Meaning is in the mind of the beholder, I replied, and I then asked them to come up with their own interpretations.

Kate suggested: "When the moon is in the Seventh House and Mercury aligns with Mars... the Lotus will be in the South West".

Mark wrote: "The lotus blossom depicts the totally accomplished being, who has left the obscure water depths for the clarity of the full daylight. The Buddha is often represented sitting at the centre of an eight petal lotus. The centre is associated with the immutable Principle, from which irradiates the manifestation of any thing and being described by the eight cardinal and intermediary points of the “cosmic wheel”. This representation evokes the “compass rose”, a symbol related to the lotus in the West.

"Moving from the motionless centre towards the wheel periphery in movement means to manifest oneself to the world. Conversely, going back from the restless periphery to the fixed and non manifested centre indicates the return towards the first state of being, the primeval state, the world unity."

(Mark would like to thank Mr Google for his research on this topic.)