Sacred symbols have been used since ages to express the profound spiritual, metaphysical and philosophical concepts regarding man and his evolution towards the Supreme Reality. Symbols are found in various forms across different religions of the world and their universality can be substantiated by their appearance in widely separated cultures. Every symbol yields a wealth of understanding, suggesting a vast evolutionary scheme embracing the entire Cosmos, leading us to contemplate the deepest mysteries of existence.

The symbol of ‘AUM’ in Sanskrit characters represents the idea of a creative Logos, sounding throughout and sustaining the universe. It corresponds to the Logos of the old Testament viz., “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” It also corresponds to the ‘AHUN’ of the Zoroastrian religion and the ‘HUM’ of the Buddhist Mahamantra: ‘Om Mani Padmey Hum’.

‘Aum’, as every occult enthusiast knows, is a safe, productive, constructive and endless form of sheer energy. If you break it up into three parts, they symbolise the continuity of the past, present and future, viz. A – past; U – present and M – future. ‘Aum’ is the Alpha and Omega of all philosophic thoughts. It is Divine Truth. The symbol of AUM itself uplifts your consciousness, inspiring the human spirit to evolve towards spiritual perfection. It is a primordial force, the ultimate source behind all that exists. ‘Aum’ just is and can be defined no further since it is beyond the attributes of our manifested universe with its limitations of time and space – though, in reality, there is no time and space! Innumerable universes evolve from it and dissolve into it when one world-cycle (yuga) is completed. It permeates the entire cosmos, infusing all matter with energy, whether that matter is solid, liquid, gaseous or vibrational.

If you concentrate on the outline of the symbol of Aum, as traditionally drawn in our script, it looks like a spiritual galaxy, a living cell, a sprouting seed or even a foetus curled up in a womb, signifying the primordial seed of all creation. Constant recitation of AUM works as spiritual alchemy on all our bodies viz: physical, mental, astral, emotional and spiritual, thus purifying their atoms. It is light, life and love (Sat-Chit-Anand) vibrant in everything and embracing all in Oneness.

The symbol of ‘Ankh’ (or the crux ‘Ansata’) comprises a circle surmounting the Tau cross (the type of cross which follows the shape of letter T). The Ankh is an ancient Egyptian symbol of great esoteric value, portraying the resurrection of the spirit expressed as the triumph of life over death, or spirit over matter, of good over evil. This Egyptian concept of ‘Resurrection’ is found in almost all religions.

The symbol of Interlaced Triangles, often called the double-triangle, and known in Hebrew religion as the Seal of Solomon or the Star of David, symbolises the three facets of the Creator, also known as ‘Trinity’ in various religions and personified in Christianity as God the Father, son and the Holy Ghost. In Hinduism, it is personified as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. In ancient Egypt it was Horus, Isis and Osiris.

The symbol of ‘Swastika’ acknowledges the Trinity aspect of the deity. The Swastika is associated with the third aspect, the third person of the Trinity, who is at once the Creator and the Destroyer, like Shiva in Hinduism and Holy Ghost in Christianity. The Swastika (not to be mixed-up with the Nazi Swastika) is a Fiery Cross of arms of whirling flames revolving clockwise to represent tremendous energies of nature, incessantly creating and dissolving the forms through which ‘evolutionary’ process takes place.

The ‘Asho Farohar’ symbol of us Zoroastrians reminds human beings of the purpose for which every soul incarnates (which is debatable in Zoroastrianism) – namely, spiritual evolution. The center represents the Soul and the two wings have 72 feathers layered into 5 bands on each wing. Hence the mystic number 72+72=144, corresponding to the 144 chapters on Karmic Law, called ‘Keshash’.

The two whorls on either side of the wings represent the primordial twin forces of nature affecting a soul like light and darkness, positive and negative, good and bad. The head symbolizes ‘free-will’ with which to make right choices and decisions. Of the two hands of the Farohar, the left hand which holds a circle (allegedly) represents the wheel of rebirths while the right hand, pointing upwards represents liberation (Moksh, Nirvana or Ravaan-Bokhtegi).

Every escoteric symbol is a metaphysical signpost, concentrating the Laws of Vibrational Frequencies of Sound and Light. When you contact a symbol with one of your five senses, they energise your aura first and later, your dense physical body, reaching and rejuvenating every organ, every tissue, cell and every atom of your body with light, life and love or Sat-Chit-Anand, which is the real nature of our soul.