Indalo is an ancient Andalusian symbol. The original image, dating from Neolithic times, can still be seen in the “Cave of the Signboards” at Almeria, in Southern Spain. He appears as the figure of a man carrying a rainbow between his hands, alongside figures of animals, horned men, and a number of odd symbols.
The name Indalo is derived from the latin phrase “Indal Eccius,” or “Messenger of the Gods.”
Indalo’s original meaning and purpose has been lost, but it most likely represents a Shaman or a God figure.Today, the figure is closely associated with the village of Mojacar, and is used there as a symbol of luck and good fortune, and to ward off evil. Like the Native American Kokopelli, he is often emblazoned on businesses, homes, and souvenirs for tourists.
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The Keris (Malaysian, dagger) originated in tenth-century Java and can be found throughout Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia and Indonesia.
The keris is a talismanic weapon- a sword or dagger with unique characteristics, carried by men and handed down from father to son, often through a great many generations. A new keris is made by a special artisan, known as an Empu.
The keris is not only a protective amulet, but is considered a mark of manhood.
A keris consists of several characteristics, depending on origin. The typical keris has either a wavy (Luk) or straight (Lurus) tapered triangular blade; the pattern of the blade determines the dagger’s magical properties. The hilt is often designed in the shape of a deity.
Malaysian man with keris
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This mysterious bird-headed figure, referred to casually as the “Birdman,” is one of many strange symbols found on inscribed wooden tablets written by the early people of Rapanui (Easter Island.) The tablets have never been translated, but are believed to have been religious in nature.
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The heartline is found on Zuni fetish drawings of animals; it represents the breath as the life force of the animal.
Amulets containing heart line drawings are considered powerful talismans.
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The Neo-Nazi triskele is a symbol resembling a three armed swastika, used by several “Christian” white supremacy organizations and other hate groups. The arms are numerals, “777,” numbers derived from the Book of Revelation symbolizing triumph over the Antichrist.
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The unicorn is one of the most ancient mythological beasts. Although in modern times it is most often depicted as an ethereal white horse, it has been variously described as an antelope, sheep, goat, or as a composite creature akin to a griffin or sphinx. Then, as later, the unicorn was a symbol of power and virility.
The oldest description of a unicorn occurs in the Epic of Gilgamesh, and in Mesopotamian art it is depicted a a great beast with a ringed neck and long, curving horn. The earliest mention of the unicorn in the West comes from a Greek account of a fearsome beast with a red head and blue eyes; it’s horn is ascribed the properties later given to the bezoar stone: protection against poisons and disease. Later, Aristotle was to describe the unicorn as a type of antelope.
While the Indian creature was almost certainly a fancifully described Rhinoceros, scholars today believe the Mesopotamian creature to have been a giant aurochs (a now extinct species of buffalo). It is this beast which is described in Old Testament accounts, and probably identical to the mythical ‘Bull’ of Ninevah. A mistranslation of the name (Re’em, ‘horned’) led to the legend of the one-horned beast, to which the strength of God is compared. Jewish legend linked the unicorn to the lion, describing them as fierce enemies, an image carried over in heraldic art.
In the middle ages, the unicorn was described as a small, goat-like creature who was nonetheless very fierce, and whose capture could only be accomplished by a virgin, whose virtue attracted the beast. Although many of these stories tended to be quite adult oriented, the obvious parallels to the legend of Christ and his virginal mother, the virgin who was chosen as the only suitable vessel to contain the incarnation of God.
The virgin and the Unicorn, Leonardo Da Vinci
Gilgamesh and the unicorn
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Unification Church
The symbol of the Unification Church of Sun Myung Moon (commonly referred to by the derogatory term “Moonies”), a group often accused of cult-like tendencies. According to church literature, the different parts of the symbol have various meanings:
“The center circle symbolizes God, truth, life, and light. Those four elements reach out or radiate from this origin to the whole cosmos in twelve directions. The number twelve indicates the twelve types of human character. Historically, the number twelve has been important in God’s dispensation; for example, Jesus had twelve disciples. The significance of the symbol, then, indicates that truth (the Principle) is able to spread out in twelve ways. According to Father, the structure of the heavenly kingdom is also patterned after this basic system; i.e., twelve tribes and twelve character types. The outer circle represents the harmony of giving and receiving action, the principle of the cosmos.”
The central wheel in this emblem is related to the kuruma, or carriage wheel, a traditional Japanese heraldic symbol.
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This symbol was borrowed from Mayan design by James Churchward of “The Lost Continent of Mu” fame, as a symbol of the people of Mu.
In Churchward’s interpretation, it is a representation of the forces of the universe. Mu is elsewhere called Lemuria.
A fanciful Lemurian
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This is the symbol of the Raelian “UFO cult,” representing a spinning galaxy within a hexagram.
The original emblem, a hexagram containing a swastika, was deemed offensive and redesigned:
The Raelians have no ties or connections to Nazism; the swastika was intended in its older meaning as an Eastern Cosmogram- a symbol of the whirlings of the universe.
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See also: Raelians at Alternative Religions
An emblem used as an insignia designating an “Operating Thetan” in Scientology. The shape is reminiscent of an Egyptian scarab (perhaps intentionally), but is a combined “O” and “T.”
In Scientology dogma, a thetan is analogous to the human soul. According to Scientology, “body thetans” are misplaced thetans that leech off the body of another, and cause a variety of ailments and personality/emotional problems.
