The lily plant is scientifically grouped as a member of the lillium genus of plants.
It’s mandarin name is bai he (百合) which literally translates to hundred combinations. It is also sometimes referred to as lan (蘭) which is actually usually a reference to orchids.
When mentioned in Chinese culture and feng shui, it is mostly with reference to the day-lily which is also known as hemerocallis. It is also a symbol of summer season.
However in modern times, pond lilies or water lilies are also appropriate representation.
It is a plant that symbolizes gratitude and finding happiness to what has been given rather than focusing on the problems from what one does not have.
Lilies are therefore a symbol very appropriate for zen activities as people try to forget about the materialistic world and focus on what really matters in life other than money.
This meaning can be partly attributed to the painting (with poem) of day lilies painted by the famous artist Yun Shouping (惲壽平).
It also carries with it connotations with fertility luck. Thus, becoming a popular symbolic gift for newly weds representing a wish for sons.
They can supposedly activate chakras within the body.
It must be added that in the study of dreams, the peace lily can be associated with love or death.
Part of the plant, like lily roots, are commonly used for TCM in inducing relaxation.
Legend of lily plant
It was said that during the reign of the last Emperor of the Qi dynasty, the chosen one was so infatuated with the small feet of one of his concubines that he proclaimed that with each step she takes, a beautiful lily spruces up from the ground she steps on. This was a catalyst in later years to the ancient practice of feet-binding as small feet was an attribute of beautiful women.
The golden lily is a term used to describe cute tiny women feet that are small sized.
The iris flower, which also belongs to the lily family was also commonly used in the old days to deter evil.
When depicted with persimmon and mushrooms, it means a wish for your plans to go accordingly to your thoughts.
When illustrated with a stone, the latter is most probably the longevity stone. Conveying the message of good health and long life.
Feng shui
The lily flower is one of the most frequently recommended feng shui flowers for display and paintings at home.
In fact, if you ask a master practitioner what plants you should have for a painting in the living room, the odds are probably 9 out of 10 that he or she would list daylilies as one of the options.
This is because the flowering plants has no direct connotations with specific life aspects, except that of spirituality. And every person would probably be able to benefit from some of that peace and tranquility from within.
Pink or white lilies in particular are pretty popular. Maybe because of it’s resemblance to the lotus.
Zen activities also often claim that lilies are spiritual plants and are able to transcend peace to bliss.
This makes them very appropriate as decorations for meditation rooms.
They can also be placed in living rooms and bedrooms.
If you have feng shui OCD, you might be curious as to which directional sectors would be appropriate for the placement of lily plants.
While a single plants is not going to have much impact on feng shui, if you are meticulous, then the areas of north, south, east and southeast are home sectors that are in harmony with the wood element (element of plants).
If you want to go deeper into that, then the yen nian and tian yi sectors indicated by 8 mansions can also be appropriate places to place this plant.
So if either of these two sectors fall on any of the directional sectors mentioned above, it can be deduced that the sectors in question would be ideal for lily plant placement.
