Geometrically, the swastika can be regarded as an irregular icosagon or 20-sided polygon. The arms are of varying width and are often rectilinear (but need not be). However, the proportions of the Nazi swastika were fixed: they were based on a 5x5 grid.[7] Characteristic is the 90° rotational symmetry (that is, the symmetry of the cyclic group C4h) and chirality, hence the absence of reflectional symmetry, and the existence o ...

See also:

Swastika, Swastika - Overview, Swastika - Etymology and alternative names, Swastika - History, Swastika - Comet/bird hypothesis, Swastika - Early Hinduism, Swastika - Adoption of the swastika in the West, Swastika - Geometry and symbolism, Swastika - Sauwastika, Swastika - Art and architecture, Swastika - Religion and mythology, Swastika - Hinduism, Swastika - Buddhism, Swastika - Jainism, Swastika - The Abrahamic religions, Swastika - Other Asian traditions, Swastika - Native American traditions, Swastika - Pre-Christian European traditions, Swastika - Early 20th century, Swastika - Britain, Swastika - North America, Swastika - Russia, Swastika - Poland, Swastika - Finland, Swastika - Sweden, Swastika - Latvia, Swastika - Icelandic, Swastika - Ireland, Swastika - Nazi Germany, Swastika - Taboo in Western countries, Swastika - Popular culture and media, Swastika - Notes

Read more here: » Swastika: Encyclopedia II - Swastika - Geometry and symbolism

See also:

Swastika, Swastika - Overview, Swastika - Etymology and alternative names, Swastika - History, Swastika - Adoption of the swastika in the West, Swastika - Geometry and symbolism, Swastika - Sauwastika, Swastika - Art and architecture, Swastika - Religion and mythology, Swastika - Hinduism, Swastika - Buddhism, Swastika - Jainism, Swastika - The Abrahamic religions, Swastika - Other Asian traditions, Swastika - Native American traditions, Swastika - Pre-Christian European traditions, Swastika - Early 20th century, Swastika - Britain, Swastika - North America, Swastika - Russia, Swastika - Poland, Swastika - Finland, Swastika - Sweden, Swastika - Latvia, Swastika - Icelandic, Swastika - Ireland, Swastika - Nazi Germany, Swastika - Taboo in Western countries, Swastika - Popular culture and media, Swastika - Notes

Read more here: » Swastika: Encyclopedia II - Swastika - Early 20th century

The swastika is common as a design motif in current Hindu architecture and Indian artwork as well as in ancient Western architecture, frequently appearing in mosaics, friezes, and other works across the ancient world. Ancient Greek architectural designs are replete with interlinking swastika motifs. Related symbols in classical Western architecture include the cross, the three-legged triskele or triskelion and the rounded lauburu. The swastika symbol is also known in these contexts b ...

See also:

Swastika, Swastika - Overview, Swastika - Etymology and alternative names, Swastika - History, Swastika - Adoption of the swastika in the West, Swastika - Geometry and symbolism, Swastika - Sauwastika, Swastika - Art and architecture, Swastika - Religion and mythology, Swastika - Hinduism, Swastika - Buddhism, Swastika - Jainism, Swastika - The Abrahamic religions, Swastika - Other Asian traditions, Swastika - Native American traditions, Swastika - Pre-Christian European traditions, Swastika - Early 20th century, Swastika - Britain, Swastika - North America, Swastika - Russia, Swastika - Poland, Swastika - Finland, Swastika - Sweden, Swastika - Latvia, Swastika - Icelandic, Swastika - Ireland, Swastika - Nazi Germany, Swastika - Taboo in Western countries, Swastika - Popular culture and media, Swastika - Notes

Read more here: » Swastika: Encyclopedia II - Swastika - Art and architecture

The swastika (from Sanskrit svastika) is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles either left-facing (卍) or right-facing (卐). It is traditionally oriented so that a main line is horizontal, though it is occasionally rotated at forty-five degrees, and the Hindu version is often decorated with a dot in each quadrant. ...

Including:

• Swastika - Overview
• Swastika - Etymology and alternative names
• Swastika - History
• Swastika - Adoption of the swastika in the West
• Swastika - Geometry and symbolism
• Swastika - Sauwastika
• Swastika - Art and architecture
• Swastika - Religion and mythology
• Swastika - Hinduism
• Swastika - Buddhism
• Swastika - Jainism
• Swastika - The Abrahamic religions
• Swastika - Other Asian traditions
• Swastika - Native American traditions
• Swastika - Pre-Christian European traditions
• Swastika - Asatru
• Swastika - Early 20th century
• Swastika - Europe
• Swastika - North America
• Swastika - Nazi Germany
• Swastika - Taboo in Western countries
• Swastika - Apperance in Media

Read more here: » Swastika: Encyclopedia - Swastika

Buddhist symbolism appeared from around the 3rd century BCE, and started with aniconic symbolism, avoiding direct representations of the Buddha. Anthropomorphic symbolism appeared from around the 1st century CE with the arts of Mathura and the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara, and were combined with the previous symbols. Various symbolic innovations were later introduced, especially through Tibetan Buddhism. Buddhist symbolism - Early aniconic symbols. Among the earliest and most common symbols of Buddhism ar ...

