Throughout time, why has it always been necessary to create signs, symbols, icons? Because it is the path to connecting our consciousness with the higher, the spiritual reality. This is how we can expand our consciousness.

Signs are essentially a spiritual tradition and they’re far more ancient than verbal and written language. Comparable only to perception of sound vibrations.

Krustu krustam puķes auga
Mīļas Māras dārziņā.
Kura meita godu tura,
Tai pin puķu vainadziņu.

6621 – 0

(Lit. translation – “Criss crossed did the flowers grow, in Dear Māra’s garden. For that daughter which honour keeps, was a flower wreath woven.”

The cross – A symbol of the world

The cross is one of the oldest symbols in the world. God created the sky – a vertical, earth – a horizontal line and by connecting them the cross was created but in order to create life, it was given rotation. The static/straight Māra’s cross (Taisnais Māras krusts) is a sign of the timeless world, a symbol of static energy, a central sign of order in the world. The static/straight cross of god (Taisnais Dieva krusts) symbolizes the four-part nature, orientation and center of the world, infinity and the unity of material & spiritual matters. It’s a sign of timeless space, of the beyond which can be observed in cemeteries.

Our ancestors used the cross for protection and to separate our living world and the world of the dead. In 1925 the creators of Dievturība chose the static cross of Māra as a symbol for the renewed ancestral teaching. The Cross of Māra has been used since time immemorial as a symbol for protecting and preserving life. It is drawn on loaves of bread prior to placing them in the oven and in the evening on hearth ashes to symbolize fire so that it wouldn’t go out and would instead preserve life energy.

Centuries before the cross became a Christian symbol, it was already in use by various ancient civilizations and so no religion should claim it as owned solely by the church. Another ancient interpretation of its meaning is that of two pieces of wood rubbing against each other to create fire.

The cross can be found everywhere – on the statues of Easter island, ancient Egypt, in asia (Chinese symbol Shi for the No. 10), carved into cliffsides, in pre-Christian Scandinavia (Odin cross / Odina krusts). Almost everywhere, the cross is considered a symbol of light and fire. The first civilized people to widely use the cross were the ancient Egyptians. For them it symbolized the unity of Isis and Osiris. It was a symbol of primordial nature and therefore also called the key of life (Ankh / Ēģiptiešu anks).

A cross symbolizes how the world consists of four elements – water, fire, air and earth.

Anthroposophy postulates that the cross symbolizes human structure – horizontal being the physical body given by ones parents and the vertical being the primordial spiritual element.

European mystics and freemasons have use a cross called the hermetic cross.

Crosses also symbolize dualism – the male and female primordium, light and darkness, heat and cold, above and below.

In Christianity the cross has two meanings.

Firstly it is a symbol of the crucifixion of Christ. Since ancient times crucifiction was used as the most brutal and shameful method of execution… However the son of God, who was crucified converted it into a symbol of honesty, salvation and eternal life.

Secondly it is a symbol of suffering, patience and the burden of mortal life.

Many cultures view the cross as a symbol of the solstice and equinox, based on the knowledge that at certain times in the year the sun symbolically creates four cardinal directions.

The Chinese and Japanese value the cross particularly highly. For example the Chinese character for the number 10 is a cross and in mandalas the sky is represented in the shape of a cross.

A Slanted cross, also called the “Wind of life” symbolizes motion, dynamic, intermediary state between old and new. It’s a symbol of the material, mortal world. Everything divine is manifested here as the potential for live to exist, flourish and evolve. The slanted cross also manifests in the sunrise and sunset at their furthest positions during winter and summer solstices.

In math, X represents multiplication, an unknown value and also the number 10 in roman numerals. In biology, the female chromosome takes the shape of an X.

In medieval times, when the majority of people were illiterate, X was used as a signature.

