The Meaning Of Shapes
Angles, lines, and curves are necessary before anything can be constructed and one of the characteristics all symbols have in common is that each is constructed of one or more basic shapes. Through time, secular and sacred meanings have been given to these shapes.
Dot or Point
The beginning of any visual symbol is the dot or point. Before anything else can be created, a dot must be made. The dot is a symbol of the self and beginning. It is also an illustration of the act of creation, because the creation of the dot itself is the act of creating something in a space which previously contained nothing.
Line
The line is a symbol of boundary and division. A straight line represents infinity because it can continue in either direction indefinitely. A vertical line symbolizes the spiritual world, and a horizontal line the temporal.
Spiral
The use of the spiral in sacred art can be traced back to the most primitive societies. The spiral has been one of the most used shapes in religious and magical symbolism. This may be because the spiral occurs often in nature: animal horns, the human ear, snail shells, and fern fronds.
The spiral represents anything that expands and contracts: the rising and setting Sun, waxing and waning of the Moon, the seasons, and life and death. It symbolizes the movement of consciousness towards the inner understanding of the Oneness of the All. An inward spiral, clockwise, represents the focusing and projection of an intention, like a prayer. The outward spiral, counter-clockwise, represents fulfilment of the intention, God's answer. Double spirals have been used to symbolize opposing forces and the androgyne, the personification of opposites blending to make a whole.
Circle
The circle is the universal symbol of unity and infinity. Many scholars believe it was most likely man's first symbol. The circle is symbolic of all cycles: the seasons, life and death, the movement of the planets; the self, eternity, God. "God is a circle whose center is everywhere and circumference is nowhere..." - Hermes Trismegistus
It also represents protection, gold, and as the glyph for zero, nothing. The circle has been part of our social and spiritual beliefs from the beginning. Man has built homes, hearths, animal pens, wells, villages, and religious and magical sites in circular shapes. A circle is a continuous line which separates the inside from the outside; a space that is part of, yet seperate from, the rest of creation. The circle divides the known from the unknown and therefore represents a protected and/or consecrated place.
The ancient Greeks considered the circle the most perfect of all shapes. A circle with a dot in the center is a symbol of the Sun. Three concentric circles symbolize the past, present, and future (or any other trinuine concept). In Zen Buddhism, an empty circle represents enlightenment.
Sphere
The sphere symbolizes completeness, unity, equality, and acceptance. No point of the sphere is nearer or farther from the center than any other point on the sphere.
Triangle
Triangles represent strength and all things/concepts with a triple nature. The downward pointing triangle is a feminine symbol; the upward pointing triangle is a phallic, masculine symbol.
Square
The square is a symbol of stability, honesty, justice, shelter and safety; limitation, security, and permanence. The four sides of the square represent quaternary concepts: the elements: air, fire, water, and earth; the seasons: spring, summer, winter, and fall; the motions: linear, vibratory, rotary, and mixed; four-letter names of God, the archangels: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Auriel; the directions: -north, south, east, and west, and many other quaternary concepts.
Cross
The cross is a universal symbol of Life and the Sun. Many cultures have used the cross to symbolize the four seasons, directions, elements, etc. It is the Chinese symbol for Earth; the Christian symbol of the crucifixion of Christ, eternal life, redemption, and faith. The vertical line of the cross is symbolic of the intellect: the active, e male principle. Equilateral crosses symbolize balance, twins and couples, and the union of opposites.
Pentagram
Also known as the Star of Knowledge, Pentalpha, Pentacle, Witch's Cross, Wizard's Star, and Goblin's Cross, the pentagram is a symbol of life, perfection, protection, wholeness, and mystery. Although its origins are uncertain, it can be found in the ancient art and ruins of many countries including China and India, as well as many countries in North and South America and Africa. It was not considered an evil or Satanic symbol until the Inquisition, during the witch purge.
