According to the Egyptians, Ra was born from the bud of a lotus flower . The unfolding of the bud of divine light illuminated the muddy waters of Nun (the Formless Chaos) who withdrew showing the dry land. It thus represents the birth of the earth from chaos and, at the same time, light and order, the evolution aspects of the world and of mankind.

The lotus flower is a symbol of perfection, overcoming difficulties, as the lotus flower grows in muddy waters and dirty, and its roots go down deep down in the mud and blossoms above the muddy waters from which it comes, the more muddy is water and  the more beautiful will be the flower.