Ancient Symbols

Buddhism originated in the 6th century BCE when Siddhartha Gautama started preaching on topics such as pain and suffering and enlightenment and rebirth. He used many images and illustrations to explain his teachings...

Through history, healing symbols have typically been created by a mix of Western and Eastern cultures and sometimes-even religions.  Some have been around for centuries and have even turned into trends that people...

Love is represented by different symbols all around the world. Despite popular belief, love is not only represented by traditional hearts and roses.  In fact, different civilizations have used different elements to...

In cultures all around the globe, friendship is seen as the most precious and irreplaceable “thing” we can have.  A rock-solid companionship that lends us the strength in the good along with the bad...

Since the advent of time, societies have associated certain images with the idea of health and medicine to encourage feelings of care and protection. In ancient Egypt, practitioners of medicine would use snakes as a...

The subject of ‘life’ is indeed interesting and one that has gotten quite a lot of attention over the years. For decades, people have used various symbols to depict life.  Many of these are products of multiple...

Change is inevitable.  It is an agent of nature, the due diligence of which is absolute; the ripples it causes are too profound. What we stand as today, who we are, is true due to the fact that we are constantly...

There exists no bond more sincere or love more pronounced than what a person carries for their family.  As valid in the past, as it is today, the institution of the family is integral to the proper development of...

Throughout history, the heart of human communication has been symbols, allowing for the efficient flow of information across time and space.  Throughout history, they have served as a means to better facilitate the...

Despite two-thirds of the Earth’s surface being covered in water, only 0.5% is available for our needs. Throughout human history, the ready availability of water has always been the biggest issue societies have...

Today, many of us may take it for granted, but throughout most of history, for the common person, freedom has been perceived as an exception rather than a fundamental basic right.  Only in the Age of Enlightenment...

Chinese culture is one of the most ancient and complex ones in the world. Even today, many Chinese values are derived from Taoism, Confucianism, and other ancient Chinese philosophies. As a result, Chinese history is...

Throughout history, symbols have served as a vehicle for humankind to better facilitate their understanding of the wilder world around them. Each civilization, culture, and time period has brought with it its own...

It is said that that a picture is worth a thousand words. In an attempt to better and more quickly convey complex abstracts, ideas, and concepts, people of various cultures have made use of signs and symbols. And this...

The entire history of humankind can be best summed up as a dialectic of control and helplessness. People have always sought to control others and nature, but have never really managed success in this pursuit. In their...

Perhaps the most popular mythical creature, the dragon is a highly complex symbol with various meanings in different cultures. Typically depicted as a large beast with serpentine and reptilian traits, the dragon may...

In ancient times, the concept of religion was widely different from what is considered religion today. Religion did not have a separate and distinct role and people did not operate independently of their religious...

It is estimated that in only 8 percent of recorded history have humans been entirely free of conflict. (1) Yet, the concept of war and aggression as we know and understand could not have existed without us having first...

Natural disasters, diseases, vicious wildlife, and conflicts – humans have always known the world to be a dangerous and frightening place. Where physical protection could not be guaranteed, people have often come to...

Throughout history, humanity had made use of analogies and symbols as a better means to communicate complex ideas and concepts. By associating the intelligible or incomprehensible with what is already known, the former...

Symbols can serve as powerful visual means to communicate and link various ideas and concepts. Since the beginning of mankind’s history, symbols have served as evocative vehicles of the conception of all human...

The theme of rebirth always surrounds us. Over time, through cultivation, we learned that plants that die in winter come alive in spring, symbolizing death and rebirth. Our ancient ancestors have also recognized...

Throughout history, symbolism has been used as a means to convey meaning and instill emotions in a way that an outright explanation cannot achieve. Across ancient cultures, we can find a plentitude of engagement in...