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Flower of Life Meaning & Symbolism: What It Is & What it Can Do For You

INSIDE: The Flower of Life shows pleasingly symmetrical designs that you can endlessly trace to find new patterns and overlaps. Within these intricate shapes, the Flower of Life meaning can infuse spiritual symbolism into your life.

 

Nature never ceases to enchant and amaze us, even though it wrecks havoc sometimes too. 

We talk frequently about how natural crystals have an ordered structure deep inside that gives them shape and vibrational power. We’ve written about crystal grids and geometric patterns to attract positive energy that transforms and manifests abundance.

Some of these geometric patterns occur naturally, like in the fractal patterns of fern leaves or Romanesque broccoli spirals. There has been wide scientific debate about defining and measuring the golden ratio to define all natural growth. 

Fibonacci’s Sequence, a mathematical logarithmic formula for a spiral that is closely tied to the golden ratio, dates in name back to the tenth century, but its use is found even earlier in ancient Sanskrit texts.

While it might not truly explain how everything in the universe grows, it is a nifty idea to think about structures and patterns in nature that seem to multiply into infinity.

With all the math and science swirling around, sacred geometry seems to take on even greater relevance. Let’s take a closer look at one particular sacred geometric shape: the Flower of Life.

Beyond its mesmerizing appearance, the Flower of Life meaning can make a serious impact on how you define and nurture your spiritual life. 

Amethyst Geodes

What is the Flower of Life?

The Flower of Life has a distinct form combining overlapping circles that when seen can transport your mind to new realms of thought.

The Flower of Life Form

We introduced Fibonacci’s Sequence and the golden ratio in the beginning of this article. Well, the Flower of Life doesn’t actually expand outwards into infinity. It is contained within 1-2 large circles.

The overlays of circles within create patterns that seem to produce infinite shapes and depths.

Flower of Life Symbolism

The Flower of Life typically holds 19 circles with equal diameters within its larger circumference. These inner circles, starting with one at the very center, intersect or tangentially connect in evenly-spaced designs.

Usually, the Flower of Life starts with the center circle and six surrounding circles linked to the center’s circumference as well as each neighboring circle’s circumference. This simple structure already evokes the symbolic symbol of a flower, resembling a common daisy.

Circles are added that cross through the centers of the foundational 7 circles, matched in size.

As more and more circles enter the picture, the image of perfectly symmetrical flowers emerges. You can trace them endlessly through different intersections and variations.

So if it’s a bunch of circles, you might wonder how it got the flower label. What is the Flower of Life exactly then? 

Elements of the Flower of Life

There are two important elemental areas that lend clarity to the Flower of Life meaning.

First, geometrically, the Flower of Life contains the blueprints of what are known as the 5 platonic solids:

  1. Tetrahedron
  2. Hexahedron
  3. Octahedron
  4. Dodecahedron
  5. Icosahedron

They aren’t so easily understood on two-dimensional paper but rather take form in three dimensions. That’s how the arches in the Flower of Life help depict their depths.

Platonic Solids

These solids are all contained within Metatron’s Cube, as well as versions of the Flower of Life, along with the star tetrahedron, which is otherwise known as Merkaba. These 3D shapes are believed to contain the energy fields around each individual.

Second, symbolically, the Flower of Life contains within its outer circumference the sacred signs that help develop the full story behind the Flower of Life meaning. These signs are the Egg of Life, the Seed of Life, the Tree of Life, and the Fruit of Life.

The Egg of Life and Seed of Life are sometimes described interchangeably but actually have differences. The Egg of Life can either be defined as the center circle itself but usually encompasses the 7 foundational circles that touch only on the circumferences.

Seed of Life

The Seed of Life also starts at the center circle but includes 6 circles overlapping through the centers of each of the 7 circles.

The Tree of Life grows from the Seed of Life. While we are used to seeing the Tree of Life with detailed roots and branches decorated with healing crystals, within the Flower of Life, its trunk is the defining feature of its geometry.

Tree of Life in Flower of Life

The Fruit of Life consists of 13 circles that show an expanded image of the center of the Tree of Life as it springs forth from this entity.

Fruit of Life

Significance

With so many elements found within, the Flower of Life meaning provides foundational substance in defining and understanding sacred geometry.

Much more than a decorative pattern, the Flower of Life symbolizes the infinite cycle of life, from embryonic potential growing through to a ripe fruit that holds the next iteration of life.

This cycle of creation tells the story of how each life starts as an embryo that leads to a seed capable of expanding into a new form. The Tree of Life – often linked to ideas of family and love – bears fruit that in the center holds the image of the embryo again.

