Despite the fact that it is the twenty-first century, faith in higher powers does not leave the minds of people. Symbols are used in religion and prove with their help theories about otherworldly forces. One such religious symbol is the six-pointed star, also known as the "Star of David".
The origin of the symbol - a six-pointed star
The six-pointed star (hexagram) is a very ancient symbol, it originates in the Bronze Age, then it was depicted by the inhabitants of India. At that time, she was not associated with Jews and Judaism, but had an exclusively magical meaning. Alchemists and sorcerers of the Middle and Near East often resorted to it.
A hexagram (from the Greek word hexágrammos) is a star with six angles, formed from two equilateral triangles superimposed on each other.
Later, in the Middle Ages, the six-pointed star began to be used on seals and family coats of arms in France, Spain, Denmark, Germany. She was also depicted on early Christian amulets and Muslim signs called the "seal of Solomon". At the same time, the concept of "David's shield" appears, this shield, according to legend, bore the name of God with a hexagram in the middle.
However, in the Middle Ages, the six-pointed star was used more often in Arabic scriptures than in Hebrew. It was not until the thirteenth century that the six-pointed star appeared in Hebrew manuscripts, where it began to take on a national connotation. With the emergence of the State of Israel in 1948, the six-pointed star took pride of place on their flag.
Six-pointed star: the meaning of the hexagram
There are many different interpretations of the meaning of the six-pointed star:
- in tantrism, this symbol means the harmony of matter and spirit, as well as the reunification of the masculine and feminine;
- in Christianity, the six-pointed star is associated with the Star of Bethlehem and the six days of the creation of the world
The Nazis marked Jews and prisoners with a yellow six-pointed star, while one of the two triangles could be painted in different colors to show the category of the prisoner: political or criminal.
- in alchemy, the symbol had the meaning of the philosopher's stone, since the six-pointed star is made up of two triangles, personifying the unity of opposites;
- It was believed that with the help of the symbol of the six-pointed star, the Jewish king Solomon controlled the spirits;
- Tibetan Buddhists associate it with the six syllables of the mantra - Om Ma-ni Pad-me Hum;
- in the Republic of Burundi, it is depicted on the flag and carries the meaning of the national motto “Unity. Work. Progress ;
- on the cap of Monomakh, in which they crowned the kingdom of the Russian rulers, the star meant power over Heaven, Earth, Birth, Waters and Death.