Including:

• Buddhist symbolism - Early aniconic symbols
• Buddhist symbolism - The 32 signs of a Great Man, and 80 Secondary Characteristics
• Buddhist symbolism - The Mudras
• Buddhist symbolism - The eight auspicious symbols of Tibetan & Nepali Buddhism
• Buddhist symbolism - International symbols of the World Fellowship of Buddhists

Read more here: » Buddhist symbolism

The Brahmakumaris practise Raja Yoga, particularly the trataka form of meditation in order to achieve union with God. It involves keeping your eyes open and fixing your gaze on a tiny red spot with total attention. Raja Yoga gives knowledge of self and enables one to attain peace, purity and harmony.

Dawn is preceded by the darkest hour of the night. The Brahmakumaris consider the present time as the most critical period. This will be followed by a new age - the dawn in the great cycle of time. The agent of transition may be the person possessing knowledge of the true self, of a positive soul. One who reaches the highest stage of this knowledge becomes Brahma. The supreme divine being is Shiva, who is an embodiment of knowledge, peace, purity and harmony.

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Ashta-mangalas are a set of eight auspiciopus symbols. There is some variation among different traditions about the eight symbols. Digambara Jain tradition: Chhatra (parasol), dhwaja (banner), Kalasha (pot), chauri (wisk), Darpana (mirror), Bhadrasana (seat), fan and vessal. Swetambara Jain tradition: swastika, srivatsa, nandyavarta, vardhmanaka (food vassel), bhadrasana (seat), kalasha (pot), mirror, fish pair. Tibetan Buddhism: Chattra or Parasol, Dhwaja or banner, Sankha or Conch; Shrivasta or an infinite knot, Dharmachakra or the wheel of the law, Kalash ...

Read more here: » Ashta-mangalas: Encyclopedia - Ashta-mangalas

Buddhist symbolism appeared from around the 3rd century BCE, and started with aniconic symbolism, avoiding direct representations of the Buddha. Anthropomorphic symbolism appeared from around the 1st century CE with the arts of Mathura and the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara, and were combined with the previous symbols. Various symbolic innovations were later introduced, especially through Tibetan Buddhism. Buddhist symbolism - Early aniconic symbols. Among the earliest and most common symbols of Buddhism ar ...

Including:

• Buddhist symbolism - Early aniconic symbols
• Buddhist symbolism - The 32 signs of a Great Man and 80 Secondary Characteristics
• Buddhist symbolism - The Mudras
• Buddhist symbolism - The eight auspicious symbols of Tibetan & Nepali Buddhism
• Buddhist symbolism - International symbols of the World Fellowship of Buddhists

Read more here: » Buddhist symbolism: Encyclopedia - Buddhist symbolism

Bön has typically been described as the shamanistic religion in Tibet before the arrival of Buddhism in the 7th century. With the recent exile of many Bönpo lamas to India, however, a more complex description of Bön is emerging and is now being considered by Western scholars. Bön - Historical phases of Bön. According to the Bönpo themselves, the Bön religion has actually gone through three distinct phases: Animistic Bön, Yungdrung or Eternal Bön, and New Bön.

• Bön - Historical phases of Bön
• Bön - Animistic Bön
• Bön - Yungdrung Bön
• Bön - New Bön
• Bön - Bön spiritual practices

Read more here: » Bön: Encyclopedia - Bön

The Star of David (Hebrew Magen David or Mogen Dovid מגן דוד, Arabic Najmat Dawuud نجمة داوود). It is also known as Solomon's Seal, or Seal of Solomon (Ashkenazi Hebrew, Shield of David, Arabic Khatam Sulayman خاتم سليمان) is a generally recognized symbol of Judaism and Jewish identity, although it has been used also in Islam as well as the Eastern Religions. Geometrically it is a hexagram. It i ...

