# Symbols



## Arvind (Aug 5, 2004)

Dear Sangat,

On the present pages, there are 13 symbols at the top. Could some one take time to explain what thinking school they stand for, and their significance!

I get on to the following:

*Khanda:* 
Ref http://www.sikh.net/sikhism/khanda.htm
The Khanda constitutes three symbols in one. However, the name is derived from the central symbol, Khanda, a special type of double-edged sword which confirms the Sikhs' belief in One God.​ 






The double-edged sword is the creative power of God which controls the destiny of the whole creation. It is sovereign power over life and death.​
The right edge of the double-edged sword symbolizes freedom and authority governed by moral and spiritual values.​
The left edge of the double-edged sword symbolizes divine justice which chastises and punishes the wicked oppressors.​
On the left side is the sword of spiritual sovereignty, Piri; on the right side is the sword of political sovereignty, Miri.​
There must always be a balance between the two and this balance is emphasized by a inside circle. The circle is what is called the Chakra. This is a symbol of all-embracing divine manifestation including everything and wanting nothing, without beginning or end, neither first or last, timeless, and absolute. It is the symbol of oneness, unity, justice, humanity and morality. The Chakra was also used by the Sikhs as one of the war weapons against injustice and oppression. Almost all Sikh warriors used to wear it in the eighteenth century.



Actually, while reading above, it came to my mind, whether this symbol stands for Bhagautee in Ardaas!​


*Aum / Om:*
Ref: http://www.geocities.com/profvk/mantra2.html

The names of God have been given great sanctity by the vedas themselves. That is where we find the basic _mantras_ such as _Om namah sivaaya_, _Om namo naaraayanaaya_, where the names themselves contribute to the significance of the mantras. _Om_by itself is the mystic word which is most important for the religious and spiritual pursuit of a Hindu. Without an explanation and understanding of this word no study of Spirituality in Hindu religion may be complete. The word consists of a triad of three sounds (_maatras_), namely '_a_' (as the 'u' in 'but'), '_u'_ (as the 'u' in 'put') and '_m_'.This is why many texts referring to this word use the spelling '_aum_' thus emphasizing the three '_maatras_' which make up '_om_'. The term _maatra_ is used for the upper limb of the _deva-naagari_ characters and a syllabic instant in prosody. The esoteric significance of these three _maatras_ and the myriads of connotations that they stand for are the subject matter of many passages in the Upanishads, the Gita and other scriptures. 

*Crescent and Star:*
Ref: http://bismikaallahuma.org/Polemics/lunar.htm
Islam verses talk about this as follows:​_"Among His Signs are the Night and the Day and the Sun and Moon. Prostrate (adore) not to the Sun and the Moon but prostrate to God, Who created them, if it is Him ye wish to serve."_ (Qur'ân, 41: 37)​Function of moon in Islam is that it determines the Islamic lunar calendar. The Qur'ân confirms this when it speaks of the moon being subject to God's Law. This is confirmed when we read the following verse​ 
​_"Seest thou not that God merges Night into Day and He merges Day into Night; that he has subjected the sun and the moon (to His Law), each running its course for a term appointed: and that God is well acquainted with all that ye do?"_ (Qur'ân, 31:29)​By the way, Did anyone notice when 'Allah-hu-Akbar' is written stylishly in modern writing, it resembles Khanda symbol? Look at Iran flag 'Coat of Arms' for details at http://flagspot.net/flags/ir.html​And it is known that Guru Gobind Singh was a persian poet too. Do you see this just as a coincidence?



Best Regards.

​


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## etinder (Aug 10, 2004)

13 thinking i see only 12?


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## Neutral Singh (Aug 10, 2004)

ha haa I have changed that the outlook for some reasons... now there only 12 symbols... the work of identifying i will leave that you all... keep guessing !!!


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## etinder (Aug 11, 2004)

1: Islaam (explained above)

2.Hinduism 

3: Shinto: The gate to a Shinto shrine (Jinja), the Torii designates holy ground. As Shinto is a religion of worship of nature spirits, or Kami, most Shinto shrines are located outdoors. The Gate marks the gateway between the physical and spiritual worlds, and is often the only ondication that one is entering a shrine.

The Torii is traditionally made in three pieces, three being a sacred number of the Kami. When entering a shrine, a visitor will clap their hands three times, and bow three times to summon the spirits. 

