The CND Symbol
This symbol is well known throughout the world most associated with 60’s hippie types as it was coined in 1958 by a guy called Gerald Holtom for a British Nuclear disbarment march.
The 60’s was a revolutionary decade, the world teetering on the brink of nuclear war yet also a decade of the expansion of human awareness and liberation.
Here we are again in 2024, the world on the brink of nuclear war. It seems that we have retracted somewhat in our liberation and have fallen to the mercy of ideological, self-absorbed leaders whose butts are too big to fit in one country that they must invade others.
It really is time people to dust off your old hippie garb or if you are a young one to start sprouting some peace and love vibes and display your CND symbol with pride as nuclear war has no place on our beautiful planet.
The Ying/Yang Symbol
If you are a martial artist you will most likely be familiar with this black and white circle representing the interconnectedness of the world.
The black and white segments flow into each other representing the ever present positive and negative energies of the masculine and the feminine. There is no darkness without light and no light without darkness.
The little dots in the center show that within the dark there is a seed of light and within the light there is a seed of darkness. Nothing is absolute.
The ideal balance is to achieve harmony between the Ying and the Yang energies within ourselves as human beings.
Our modern world causes many of us to step out of balance and the Ying/Yang symbol can remind us that we need to master our emotions and find the balance within so we can give it to the world.
The Lotus Flower
From ancient Egypt to India the lotus flower symbol represents a cycle death and rebirth. Similarly, as we sleep in the evening and are awake during the day, the lotus flower sleeps in the muddy water of a night and blooms the following day.
These days we see the Lotus flower in our western culture mostly in yoga halls or on yoga memorabilia mostly associated with the idea of the 7 chakras of the body. Each chakra having a different number of lotus petals gradually opening up and increasing as the interconnectedness of the mind and body become one until a person reaches enlightenment.
The lotus flower is a beautiful metaphor for us that each new day is a day to bloom and shine, to let go of the past and reach for the sun instead. A transformation from darkness to light, a symbol to recognize unconditional love and beauty within yourself and to others.
Wearing this symbol will be the nod to as within, so without seeing the reflection of yourself in others and reminding all of us that we are together in this game called life.