Ancient Symbols In Jewelry

Sacred Geometry Shapes: Meaning and Significance

Symbols carved, etched and painted on rock faces, stone pillars, temples, scrolls and manuscripts are seen as man’s early attempts to document and convey the profound and the sacred to fellow clan members as well as future societies.

From simple organic shapes to complex patterns including the ever present spiral, these markings were carved or painted by the people living off the land and belonging to different cultures spanning thousands of years.

In most cases, it is difficult to decipher the exact meaning of many of these ancient symbols, but some have been deciphered.

One symbol in particular is the Flower of life. Considered one of the oldest symbols, the Flower of Life can be found around the world.

The Flower of Life
This shape, called the Flower or Life, contains within it a secret shape, called the fruit of life. It has 13 spheres which hold within them several geometrical and mathematical principles that, according to some, represent the universe. So, gifting one the flower of life is gifting them a dynamic symbol representing the order of the cosmos, in a piece of art. It contains the patterns concerning Creation as it came out of the “Great Void.”

The Flower of Life is common to all major world religions. For example, in ancient Egypt, it can be seen in the ancient Temple of Abydos. In Israel, you can see it in the Galilee and Mesada’s ancient synagogues. The circle theme can be seen in Celtic design and medieval cathedral. This matrix of concentric circles is also found in China, Japan, India, throughout Europe and in North Africa, and is even found in both North and South America.

After wearing the flower of life, some people report that they experience both physical and psychological differences. They experience galloping heart beats, breaking free from old fears, seeing predictive dreams, etc. It is known to be the strongest of all sacred geometry shapes.

To date, the Temple of Osiris at Abydos, Egypt, has the oldest Flower of Life design. It is carved out of granite and perhaps represents the Eye of Ra, an authoritarian symbol of the days of the Pharaoh. Other examples of the Flower of Life can be seen in Assyrian, Phoenician, Asian, Indian and Middle Eastern architecture and medieval art.

Flower of Life Pendant
by the artist David Weitzman

Math in an ancient Hindu temple
An ancient Marundheeswarar temple in Thiruvanmayur, South Chennai, India, has several pillars bearing geometric shapes of math motifs. These motifs are around the sanctum of goddess Tripurasundari or the “belle of the three cities.” The number 3 is critical here as the three-part nature of the divinity is shown through a series of knots and links, which have both mathematical and usual connotations.

The first pattern here has three exact overlapping equilateral triangles at the heart of which is a flower with four petals. A lot of other symbolism makes this temple stand out as something special and unusual, much like its Flower of Life counterparts.

New Stones From Ancient Symbols

It is not often one meets a true artist who is in sync with their material of choice as well as the messages they create. Will Johnson posses a master's touch of precision sandblasting with stone of all sorts and sizes...from precious to sacred....from personal to substantial. Custom etched natural stone - Decorative sandblasting on granite, basalt, slate, marble and sandstone rock. Custom entry stones, special garden stones, rustic memorial stones, sacred power stones....even your personal symbol.

I met Will almost 10 years ago and over the past decade have had the opportunity to see him in action....from the initial concept to final execution of his masterful sandblasting technique.

If you are fortunate enough to live in Washington state and have a specific design in mind.....or a special rock you want to 'tattoo' with your personal mark...email Will to start the process.

willyj@kvalley.com

Dream Weaver

There are so many fascinating glyphs within such a small area at this site in Nevada that it is hard to single out a favorite. I scrambled around taking as many photos as possible before we had to beat the falling sun and endure the bumpy 4-wheel ride back to the highway. In many instances I would stand in one area just long enough for my auto focus to zip to attention - snap - and then I would be off to the next rock....and the next....and the next. So many glyphs....So little time.....I have been at this site twice and there is never enough time.
Many images shared their story once I was settled back at home halfway across our continent....on the edge so to speak ...looking at the waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca from my living room windows. This particular image is still talking to me...I just now realized that perhaps a figure with arms folding inward is that of a woman...See my notes on the Madonna and Child....This woman is Special....she has a star above her...and two serious "things" going on above that...almost feel like our present day equivalence of Medicine....and a semi-figure above that which may have been created at a later time.
So what do I get out of it.....I sense snake or water energy...combined with something with legs in transition...a transmigration of sorts...topped by what I would call a "religious" symbol connected to human legs.
Maybe the star represents nighttime...and the images represent what happens at night above us....In Our Dreams....Maybe in our dreams we have the ability to transmigrate....perhaps to heal oneself or others....Maybe we melt into the source at night when we shut our eyes....Maybe women are seen with an automatic connection with the source since they are the source of all future societies....Perhaps women do that automatically since babies come out of them and not out of men...Maybe it is in their dreams that the women are seeded with the new born.....Maybe.....Dream On Dream Weavers.

Showers Turning To Rain

The only symbol I would even dare to conjure up a solid interpretation would be the wavy lines "pouring" out of the horizontal line. How many of you would guess it represented rain?

I certainly would and at the same time this particular symbol is so powerful compared to the others on this section of the wall I have to believe that it is more of a petition...Something beyond just a desire...A prayer if you want to call it that....A prayer for rain...And not just a little rain....But a lot of rain.

Water Journey By Mountains

To me these symbols represent a sense of continuity and motion. Wavy lines may indicate some form of water....a river....rain....What makes this particular series of wavy lines interesting is how they are stacked and the top two are separated by a line. The bottom line may have been added later as a reinforcement to the message of the top lines. The bottom line does not display the same degree of integrity. These lines could also indicate a journey....or even a mountain range with water as a river running alongside. The dots add an additional challenge to the interpretation. One could assume they are related due to proximity and the dots also appear to have been made at the same time due to similarity of rock color. I sense these dots are a count of people at a particular place and time and had been involved with the topic of the wavy lines. Imagine the story you could make up about a handful of people, several extended families, experiencing a rainy journey across a river next to a mountain....You Decide.