4: Zen :The* enso*, a simple circle drawn with a single, broad brushstroke, is the zen symbol of infinity. It represents the infinite void, the 'no-thing,' the perfect meditative state, and Satori (enlightenment.)

5: Bahaai

6: Taoism:The subtle yin-yang symbol of Taoism reminds us not just of the apparent opposites of life, but of the empowering underlying Oneness. it suggests that those who live the way of the transcending reality will have lives of wholeness and beneficence. 

7: Sikhism

8:*NO IDEA*

9:The Solar Cross or Equal Armed Cross is the precursor of the modern Celtic Cross and symbolizes the Sun and the four directions. Its energy is active, kinetic and vibrant, yet peacefully balanced. In Pagan and Druid symbology it is often used to represent the masculine God-force.

10: The Pentacle or the Pentagram is a 5 pointed star, often, but not always, encircled with the circle of Unity. It represents the domination of Spirit or Divine Will over base matter, and the elements of Spirit, Earth, Water, Fire, and Air.

11:Buddhism: The eight-spoked wheel stands for Buddhism's _Noble Eightfold Path_--the path of understanding, consideration and devotion by which we can take ourselves from our isolated self bound suffering past fearfulness, neediness and confusion to common unbounded blessedness and peace. 


12:_Unitarian Universalism_ draws on the wisdom of all the world's traditions--religious, philosophic, scientific, artistic, and everyday--to help bring spiritual wellbeing to all. The most common Unitarian Universalist symbol is a cup with a rising flame within a double circle. For some, the symbol is the chalice of compassion feeding the light of truth and liberation to the world. For some, it is the lamp of life's energy fueling discovery, goodness and peace for all. We circle our flame with the worlds wisdom traditions to symbolize how it is fed by each of them.


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## Neutral Singh (Aug 11, 2004)

Oh Wow !! thats a great job done etinder ji and what about the eight one... 

Thanks for your research work, Sir !!

Best Regards


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## Arvind (Aug 11, 2004)

Great job etinder  Thats impressive.

I am getting curious to know which countries are having more density of these faiths? I understand, in some faiths, limiting to just one country may not be a good idea.

If possible, please post relevant URLs which give more information about these faiths and significance of symbols, just in case, one needs more details about these.

Thanks.


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## anders (Aug 15, 2004)

Number 8 reads fó in Chinese and Butsu in Japanese. It means the Buddha, or Buddhism, or an image of the Buddha.

This makes me wonder if 11 is a Buddhist wheel. The endless knot (?) in the centre is something I have never seen in Buddhist iconography. There is an endless knot used, but it is normally very angular: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/Pic4_sm.jpg The intertwining of lines symbolises that all phenomena are joined together as a closed cycle of cause and effect.
The centrepiece might alternatively be interpreted as a triskele, "three-legs", which is a symbol found all over the world, from USA via Indonesia and Italy to the Isle of Man: http://www.heraldica.org/topics/triskele.htm It symbolises movement.

Can someone say what is written in the proposed "Baha'i" symbol (5)? I can't read it clearly, but it isn't Baha'i or Baha'u'llah. It is none of the symbols shown on http://www.bahai.com/Bahaullah/symbol.htm

No. 10, the pentagram, is used nowadays by Wiccans and other neo-pagans. It was very common in medieval witchcraft.


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## Tejwant Singh (Aug 16, 2004)

CARL JUNG: MAN & HIS SYMBOLS


*CARL JUNG: MAN & HIS SYMBOLS*​


Fragments:



· The unconscious is no mere repository of the past but it is full of germs of future psychic situations & ideas.



· Today cannot turn into a real tomorrow if you believe that the future is just a repetition of the past.



· The therapeutic task may be the establishment of confidence rather than the demonstration of a clinical theory.



· It is not possible to see the analogy between a case of compulsion neurosis & that of a classical demonic possession without a working knowledge of both.



· The archetype is a tendency to form certain representations.



· The archetypes function like complexes & in this respect they come and go very much as they please; complexes modify or obstruct our conscious intentions in an embarrassing way. Both have numinous energy & fascination; complexes influence the person while archetypes give rise to religions, myths & philosophies.



· We are free to choose God or no God but if it can be demonstrated that the concept of God is beneficial then one should choose God.