When you zoom out and see all the overlapping circles and those that only touch at the edges, this represents the universe and each existing life within it, each small circle. Some of these circles will intersect during life, while others may not, but they all contribute to the harmony of the full universe.

And those circles that do intersect have the potential to draw something new to bear fruit.

Zodiac Stones

History of the Flower of Life 

This incredible product of sacred geometry that embeds the blueprint of the universe has a story of its own. Though its impossible to trace the Flower of Life meaning to a single origin, it has wound its way into history in so many ways.

In archaeological sites worldwide, traces of some iteration of the Flower of Life have been found. The name itself came much later, perhaps coined by those individuals who studied the geometry and math of the shapes or who uncovered the images from ancient messages. Its etymology remains unclear.

What is known are two of the oldest versions of the Flower of Life. It was first found imprinted on Assyrian relics from at least 645 BC.

Later, archaeologists uncovered an even older depiction of the Flower of Life. In Egypt at the site of the Temple of Osiris, the Flower of Life had been brandished on granite stone with red ochre that preserved its image through the millennia – for at least 6,000 years. Researchers speculate that the pattern and the color represented the Eye of Ra, the sun god.

What is the Flower of Life

How Has it Been Used in Different Cultures? 

These ancient appearances contribute to the Flower of Life symbolism that has run through religions, arts, and other spiritual cultures. 

Religions

Many religions have found importance in the Flower of Life meaning. In particular, Judaism and Christianity have carried forth significant messages related to their belief systems.

In Judaism, especially Kabbalah, followers recognize the Tree of Life as a depiction of the name of God. Found within the Flower of Life, the Tree of Life holds 10 spiritual symbols, called Sephiroth, that correspond to certain aspects of God and an individual’s chakras.

Christians reach for another of the elements of the Flower of Life – the Seed of Life. With its 7 intersecting circles, the Seed of Life is believed to represent the 7 days that God took to create the universe. The symmetry of the Seed of Life and each circle demonstrate the interconnectedness and importance of each part of creation. 

These religious messages resonate beyond just Judaism and Christianity and can be found in other cultures espousing similar origin stories and spiritual practices.

Arts

It is evident just looking at the Flower of Life why artists would incorporate its pattern in works of art – it is stunningly beautiful and complex.

One artist in particular really wanted to understand what is the Flower of Life. Leonardo da Vinci spent significant time studying the elements in the Flower of Life, namely the 5 platonic solids. He worked to try to make sense of the Golden Ratio of Phi.

That’s why in many of his sketches and masterpieces, you can trace the intersecting circles that layout the blueprints for his images.

Modern Spiritual Practice 

Drawing on the myriad ways that the Flower of Life meaning has evolved over time, in modern spiritual practice, it has particular use.

For those who affiliate with metaphysical beliefs, the sacred geometry of the Flower of Life holds the record of everything that has happened in time and space – in other words, the Akashic record.

In a more general New Age spiritual practice, people believe that studying the lines and forms in the Flower of Life will lead you to enlightenment.

Spiritual Gifts

What Can the Flower of Life Meaning Do For You?

Whether you’re a New Age thinker or devoutly religious believer, the Flower of Life symbolism can help amplify your spiritual intentions and explorations.

Concentration

One of the most universally recognized impacts of the Flower of Life is its ability to hone our concentration. With its mesmerizing patterns and symmetries, the Flower of Life helps tune out what surrounds you so that you can focus in on its image.

It’s a great meditation tool. You can design crystal grids or display artwork with the Flower of Life in order to invigorate your sacred space with soothing vibrations to bring your energy into balance and harmony.

The Flower of Life meaning that shows the circle of life serves to remind us to calmly live life because the cycles are inevitable.

Spirit Connection

Another important way to use the Flower of Life is to make connection with divine realms.

Containing the blueprints of physical manifestation, as well as spiritual ascendance, the Flower of Life facilitates the interaction of human life to spirit life.

Concentrating on the Flower of Life can allow you to receive divine messages that help you understand your purpose within the interconnected universal unit.

Protection

Finally, the Flower of Life meaning also reverberates protection. Its image soothes and dissipates stress and negativity.

Even more, reflective of the strength and endurance of plant life, the Flower of Life serves to protect the natural world of flora and humans.

It helps us envision our full, healthy bodies and live in ways that nourish our physical, mental, and spiritual forms.

Final Thoughts

As a fundamental component of sacred geometry, the Flower of Life contains much more than mathematical equations and symmetrical shapes.

The Flower of Life meaning offers protection and focus as you explore the infinite realms of the universe depicted in its lines and circles.

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Flower of Life Meaning & Symbolism What It Is & What it Can Do For You

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