In ancient Mesopotamia it was the symbol of royalty. It was used by ancient Jews, along with the Star of David, to symboize truth and the five books of the Pentateuch. The ancient Egyptians used the pentagram to represent the womb of the Earth. It was called the Pentalpha by the ancient Greeks because, geometrically, it is formed of five A's. Medieval Christians used it to symbolize the five wounds of Christ. The five-pointed star is widely associated with the followers of Wicca. It is symbolic of a man with arms and legs outstretched. With the point (head) upward, it represents summer, the power of light and is associated, by some, with white magic - spirit ruling matter (the mind ruling the body). With the point downward, it represents winter, the powers of darkness, and by some, it is mistakenly thought to be only a symbol of Satan. Most practitioners of Wicca believe there need to be a balance of both these forces for a person to have true power.
Each of the points has its own meanings: the head corresponds to the element of spirit, the color white, the middle finger, the sense of sight, man, and the Archangel Raphael. The left arm corresponds to air, yellow, the little finger, intellect and imagination, smell, plant life, and the Archangel Gabriel. The right arm corresponds to water, blue, intuition, emotion, the index finger, taste, fish, and the Archangel Micheal. The left leg corresponds to the Earth, black, the thumb, touch, crystals, the material world, the Archangel Sandalphon. The right leg corresponds to fire, red, the ring finger, hearing, animal life, and the Archangel Haniel, life's energy.
A double pentagram represents the Goddess in her five phases of a woman's life: birth, menarche, maternity, menopause, and death.
Hexagram
Also known as the Star of David and Seal of Solomon. The hexagram is another symbol that has been used since ancient times. Long before it became the symbol if Judaism, it was a symbol of the joining and balance of opposites. It is also considered a powerful good luck amulet.
It is composed of two interlaced triangles, one pointed upward and the other pointing downward. The upward triangle, associated with the element of fire and masculine energy, combines with the downward triangle, which is associated with the element of water and feminine energy. The base of each triangle intersects just under the peak of the other and forms the symbols of the Air and Earth elements. So the hexagram, which combines the four elements and the number three of the triangle, corresponds to the magic number seven.
Each of the points has several meanings, including but not limited to: the first point corresponds to the color yellow, vibratory motion, the sense of sight, the head, the apple tree, and the music of a trumpet; the second point corresponds to red, linear motion, hearing, the right leg, the yew tree, and the drum; the third point corresponds to green, circular motion, taste, the left arm, the birch tree, and the guitar; the fourth point corresponds to orange, linear motion, smell, the right arm, the oak tree, and the organ; the fifth point corresponds to blue, circular motion, touch, the left leg, the elm tree, and the bass; and the sixth point corresponds to purple, vibratory motion, motion (sense), the sexual organs, the willow tree, and the violin.
There are four other forms of the hexagram used in magic. The first is the unicursal, so-named because it can be made with a single unbroken line. The second type is two triangles superimposed on each other, both in an upward position, and the top of one slightly higher than the other. In the third form one triangle is pointed upward and the other downward with their bases touching. The fourth form has one triangle pointing upward and the other inverted on its tip.
Heptagram
Also known as the Fairy Star, Witch's Star, and the Astrologer's Star. The heptagram is used in magic to link the powers of the planets to the Earth.
Octagram
The octagram has been associated with the Star of the Magi, a symbol of hope. It is also seen as a symbol of the balance between spirit and matter, the inner and outer bodies, and male and female. To occultists it is a symbol of protection, spiritual enlightenment, and abundance.
Nonagram
Represents completion, fulfillment, attainment, intuition, creativity, and the power of dreams and illusions. The points are associated with all groups of nine, for example: the nine internal and external senses: memory, meditation, imagination, common sense, hearing, smell, sight, taste, and touch; and the nine muses: Calliope (poetry), Clio (history), Melpomene (tragedy), Euterpe (music), Terpsichore (dancing), Urania (astronomy), Thalia (comedy), Polyhymnia (eloquence).