Eye of Horus - Ancient Egyptian Symbol

 

By Catherine Beyer, About.com Guide

Jeff Dahl

Next to the ankh¹ symbol, the icon commonly called the eye of Horus is the next most well known. It consists of a stylized eye and eyebrow. Two lines extend from the bottom of the eye, possibly to mimic the facial markings on a falcon local to Egypt, as Horus's symbol was a falcon.

In fact, three different names are applied to this symbol: the eye of Horus, the eye of Ra, and the Wadjet. These names are based on the meaning behind the symbol, not specifically its construction. Without any context, it is impossible to definitively determine which symbol is meant.

The Eye of Horus:

Horus is the son of Osiris and nephew to Set. After Set murdered Osiris, Horus and his mother Isis set to work putting the dismembered Osiris back together and reviving him as lord of the underworld. According to one story, Horus sacrificed one of his own eyes for Osiris. In another story, Horus loses his eye in a subsequent battle with Set. As such, the symbol is connected with healing and restoration.

The symbol is also one of protection and was commonly used in protective amulets worn by both the living and the dead.

The Eye of Horus commonly, but not always. sports a blue iris. The Eye of Horus is the most common use of the eye symbol.

The Eye of Ra:

The Eye of Ra has anthropomorphic² qualities and is sometimes also called the daughter of Ra. Ra sends out his eye to seek information as well as hand out wrath and vengeance against those who have insulted him. Thus, it is a much more aggressive symbol that the Eye of Horus.

The Eye is also given to a variety of goddesses such as Sekhmet, Wadjet and Bast. Sekhmet once ranged down such ferocity against a disrespectful humanity that Ra eventually had to step in to stop her from exterminating the entire race.

The Eye of Ra commonly sports a red iris.

As if that wasn't complicated enough, the concept of the Eye of Ra is often represented by another symbol entirely, a uraeus wrapped around a sun-disk, often hovering over a deity's head: most often Ra. The uraeus, which is an upright cobra, is also a symbol of the goddess Wadjet.

Wadjet:

Wadjet is a cobra goddess and the patron of lower Eygpt. Depictions of Ra commonly sport a sun disk over his head and a cobra wrapped around the disk. That cobra is Wadjet, a protective deity. An Eye shown in association with a cobra is usually Wadjet, although sometimes it is an Eye of Ra.

Just to be further confusing, the Eye of Horus is sometimes called a Wadjat eye.

Pairs of Eyes:

A pair of eyes can be found on the side of some coffins. The usual interpretation is that they provide sight for the deceased since their souls live for eternity.

Orientation of Eyes:

While various sources attempt to ascribe meaning to whether a left or right eye is depicted, no rule can be applied universally. Eye symbols associated with Horus can be found in both left and right forms, for example.

Modern Use:

People today ascribe a number of meanings to the Eye of Horus, including protection, wisdom, and revelation. It is often associated with the Eye of Providence found on US $1 bills and in Freemasonry iconography. However, it is problematic to compare these symbols' meanings beyond viewers being under the watchful eye of a superior power.

The eye of Horus is used by some occultists³, including Thelemites⁴, who consider 1904 the start of the Age of Horus. The eye is often depicted within a triangle, which might be interpreted as a symbol of elemental fire⁵ or might harken back to the Eye of Providence and other similar symbols.

Conspiracy theorists often see the Eye of Horus, the Eye of Providence, and other eye symbols as all ultimately being the same symbol. This symbol is that of the shadowy Illuminati organization which some believe to be the real power behind many governments today. As such, these eye symbols represent subjugation, control of knowledge, illusion, manipulation and power.

 

Ankh - Ancient Symbol of Life

By Catherine Beyer, About.com Guide

Catherine Beyer

The ankh is the most well known symbol to come out of ancient Egypt¹. In their hieroglyphic system² of writing the ankh represents the concept of eternal life, and that is the general meaning of the symbol.

Construction of the Image:

The ankh is an oval or point-down teardrop set atop a T shape. The origin of this image is highly debated. Some have suggested that it represents a sandal strap, although the reasoning behind such a use is not obvious. Others point out the similarity with another shape known as a knot of Isis (or a tyet), the meaning of which is also obscure.

The most commonly repeated explanation is that it is a union of a female symbol (the oval, representing the vagina or uterus) with a male symbol (the phallic upright line), but there's no actual evidence supporting that interpretation.