Including:

• Star of David - Origin
• Star of David - Shape
• Star of David - Shield form
• Star of David - Shield with stars
• Star of David - Used by Jews
• Star of David - Used by Arabs and Muslims
• Star of David - Used by the Nazis
• Star of David - Other uses
• Star of David - Heraldry
• Star of David - Red Magen David
• Star of David - Occurrence in Eastern Religions
• Star of David - Theosophy
• Star of David - Zion Christian Church
• Star of David - Latter-day Saints Mormons
• Star of David - Raelism
• Star of David - Notes
• Star of David - Footnotes

Read more here: » Star of David: Encyclopedia - Star of David

In Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Shambhala (also spelled Shambala or Shamballa) is a mystical kingdom hidden somewhere beyond the snowpeaks of the Himalayas. It is mentioned in various ancient texts including the Kalachakra and the ancient texts of the Zhang Zhung culture which pre-dated Tibetan Buddhism in western Tibet. The Bon scriptures speak of a closely-related land called Olmolungring. Shambhala - Shambhala in the Buddhist Kalachakra Teachings. The Kingdom of Shambhala takes a central pla ...

Including:

• Shambhala - Shambhala in the Buddhist Kalachakra Teachings
• Shambhala - Western Fascination with Shambhala
• Shambhala - Western Esoteric Traditions
• Shambhala - Shambhala in Nazism
• Shambhala - Shambhala in Contemporary Pop Culture
• Shambhala - Television

Read more here: » Shambhala: Encyclopedia - Shambhala

Theosophy is a body of ideas which holds that all religions are attempts by man to ascertain "the Divine," and as such each religion has a portion of the truth. Theosophy, as a coherent system of thought, developed from the writings of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (also Hélène). Together with Henry Steel Olcott, William Quan Judge, and others she founded the Theosophical Society in 1875. A more formal definition from the Concise Oxford Dictionary describes Theosophy as "any of various philosophies professing to achieve a ...

Including:

• Theosophy - Basic Theosophical beliefs
• Theosophy - Consciousness is universal and individual
• Theosophy - Man is provisionally immortal
• Theosophy - Reincarnation is universal
• Theosophy - Karma
• Theosophy - Universal brotherhood
• Theosophy - Evolution
• Theosophy - The Septenary
• Theosophy - A brief history of Theosophy
• Theosophy - Music
• Theosophy - Early 20th-century literary references to Theosophy
• Theosophy - Notes

Read more here: » Theosophy: Encyclopedia - Theosophy

Aryan is an English word derived from the Indo-Aryan Vedic Sanskrit and Iranian Avestan terms ari-, arya-, ārya-, and/or the extended form aryāna-. The Old Persian ariya- is a cognate as well. Beyond its use as the ethnic self-designation of the Proto-Indo-Iranians, the meaning "noble" has been attached to it in Sanskrit. During the 19th century, following Max Müller's 'Aryan invasion theory', the term gained an added meaning, being used in the West to refer to what are now called the 'Prot ...

Including:

• Aryan - Etymology and History of the Term
• Aryan - Proto-Indo-European
• Aryan - Indo-Iranian
• Aryan - Indo-Aryan
• Aryan - Iranian
• Aryan - Racist connotations

Read more here: » Aryan: Encyclopedia - Aryan

Eugene Burnouf, the first Western expert on Buddhism, stated in his book "Lotus de la bonne loi" that the Buddhists recognize no less that sixty-five auspicious signs in the footprints of the Buddha, the first of them being the Svastika the fourth is the Suavastika [sic], or that with the arms turned to the left; the third, the Nandyurarta, is a mere development of the Svastika. When Heinrich Schliemann discovered swastika motifs in Troy, he wrote to the Indologist Max Müller, who confirmed this distinctio ...

See also:

Sauwastika, Sauwastika - Early accounts of distinctions between the two versions, Sauwastika - Modern use of the sauwastika, Sauwastika - Nazi swastika and the sauwastika

Read more here: » Sauwastika: Encyclopedia II - Sauwastika - Early accounts of distinctions between the two versions

Cardinal Points Either the four chief points of the compass (north, east, south, west), or the four chief zodiacal constellations which have descended to us from antiquity as Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn, though due to the precession of equinoxes these constellations shift as the ages pass. These four points are connected with the four arms of the equal-armed cross or with the swastika, as also with the cube -- the four points with zenith and nadir added.

Cosmically the four cardinal points represent a certain stage of manifestation where the three become four, in this case the number of matter. The Zohar says that the three primordial elements and the four cardinal points and all the forces of nature form the Voice of the Will, which is the manifested Logos. The Dodonaean Zeus includes in himself the four elements and the four cardinal points. Brahma is likewise four-faced.

The pyramid is the triangle repeated on the four cardinal points and symbolizes, among other things, the phenomenal merging into the noumenal.