An “Operating Thetan” is a person who has “cleared” away body thetans through Scientology auditing.
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The logo of the Church of Spiritual Technology, the Scientology-associated non-profit that maintains, archives, and controls the copyrights on materials written by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.
One of the aims of the CoST is to maintain a long-term archive of important Scientology texts located underground in Trementina, New Mexico. The above emblem is engraved in large scale in the ground over the vault, ostensibly to aid in the location of the vault in the future by returning initiates.
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The emblem of Eckankar, a spiritual group founded in 1965 by former Scientologist and Yoga initiate John Paul Twitchell. The philosophy of “Eck” follows that of numerous Eastern traditions that a divine sound current (“Om”) emanates throughout creation, becoming increasingly denser and entangled within the material. Mimicking the divine sound helps one to attune to that current and purifies matter, bringing one closer to the divine source.
The symbol itself is simply “Ek,” short for eckankar, a corruption of the words “Ek Onkar,” God is one or one essence; ‘omkar’ means, literally, ‘om creator’ and can be likened to the First Cause.
Omkar written in Sanskrit letters is what we commonly refer to as the “Om symbol.”
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A figure of a Minoan Goddess in the shape of a bee,* one of several portrayals found in the art and religious artifacts of ancient Minoan culture.
These artifacts are assumed to be related to the local Mother Goddess cult, but very little is known about Minoan religion.
*Or, a representation of the Melissae (bees), the priestesses of the cult.
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An image of a Serpent-bearing Goddess figure found in the remains of a temple in Knossos, Crete.She is one of several such figurines unearthed.
The name and purpose of the figure has never been deciphered, but she is associated with animals- mainly bees and snakes, and associated with the labyrinth and the labrys symbols.
See also: The Lady and the Serpent
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The Cornucopia (Latin, ‘horn of plenty’), a spiraling, woven basket overflowing with an abundance of produce, is an ever-present symbol of harvest prosperity. The symbol dates back to an ancient tale of the Nymph Amalthea,* who, as a reward from the infant Zeus for a meal of Goat’s milk, was given an enchanted goat’s horn which gave whatever one wished for.**
The cornucopia became a ubiquitous symbol of fortune and plenty, and was associated with many Goddesses, including Fortuna, the goddess of good fortune, and Ceres, Goddess of agriculture.
Amalthea feeds Zeus from the horn
*Sometimes, Amalthea herself is the goat.
**Similar tales include the Finnish Sampo and the Celtic legend of the Cauldron of Plenty.
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The Trinacria ( “Trincaria” means triangular), a three legged design resembling a triskele, is a symbol of the Isle of Sicily.” The three points represent the three capes of Sicily, also known as Trinacria in ancient times.
The gorgon in the center implies the protection of the Goddess Athena, the Patron Goddess of the Isle. (In early mythology, Medusa was the destructive aspect of Athena, and later, a monster slain by the hero Perseus, who adorned Athena’s shield.)
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The labyrinth is a winding, maze-like path, often resembling a spiral. Labyrinths are found in many ancient cultures, and almost always have spiritual significance. Nearly identical labrynth patterns are found in neolithic art, on native American petroglyphs, and even in ancient Vedic sites. Ancient Minoan labyrinths were associated with the cult of the mother Goddess, and were possibly used in initiatory rituals.
Labyrinths carried into medieval times, where they were often laid on the floors of cathedrals. They were used as a sort of miniature pilgrimage- often, these ‘pilgrims’ traveled the path on their knees while praying continuously. Labyrinths today have seen a kind of revival- they are common today both in churches and Neopagan sanctuaries. (It is estimated that there are now more than fifteen hundred labyrinths in churches in the US alone.)
Greek Labyrinth
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The Minotaur was the legendary monster of Cretan mythology, a hybrid man-bull creature, the offspring of Pasiphae, the wife of the King of Minos, and a bull.
The minotaur lived at the center of a great labyrinth. According to legend, Minos demanded tribute from the Athenians in the form of seven pairs of male and female virgins, who were sacrificed to the Minotaur. This practice was ended by the hero Theseus, who, aided by the daughter of Minos, was able to slay the monster.
The minotaur and his labyrinth are generally viewed as symbolic of internal conflict and the struggle with one’s animal nature.
The Minotaur
See Also: Minotaur Gallery
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The labrys is a double headed ritual axe. It is found in ancient Minoan depictions of the Mother Goddess, where its symbolism is related to the labrynth. The word “labrys” is Minoan in origin and is from the same root as the Latin labus, or lips.
Similar symbols appear on Norse, African, and Greek religious objects, where it is most often a feminine symbol, most likely lunar in origin.
Use of the labrys has been documented on medieval charms used to attract women.
Today, it is often used as a sign of identity and solidarity among lesbians.
Cretan Labrys
The Gorgon were legendary monsters of Greek myth, the three fearsome sisters Medusa, Euryale, and Sthenno, the daughters of sea monsters with fearsome teeth and hair of serpents.
The gorgon Medusa, whose gaze could turn the living to stone, was slain by the hero Perseus, who beheaded her using her reflection in Athena’s shield to avoid looking at her directly. Afterward, her head adorned the shield (Aegis) of the Goddess Athena. Some scholars believe that the Gorgon was once a facet of the goddess Athena herself, in her destructive solar aspect.
The Gorgon’s head is frequently seen in use as a protective device on ancient shields and talismans.
The Gorgon Medusa
See Also: Gorgon Gallery
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