Funeral Context:

The ankh is generally displayed in association with the gods. Most are found in funerary images. However, most surviving artwork in Egypt is found in tombs, so availability of evidence is skewed. The gods involved in the judgment of the dead may possess ankh. They may carry it in their hand or hold it up to the nose of the diseased, breathing in eternal life.

There are also funerary statues of pharaohs in which a ankh is clutched in each hand, although a crook and flail – symbols of authority – are more common.

Purification Context:

There are also images of gods pouring water over the head of the pharaoh as part of a purification ritual, with the water being represented by chains of ankhs and was (representing power and dominion) symbols. It reinforces the close connection the pharaohs had with the gods in whose name he ruled and to whom he returned after death.

The Aten:

Pharaoh Akhenaten embraced a monotheistic religion centered on worship of the sun disk, known as the Aten. Artwork from the time of his rule, known as the Amarna period, always include the Aten in images of the pharaoh. This image is a circular disk with rays terminating in hands reaching down toward the royal family. Sometimes, although not always, the hands clutch ankhs.

Again, the meaning is clear: eternal life is a gift of the gods meant most specifically for the pharaoh and perhaps his family. (Akhenaten emphasized the role of his family much more than other pharaohs. More often, pharaohs are depicted alone or with the gods.)

Was and Djed:

The ankh is also commonly displayed in association with the was staff or djed column. The djed column represents stability and fortitude. The djed column is closely associated with Osiris, god of the underworld but also of fertility, and it has been suggested that the column represents a styling tree.

Together, the symbols appear to offer strength, success, longevity and long life.

Uses of the Ankh Today:

The ankh continues to be used by a variety of people. Kemetic pagans³, dedicated to reconstructing Egyptian traditional religion often use it as a symbol of their faith. Various new agers⁴ and neopagans⁵ use the symbol more generically as a symbol of life or sometimes as a symbol of wisdom. In Thelema⁶ it is viewed as the union of opposites as well as a symbol of divinity and moving toward one's destiny.

The Coptic Cross:

The early Coptic Christians used a cross known as a crux ansata (Latin for "cross with a handle") that resembled an ankh. Modern Coptic crosses, however, are crosses with arms of equal length. A circle design is sometimes incorporated into the center of the symbol, but it is not required.

 

Yin Yang

By Catherine Beyer, About.com Guide

Catherine Beyer

The yin-yang symbol comes out of Daoist¹ thinking, representing the concept of a union of opposites that has been important throughout Eastern philosophy and has been recently adopted by various new age², esoteric and neopagan³ thinkers of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Construction:

The yin-yang is a circle divided in half by an S-curve. One side of the curve is black, while the other is white. While these are opposites, they do not oppose each other. Rather, they complement each other, each providing what the other does not have. Together they form a unified whole.

A white dot is placed within the black curve, and a black dot is found within the white curve. This emphasizes the necessity each side has for the other, and that you'll never actually find something that is entirely of yin or yang.

Gender Polarity – Yin and Yang Energy:

Yin is the feminine energy. Concepts associated with this energy include darkness, passivity, emotion, wetness, and cold.

Yang is the masculine energy and represents the opposite of the feminine concepts such as light, action, logic, dryness and warmth.

Neither side is better than the other, as both are required for the other to exist. Destruction cannot happen without creation, but creation cannot continue without destruction clearing the way and providing new resources. If we lived in eternal light, we would have no concept of light. Only with the contrast of darkness can the concept of light have any meaning.

Read more: Gender Polarity in Western Thought⁴

Good vs. Evil:

The dichotomy of good and evil is not represented here because of the conflict between the two. The emphasis of the yin-yang is one of balance. One should draw on both masculine and feminine qualities in order to be whole, while there is no suggestion that a balanced person should embrace both good and evil.

Balance:

Balance is a central value within Eastern philosophy. They avoid extremes and see balance in all things as being the most correct, healthy and pleasing. This does not mean that all elements have to be equal. Most people are not equally masculine or feminine, for example, but both sides do need to be embraced. A quiet, dainty woman can still have inner strength and fortitude. A physically imposing man can still be emotional.

This philosophy can be found throughout Eastern culture. It is used in traditional medicine, in the arrangement and decoration of spaces, and in food preparation, among others.