The four cardinal points are presided over, or are manifestations of, four cosmic genii, dragons, maharajas -- in Buddhism the chatur-maharajas (four great kings) -- hidden dragons of wisdom, or celestial nagas. Hinduism has the four, six, or eight lokapalas. In the Egyptian and Jewish temples these points were represented by the four colors of the curtain hung before the Adytum.

See also EAST; NORTH; SOUTH; WEST

(See also: Cardinal Points, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Among the earliest and most common symbols of Buddhism are the dharma wheel and the lotus flower. The dharma wheel, traditionally represented with eight spokes, can have a variety of meanings. It initially only meant royalty (concept of the "Monarch of the Wheel, or Chakravatin), but started to be used in a Buddhist context on the Pillars of Ashoka during the 3rd century BCE. The Dharma wheel is generally seen as referring to the historical process of teaching the buddhadharma; the eight spokes refer to the Noble Eightfold Path. The lotus, as well, can have several meanings, ...

See also:

Buddhist symbolism, Buddhist symbolism - Early aniconic symbols, Buddhist symbolism - The 32 signs of a Great Man and 80 Secondary Characteristics, Buddhist symbolism - The Mudras, Buddhist symbolism - The eight auspicious symbols of Tibetan & Nepali Buddhism, Buddhist symbolism - International symbols of the World Fellowship of Buddhists

Read more here: » Buddhist symbolism: Encyclopedia II - Buddhist symbolism - Early aniconic symbols

New Bön, while essentially identical with other schools of Tibetan Buddhism, may be distinguished by certain characteristics: counter-clockwise (rather than clockwise) circumambulation of chortens a nine-way path (distinct from the nine-yana system of the Nyimgma) that the Bön consider a superset of other Tibetan Buddhist paths. (Despite talk of a superset, the Bön divide their teachings in a familiar way: Causal Vehicle, Sutra, Tantra and Dzogchen) additional sacred texts including many in the ancient Zhang Zhung language symbolism which includes the Mountain of Nine ...

See also:

Bön, Bön - Historical phases of Bön, Bön - Animistic Bön, Bön - Yungdrung Bön, Bön - New Bön, Bön - Bön spiritual practices

Read more here: » Bön: Encyclopedia II - Bön - Bön spiritual practices

Jains have few core symbols. One Jain symbol incorporates a wheel on the palm of the hand. The holiest one is a simple unadorned swastika or svastika. Major Jains symbols include: 24 Lanchhanas for Tirthankaras The Ashta-mangalas Om Triratna and Shrivatsa symbols. The dreams of Tirthankara's mother Dharma-chakra and Siddha-chakra ...

See also:

Jainism, Jainism - Overview of Jain Dharma, Jainism - Universal History and Jain Cosmology, Jainism - Beliefs and practices, Jainism - Jain Symbols, Jainism - Jain Literature, Jainism - Jain Worship and Rituals, Jainism - Digambar and Shvetambar Traditions, Jainism - Geographical spread and influence, Jainism - Jain Contributions to Indian Culture, Jainism - Jainism and Indian Archaeology, Jainism - Holy sites, Jainism - Jain Temples in the West, Jainism - Holy days, Jainism - Jainism and other religions

Read more here: » Jainism: Encyclopedia II - Jainism - Jain Symbols

Star of David - Heraldry. In heraldry and to a lesser extent vexillology a "star" is assumed to be a six-pointed figure, like a Star of David, but not hollow and with radiating, wavy lines. The more familiar five-pointed star shape is known as a mullet or molet. Star of David - Red Magen David. Magen David Adom (Red Star of David) is Israel's only official emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service, in a fashion similar to the Red Cross and the Red Crescent. Star of Dav ...

See also:

Star of David, Star of David - Origin, Star of David - Shape, Star of David - Shield form, Star of David - Shield with stars, Star of David - Used by Jews, Star of David - Used by Arabs and Muslims, Star of David - Used by the Nazis, Star of David - Other uses, Star of David - Heraldry, Star of David - Red Magen David, Star of David - Occurrence in Eastern Religions, Star of David - Theosophy, Star of David - Zion Christian Church, Star of David - Latter-day Saints Mormons, Star of David - Raelism, Star of David - Notes, Star of David - Footnotes

Read more here: » Star of David: Encyclopedia II - Star of David - Other uses

Arani (Sanskrit). The "female Arani" is a name of the Vedic Aditi (esoterically, the womb of the world).

Arani is a Swastika, a disc-like wooden vehicle, in which the Brahmins generated fire by friction with pramantha, a stick, the symbol of the male generator. A mystic ceremony with a world of secret meaning in it and very sacred, perverted into phallic significance by the materialism of the age.

(See also: Arani, Theosophy, Spirituality, Body mind and Soul, Spiritual Dictionary, )