· If you think life is "a tale told by an idiot" it will lower your resistance & you will despair.



· A symbol has no innate power, its numinosity exists only in the emotions or unconscious of the individual.



· A man cannot relate to women until he has separated the anima from the mother who is symbolized by the labyrinth. (Ariadne)



· Parental images evoke archetypes! They mediate.



· The beast in ‘Beauty & the Beast’ represents her own animal nature which she must recognize to overcome the one-sided development & education as a "good" person.



· Dionysus was a demigod. Orphism was an offshoot (less violent). Orphism taught immortality (as reincarnation) whereas Christ was divine & taught everlasting life after death.



· Those who have to learn to face death may have to relearn the old message that death is a mystery for which we must prepare ourselves in the same spirit of submission & humility as we once learned to prepare ourselves for life.



· Individualism is real only if the person is aware of it & cooperates as best he can, & submits to creative guidance.



· Not only dreams but some real events can anticipate the future in symbolic form.



· The Nashapi of Labrador are scattered & do not have tribal customs or collective religious beliefs & ceremonies. In his solitude he relies on inner voices & unconscious revelations; his inner soul he calls "my friend" or "Great Man".



· The shadow shows up as omissions, forgetfulness, impulsive or inadvertent acts. Shadow can be friend or enemy, it depends on ourselves. He is exactly like any human with whom one has to get along. Sometimes by giving in, sometimes by resisting, sometimes by giving love: the shadow becomes hostile when ignored or misunderstood.



· The Dionysian religion had orgiastic rites that implied the need for the initiate to abandon himself to his animal nature & thereby experience the full power of the earth mother.



· It is often impossible to tell whether promptings come from the shadow or the Self; this is known as contamination.



· When the shadow arises, God is needed to help carry you through!



· Do what you can but be ready to change course in a moment if the unconscious should clearly point in another direction. Maybe the Self wants the ego to have a free choice or manifest through these decisions.



· It is the anima that makes it possible to connect to the unconscious as symbolized in the Greek Sybil fathoming the divine will, or shamans sometimes wearing women's clothes.



· The anima can become a death demon by depressing the man to the point of suicide. A man's anima is formed by his mother. The anima mediates.



· All of one's qualities act like a committee.



· A personification of the Self can be a youth or an old man.



· The Self is only partly contained in our time zone & can be omnipresent, personified by the "Great Man" concept.



· Synchronistic events accompany the phases of individuation. Watch for such coincidences & record them.



· The only worthwhile adventure for modern man lies in the realm of the unconscious psyche.



· The process of individuation excludes imitation of others. People have copied in "outer" or ritualistic behaviour the religious experience of their leaders & have become petrified.



· The ego should continue to function in normal ways. One must remain an ordinary human being conscious of one's incompleteness in order to experience fully the unconscious contents & processes.


· A ritual or religious custom can spring from an unconscious revelation experienced by a single individual. There is a religious function in the psyche. Whatever power religious symbols have stems from them arising in the unconscious.

· You cannot know either spiritual reality (the unconscious) or physical reality (indeterminacy) in itself.


· In psychological terms, the mask transforms the wearer into an archetypal image. Ancient dancers would imitate the movements of particular animals, thus stealing their soul.

· Consciously or unconsciously, the artist gives form to the nature & values of his time which, in their turn, form him.


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## Neutral Singh (Aug 16, 2004)

Wow!! I think we should discuss each fragment one by one...


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## anders (Aug 16, 2004)

Today, Jung's ideas are mainly seen as unfounded speculations, impossible to prove or refute. New Age-adherents like him; universities mostly ignore him. Jung worked as a psychiatrist and wanted to be regarded as a scientist. At least in Sweden, psychologists study several years at universities, and when they finally get to be registered psychologists, they may have had perhaps one or two lectures on Jung's theories.

Professional psychologists, psychotherapeuts and researchers in religious studies tend to regard him as a profoundly uninteresting and raher bizarre creator of myths. (OK, he didn't invent all of it; he stole quite a few ideas from German 19th C. occultists.)

For this forum, I think that it is especially interesting that Jung had very stereotyped views on the differences between men and women, in a way which at least to me is in sharp contrast to Sikh equality. Also, Jung saw the encounter with African culture as dangerous, because the European mind risked to be overwhelmed by "the more unconscious psyche of the Africans".


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