In occult philosophy the slanted cross sign points towards man’s path to God, attainment of oneness. In order to achieve a higher spiritual state we have to overcome many limitations that stand in our way to the light. The slanted cross points to the possibility of crossing through the “Narrow gates, which are represented as the intersection in the cosmic cross. The intersection of matters spiritual and material.

“As above, so below” also shares a connection to the slanted cross since it is symmetrical and turning it upside down doesn’t affect it.

Rotation is at the foundation of cosmic energy. By applying rotation to a cross, the swastika/thunder cross/fire cross (Ugunskrusts) is created. This is one of the more common types of cross. It symbolizes divine incarnation into this world. The sign starts in its centre and expands outwards to the four heavenly directions. Motion from the centre out represents dispersion of energy and accumulation in a given space but the opposite – motion towards the centre represents accumulation of energy on the inside, returning to the core.

The swastika has two modes of motion – clockwise and counter-clockwise. Clockwise (Also along the sun / Pa saulei) represents masculine energy and counter-clockwise (Also against the sun / pret saulei) represents feminine energy. In ancient Indian texts there also exists a men’s and women’s swastika.

A holy, honourable symbol. Translated from Indo-European languages swastika means “Good fortune/well-being, good wishes”, but translated from Sanskrit it means “bird of the sun”. The sign energetically affects the human subconscious, stimulates aspirations for greatness, evolution, wholeness. The Swastika symbolizes combination of the four elements – soul, conscience, body and spirit in unity and only those who attain spiritual harmony by combining in themselves these four elements can escape the wheel of Samsara or the cycle of rebirth and therefore rise to a higher level.

As a symbol of motion, the swastika is sometimes depicted as having feet at its ends. In India the Swastika symbolizes the sun and good fortune.

This symbol is simultaneously one of the world’s creation, the alchemy, cosmogonical, anthropological, magical key to the seven secrets of the universe.

In esoteric philosophy the swastika is the most mystical and ancient diagram. For Buddhists, Mongolians and Chinese in esoteric usage the swastika meant “Ten thousand truths” and was a part of the universe’s primordial secrets. In Buddhism it symbolizes Buddhas cosmic might. A swastika was placed on the chest of the deceased and some living had it branded on their skin opposite the heart.

Swastikas were used in native American indian healing rituals.

The forces of darkness have always endeavored to degrade, belittle this high symbol of ancient humanity. Many associate it with the darkest pages of modern history. It was no coincidence that Adolf Hitler adopted the swastika and pronounced it an Aryan emblem. Fascism’s cruelty and hatred were Satan’s true challenge to the divine powers of light. These powers of darkness still intricately labour to disfigure and humiliate the true symbolism of ancient signs. However this is impossible because the swastika is an eternal symbol of divine wisdom and creative process. It is always in motion and rotation just like the invisible cosmic forces.

In 1874. excavations of ancient Troy Heinrich Schliemann found many artefacts upon which there was a swastika.

The Russian Orthodox community called the swastika a rotating cross, representing divine presence. A swastika is also present on the Icon of Christ allmighty located in the cathedral of St. Sophia in Novgorod. This symbol has been used in Russia since ancient times – to decorate clothes, on household items, weapons and religious imagery. All the way till the beginning of the 20th century, swastikas were considered the most important symbol on Russian national costumes.

Swastikas were also present on military uniform patches until 1923 when Trotsky replaced it with the red star. The 500, 10.000 and 100.000 ruble banknote also had a swastika on them until the year 1923. Today the only two countries where this symbol is forbidden by law and criminally punished are Russia and Germany.

In America until the year 1939 Carlsberg beer cans also featured a swastika. It could be found on airplanes and even cookies were baked using its shape.

Another cross that should be mentioned it the Tau cross which is remeniscent of the letter “T”. For ancient Judaists this was a symbol of the messiah, salvation and eternal life. Traditionally the Tau cross identifies with the cross that Moses raised in the desert. In Scandinavian mythology it represents the Thunder god’s, Thor’s hammer. Christians later started calling it Saint Anthony’s cross.