I don't remember ever seeing that symbol before and I know I've heard of the Raelians. Can't remember the context, just another one of the cults that was floating around in the 70s. So so many people trying to make bank on the spiritual revival that had started at the beginning of the decade. It's interesting...the idea of the squareness of a cross linked up inside a 6-point star. I'll have to draw one out and look at the geometry of it.
I like to think of the swastika itself as the combination of the Western cross (a defined support system from top-to-bottom, and left-to-right) and the Eastern yin/yang symbol (flow, movement from one aspect to the opposite). The arms at the end of the crosspieces are like little arrows or shovers that are propelling the arms of the cross, like a little paddlewheel being spun by the flow of water or a propellor spinning in the wind.
The fact that the Nazis mis-used it and made it look eeevil (well, someone did anyway) is certainly interesting in light of the fact that the Hindu think it's a very auspicious sign, nice to have around the house and part of their festivals. Why would anyone want to convince people to not have a happy symbol in their home, much like a Christmas wreath? What harm could there be?
I think Carl Jung said something about symbols being above any human intention that we put on them. Open to personal interpretation but untouched by it - that's what makes it a symbol.
I don't remember ever seeing that symbol before and I know I've heard of the Raelians. Can't remember the context, just another one of the cults that was floating around in the 70s. So so many people trying to make bank on the spiritual revival that had started at the beginning of the decade. It's interesting...the idea of the squareness of a cross linked up inside a 6-point star. I'll have to draw one out and look at the geometry of it.
I like to think of the swastika itself as the combination of the Western cross (a defined support system from top-to-bottom, and left-to-right) and the Eastern yin/yang symbol (flow, movement from one aspect to the opposite). The arms at the end of the crosspieces are like little arrows or shovers that are propelling the arms of the cross, like a little paddlewheel being spun by the flow of water or a propellor spinning in the wind.
The fact that the Nazis mis-used it and made it look eeevil (well, someone did anyway) is certainly interesting in light of the fact that the Hindu think it's a very auspicious sign, nice to have around the house and part of their festivals. Why would anyone want to convince people to not have a happy symbol in their home, much like a Christmas wreath? What harm could there be?
I think Carl Jung said something about symbols being above any human intention that we put on them. Open to personal interpretation but untouched by it - that's what makes it a symbol.