Handy Man...Or....

This human form symbol displays the most interesting hands and feet. There most likely is a significance to the number of fingers that are carved onto these images. Why would some have no hands, some with two fingers and some with three fingers? At first I imagined this person was one with an ability to better grasp physical objects...As I was mindlessly gazing upon this one particular human form I had the sensation of swimming...A frog man of sorts...What do you think?

Headlines On The Walls

Here is our Counting Shaman in perspective along a section of the Lagomarsino Wall. You can now see in him in context with the surrounding glyphs. Your guess is as good as the experts as to the specific meaning of the linear"boxes".

Early Style Intent & Passion

Here is a close up of a "net" style of glyph. Please note the depth of the carving as indicated by the shadow evident in the lines on the left side of the rock. Make no mistake about it...This was an intentional design and took a considerable amount of effort and focus to create and will withstand the ravages of time....At least until the next volcanic eruption. I was awe struck at the energy and attention it took to craft such a message. Some speculate this style of message represented a division of territory...Perhaps indicating a family or clan...It may have been a family symbol as we now have our own family crests. Whatever it represented it was done with Intent and Passion. Of the messages you come across in your everyday life today which ones would have been made with Passion and Intent?

Unknown Statement

This glyph stood out among the "family" of symbols along one section of the petroglyph wall...Clean in its execution....This particular statement represents one of the older series of carvings at this site. The older images tended to be more abstract and circular rather than linear in nature. The lines are exact and the carve is deep. This was not created with just a few strokes of a hand held rock. It took a dedicated hand to repeatedly move over the established pattern. As a graphic designer and ex-mechanical draftsman I can attest to the concentration and coordination required to create such a clean image on such a rough surface so high on the wall. Because of the high visibility of this mark I could imagine this was intended to "staking" a specific section as territory....Or maybe it represented a prayer or emotional concept...just as Christians place the symbol of the Cross high up on buildings of worship to indicate and broadcast a specific faith being experienced and expressed nearby.

Dinner at 5

Imagine a world where any animal within your visual range would be considered dinner....and your career was to make certain you could catch them on a continual basis. This antelope roamed the small canyons of northern Nevada sometime perhaps during the First Dynasty of Egypt. This specific glyph may have been used as a hunting instructional tool....or a prayer for more to show up....or as a marker for the next migrating hunting clan to learn what game is known to frequent the canyon. The symbol above the antelope is a mystery. The indigenous peoples as well as the petroglyph experts can only speculate on the meaning: water, time, distance, ownership, tribal marking, and weather conditions all represent valid assumptions.

The Counting Shaman

Dots most certainly represent a count....I wonder how these dots may tie into the image of the person? There may be too many dots to represent age since the lifespan 8,000 years ago may have been into the early 30's...and there are about 50 dots....Maybe this was an exceptional person who did live those many years....But then again I wonder if the concept of a "year" as a passage of time was a part of the reality with the author of this "scribe"? Could they represent months...or wives or husbands or children...or warriors killed in battle...a tribal community...wealth....how many fish he/she caught. I find the 3 fingers most interesting...I like to think the number of fingers are attributed to magical properties due to the accentuation of the size of the hands

Madonna & Child

There was no question in my mind at first glance of this image on a rock low on the ground...Low enough for children to be able to see and touch it. The arms...normally outstretched in the human figures at this site are positioned to the side of the body...with a strong sense of intention and determination as to the purpose...Mother cradling Child...Imagine having to explain to a child where they came from...Or educating a young woman what she is to expect from that obvious lump in their belly 6,000 years ago....Perhaps this was an early medical diagram...Maybe this designated the maternity section of the camping grounds for the roving clans?

Medicine Man With Spirit

The Lagomarsino site in Nevada is my first experience of the magic and wonder of ancient communications. Spanning an estimated 10,000 years, these images are a glimpse of the vast complex of symbols that illustrate the variations in form and style of communications using the landscape itself as the media. At times I felt as though I could have easily been walking through the Times Square of prehistoric America complete with billboards, newspapers, magazines, posters, license plates, window signs, name tags, tattoos, business cards, badges, televisions through shop windows, and of course graffiti. Each image caught my eye and told a story as I carefully walked among the thousands of individual petroglyphs. I could not help but imagine someone expressing a profound experience with a non-physical entity....Perhaps a Spirit Dream....Or an Inner Voice...Maybe an Ancestor giving Advice...Or an Animal Totem of Two Horns offering Empowerment. The way the extremities are not terminated but streaking outward give me a sense of flowing energy.... How Magical Is That....What do You think?

The Amazing Spiral

The spiral is such an organic shape and is found throughout nature - From delicate fern prawns to massive galaxies - Incalculable numbers of spirals are carved onto rocks throughout the world. This universal symbol predates written language and experts can only guess at the specific meaning - What do you feel when you upon a spiral?

Ancient Blogs

Welcome to my sharing of a deep soul level interest I have had my entire life...the nature and effects of ancient communications. Through the magic of the Internet I am able to share my fascination and awe of "being" on this planet through ancient symbols used to express similar sensations.

Imagine our early ancestors and how they may have gone about communicating their day to day necessities, trivialities, milestones, transactions, struggles, relationships, and rituals....Imagine expressing the comfort of a warm sunrise...the success of a good hunt...the petition of prayers for fertile grounds...the need for order out of chaos....a joy of "being"....or a warning for those in the future...by scraping patterns onto rocks.

If it were not for these etchings carved in the recesses of damp caves and onto now hot desert rocks that once ringed vast inland lakes we would not have a glimpse into early accounts of the never ending cycles of life and death.