Flower of Life: the circle pattern, its real origins and its meaning
The Flower of Life is a pattern of overlapping equal circles. Where the design comes from, its recent name, how to construct it with a compass, its uses in jewellery, and the claims that need qualifying.
Key points
| Shape | Nineteen equal circles overlapping on a hexagonal grid |
|---|---|
| Name | “Flower of Life”: a modern name, popularised in 1999 |
| Elements | Seed of Life (7 circles), Flower of Life (19), Fruit of Life (13) |
| Earliest secure examples | Assyria, 7th century BCE |
| Often-cited example | Graffiti in the Temple of Osiris at Abydos, poorly dated |
| Construction | With a compass, using a single radius, no measuring |
| Background page | See “Flower of Life and Sacred Geometry” |
What is the Flower of Life?
The Flower of Life is a geometric pattern made of circles of the same size that overlap, each one passing through the centre of its neighbours. The best-known version has nineteen circles, sometimes enclosed in a larger circle. At the centre, six lens-shaped petals form a six-branched rosette.
The name is modern. The geometric pattern itself is very ancient: it is a “network of overlapping circles”, known to every culture that has used a compass. For a full discussion of the modern claims, see Flower of Life and Sacred Geometry.
How to draw it: a simple idea
- Draw a circle with your compass. Without changing the opening, place the point on any spot on that circle and draw a second circle: it passes through the centre of the first.
- Carry on by placing the point on each intersection: after six circles around the first one, you get the Seed of Life (seven circles).
- Keep following the same method and you reach nineteen circles: the Flower of Life.
- Thirteen circles whose centres are joined by lines give the pattern called the Fruit of Life, the basis of Metatron's Cube.
The six-petalled rosette comes from a simple property: the side of a regular hexagon inscribed in a circle equals the radius. This coincidence, known to carpenters and masons, makes the drawing easy, which is why the rosette turns up everywhere.
The early examples, without exaggeration
| Place | Period | What can be said |
|---|---|---|
| Assyrian palaces (Dur-Sharrukin, Nineveh) | 7th century BCE | The earliest well-dated examples of the circle network, on stone thresholds |
| Palace of Herod (Israel) | 1st century BCE | Mosaic with seven circles |
| Villa of Hadrian (Tivoli) | 2nd century CE | Black and white pavement |
| Temple of Osiris at Abydos (Egypt) | Poorly dated | Graffiti in red ochre, most of them from the first centuries CE; a later origin cannot be ruled out |
| Codex Atlanticus (Leonardo da Vinci) | 1478-1519 | Drawings of circles and proportions |
| Westminster Abbey | 13th century | “Cosmatesque” pavement |
This table contradicts a common claim: “the Flower of Life has existed for more than 5,000 years in Egypt”. The Abydos graffiti, often cited, are not dated with certainty and are probably much more recent.
A recent name
The expression “Flower of Life” spread thanks to the book The Ancient Secret of the Flower of Life by Drunvalo Melchizedek (1999), within the New Age movement. Before that, people spoke of a grid of circles, a hexapetalous rosette or a “daisy”. Other authors had described the same design independently, such as Martha Bartfeld at the end of the 1960s.
What these authors add (that the pattern contains a plan of creation, or was handed down by a lost civilisation) rests on no ancient document. It is contemporary spirituality, to be respected as such.
Why this pattern appeals
It is symmetrical, regular and easy to draw, and it suggests repetition and growth: one circle gives rise to six, which give rise to twelve. In mathematics, the hexagonal grid is also the most economical way to cover a plane with equal circles (a result by Richard Kershner, 1939), which is why it appears in honeycombs and in snow crystals.
These are genuine reasons to admire the shape, and they do not need to be turned into proof of a hidden message.
Popular traces in Europe
In Europe, the six-petalled rosette is very widespread in folk art: furniture, stone lintels, barns, chests, cemeteries. In Britain, researchers who study such carved marks call it a “witch's mark” or “apotropaic mark” (supposed to ward off bad luck). In the Alps, the “sun of the Alps” is a related motif.
Here we find a shared idea: a pattern of circles, drawn with a compass, as ornament and as protection.
Using it today
- In jewellery, weaving, carved stone or tattoos: it is above all decorative.
- As an exercise in attention: drawing it slowly with a compass can be a calm activity.
- In maths teaching: it shows radius, hexagon and symmetry.
- Avoid promises of energy, healing or “frequency”: none has been demonstrated.
To go further: the mandala, the spiral and our pendants range.
Frequently asked questions
What is the origin of the Flower of Life?
The pattern of overlapping circles is very old (Assyria, 7th century BCE). The name “Flower of Life” is recent and dates mostly from 1999.
Is the Flower of Life Egyptian?
Graffiti in the Abydos temple show the pattern, but their date is uncertain and probably late. An ancient Egyptian origin cannot be claimed.
What does it symbolise?
For its followers: creation, unity, growth. This is a modern reading, not an ancient doctrine.
How does it differ from the Seed of Life?
The Seed of Life is made of seven circles; the Flower of Life has nineteen.
Can I draw it myself?
Yes, with a compass: draw a circle, then place the point on each intersection point, without changing the opening.
Also read
The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to Symbol dictionary.