graduate (Venezuela).
The first photo on the left is a full image of a Mystic Shirt. The photo on the right is a close up of the sleeve, with the Flower of Life pattern (extended.)
FOL Symbol in Cordoba, Spain
-- Submitted by Conchita Castellanos, (Mexico).
FOL Symbol in Beijing, China
"I am taking this opportunity to send you a lion with the FOL ball [under its paw]. It is sitting pretty in the Forbidden City courtyard, guarding the temple in Beijing, China. This lion may probably be the most known Flower of Life pattern holder ..." -- Submitted by FOL Facilitator, Marie Pavel (Australia).
The first photo on the left is a full image of the guardian at the Forbidden City in Beijing. The photo on the right is a close up of the FOL ball. Though hard to see on the photo, the pattern is very intricate and precise.
Egg of Life Symbol in Marrakesh &
Flower of Life Symbol in Lebanon
(on tablet from Baalbek)
Marrakesh: There is an imprint of the central flower of the Egg of Life pattern above the entrance to the Saadin Tombs in Marrakesh (at the end of the very narrow passage that opens onto the main mausoleum). You can't miss it. The tombs were started by the Saadin Sultan Ahmed al Mansour in the late 1500s. Recognising the symbol myself, when I asked our guide what the symbol represented, he just said that it was decorative ... I didn't have a camera on me at the time, and I didn't have a chance to go back and take a picture. A real shame.
Lebanon: Having come back from my trip to Marrakesh, I asked to find the symbol in my own country, Lebanon. One month later, I landed in Beirut for the Christmas holidays. 48 hours after landing, I was at a house party north of the city. When it was time to leave, I went to get my coat. As I was putting it on, I looked down and saw this 50cm x 50cm tablet with the ENTIRE Flower of Life pattern engraved OUT of the stone (ie. would leave an imprint if used as a stamp).
I asked the hostess (owner's daughter) about the provenance of the tablet and she said that all her father's archeological remains were from the ancient site of Baalbek. In Lebanon, of the archeological remains that have not been looted and exported, many are in private hands locally. They are now thankfully all registered and cannot be exported.
Submitted by Michael (London, England)
Also, the photos below were submitted by a FOL student. Their locations are noted below the photo.
From left to right: FOL symbol in Marrakesh at the Sultan's Bahia palace. FOL symbol in the house of the berber sovereign El Gaui in Quarzazate.
FOL Symbol at the Osirian Temple
in Abydos, Egypt
Flower of Life Symbols in
Lower Austria, Austria
Location: In the Federal State of Lower Austria
Town: Weitra, in the upper north west of the federal state
Street: Auhofgasse
At one evening, we took a guided tour in an old medieval-like town in the north-west of the country. They have some historic sites, for example an impressive medieval castle. Among other sites, you can visit a historic room (about 40 square meters) with a ceiling made of wood piles from the late gothic ages (so I expect them to be at least 500 years old, maybe they are much older). The piles have lots of carvings in them.
When I glanced over the wall, I couldn't believe my eyes: There was a large Flower Of Life carved in the wood! It measured nearly half a meter (about 20 inches) in diameter. I couldn't believe that nobody else noticed it, it drew only my attention. I was excited because this was one stalwart proof for me that the information in the books were correct. The Flower Of Life was complete, exactly like on the book's cover. On the left side there was a Seed Of Life of the same size. On the right side, there was a sun-like symbol.
On the piles of the ceiling were lots of carvings with additional Seeds Of Life and different symbols that looked like if they had sacred geometry in them. The most numerous symbol was the core of the Seed Of Life: The simple six-leafed flower. It can be found in nearly every traditional home in Austria. It is very often carved in old wood furniture. It is amazing, if you have the background knowledge: Symbols showing the initial creation are everywhere!
About the Location: The building (it is a normal house) is currently used for rehearsals of the local traditional music association. It can be easily visited, just ask in the town hall for a guided tour. Single persons can also take a self-guided audio tour with a walkman in return for about 4 Euros. It lasts about one hour.
Flower of Life Symbol
Pennsylvania Dutch Hex Signs
See the web site: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~aferm/pennsylvania/hex.htm
Seed of Life - 1st Century BC
from one of the palaces of King Herod
(from the Israel Museum)
Submitted by Samantha Birch
Flower of Life - Scotland
I just found this image of St Magnus Cathedral, showing what they call “an early stone slab showing a crusader’s sword and cross (possibly 13th century)”. Check again: it’s a flower of life module!
It is located in Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland
Submitted by FOL Facilitator Malu Renzo (Brazil).
Flower of Life - Bulgaria
Photo taken of the FOL carved on a wall stone in the ancient city of
Preslav, Bulgaria (893 BC)
This photo was taken in the ruins of Kabile, near the city of Jambol.
Denmark
Images are from Tønning church. The church is located in: Brædstrup - Denmark
http://www.toenning-traeden.dk/toenningkirke.htm .
The Seed of Life pattern was painted in 1400 century. Photos taken by Carsten Cramon.
Zdroj: FOLR
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