cred fig, for it was by rubbing together pieces of it that
holy fire was supposed to be drawn from heaven. By holy fire, however,
was meant not so much the natural visible element which was kindled, as
that subtle substance contained in fire or heat which was supposed
to contain the life principle, and which was sent in response to the
cravings of pious devotees for procreative energy, which blessing, among
various peoples, notably the Jews, was indicative of special divine
favor.

By pagans, Jews, and Christians, the pomegranate has long been
regarded as a sacred emblem. It is a symbol of reproductive energy.
Representations of it were embroidered on the Ephod, and Solomon's
Temple is reported as having been literally covered with decorations, in
which, among the devices noticed, this particular fruit appears the most
conspicuous. Its significance, as revealed by Inman and other writers,
is too gross to be set forth in these pages.

Among the most sacred plants or flowers were the lotus and the fleur
de lis, both of which were venerated because of some real or fancied
organic sexual peculiarity. The lotus is adored as the female principle
throughout Nature, or as the "womb of all creation," and is sacred
throughout oriental countries. It is said to be androgynous or
hermaphrodite--hence its peculiarly sacred character.

It has long been thought that this lily is produced without the aid of
the male pollen, hence it would seem to be an appropriate emblem for
that ancient sect which worshipped the female as the more important
creative energy.

Of the lotus, Inman remarks: "Amongst fourteen kinds of food and flowers
presented to the Sanskrit God Anata, the lotus only is indispensable."
This emblem, as we have seen, was the symbol of the Great Mother, and
we are assured that it was "little less sacred than the Queen of Heaven
herself."

Regarding the lotus and its universal significance as a religious
emblem, Payne Knight says:

"The lotus is the Nelumbo of Linnaeus. This plant grows in the water,
and amongst its broad leaves puts forth a flower, in the center of which
is formed the seed vessel, shaped like a bell or inverted cone, and
punctured on the top with little cavities or cells, in which the seeds
grow. The orifices of these cells being too small to let the seeds drop
out when ripe, they shoot forth into new plants, in the places where
they were formed, the bulb of the vessel serving as a matrix to nourish