What is the appropriate symbol for modern times?
Is it the Ouroborus or the Taiji?
For those unaware of Egyptian, Hermetic, or Alchemical symbolism, the Ouroborus is pictured as a snake eating its own tail. While I could use my own mind and creativity to attempt to explain this, I am full of turkey and lazy just now.
Here is what BING has to say about its meaning: The ouroboros is a circular symbol of a snake or dragon eating its own tail. It is an ancient symbol that signifies infinity and the cycle of birth and death. It also represents the unity of all things, material and spiritual, which never disappear but perpetually change form. The ouroboros symbolizes rebirth, immortality, eternity, protection, self-reliance, unity, and nature’s cycles.
The ouroboros entered Western tradition via ancient Egyptian iconography and the Greek magical tradition. It was adopted as a symbol in Gnosticism and Hermeticism and most notably in alchemy. Some snakes, such as rat snakes, have been known to consume themselves.
The term ouroboros derives from Ancient Greek οὐροβόρος, from οὐρά oura ‘tail’ plus -βορός -boros ‘-eating’ The ouroboros is often interpreted as a symbol for eternal cyclic renewal or a cycle of life, death and rebirth; the snake’s skin-sloughing symbolises the transmigration of souls. The snake biting its own tail is a fertility symbol in some religions: the tail is a phallic symbol and the mouth is a yonic or womb-like symbol.
The ouroboros has been used in different cultures and traditions, such as ancient Egypt, Greece, India, China, Japan, Norse mythology, and more. It has also inspired various artistic and literary works, such as J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, and the logo of the recycling movement.
So, how does that differ from the Taiji? The Taiji (aka the Supreme Ultimate) is that familiar yin/yang symbol that denotes change. Again, here is BING's take on it:
The Taiji symbol is a circular symbol that represents the Taoist philosophy of balance and harmony. It consists of two halves, one black and one white, that symbolize the opposite and complementary forces of yin and yang. Yin is the dark, passive, feminine, and negative principle, while yang is the light, active, masculine, and positive principle. The symbol also contains a smaller circle of the opposite color in each half, which indicates that yin and yang are not absolute, but contain the seed of the other. The symbol implies a dynamic movement of the two forces, as they constantly transform into each other and create the cycle of life. The symbol is also known as the Yin Yang symbol or Taijitu.
The Taiji symbol is derived from the ancient Chinese concept of taiji, which means the “supreme ultimate” or the source of all existence. According to Taoist cosmology, taiji is the undifferentiated unity that gives rise to yin and yang, the two primary aspects of the cosmos. Yin and yang then produce the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water), which in turn generate the ten thousand things, or all the phenomena in the universe.
The Taiji symbol is a visual expression of the Taoist worldview, which emphasizes the harmony and balance of nature, the interdependence and interconnection of all things, and the acceptance and adaptation to change. The symbol also reflects the Taoist practice of meditation, which aims to achieve a state of inner peace and harmony by aligning oneself with the natural flow of the Tao.
Got that? In many ways, the Ouroboros and the Taiji are the results of two different cultures explaining Jungian philosophy and fate. The Taiji reminds us that there is good and bad in all of us. the Ouroboros promotes the idea that all things end and are reborn.
This is what the I CHING has to say.
When I consulted the Ching, the first hexagram formed was #9 (Xaio Xu). There are two changing lines. The significance of the "initial line" is summed up on page 107 of Alfred Huang's translation as, "There is no problem with returning to one's proper way. Therefore, things look auspicious". The second changing line is the top one in the upper trigram, which Huang summarizes with, "...it is better to stop before going too far".
Hexagram 9 becomes hexagram 48 (Jing) "Replenishing".
Forgive me if I add my own conclusion to this. It appears that the Great Powers (America vs the BRICS) are both heading to a confrontation, with both sides claiming superiority in thought, deed, military might, and philosophy. The Ouroboros seems like the appropriate symbol for our times. The old world is passing away and it will be replaced with something better. What is not clear is whether mankind will survive.
Let us be thankful for what we have.
Thanks.......for what we have, and Giving to share what we give thanks for.
I grew up in the Judaic gnostic tradition my father family fled the Basque in1492 while Columbus sought new Jews to slaughter. Christianized "Orthodox " Judaism won the war but Europe and English speaking world are antiChristian. Theosophy seams very first century Aramean and 17th century cabbalistic
https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=CABAL
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jewish_Kabbalists
Hermetics have not stood the test of time the technology evolves exponentially and we are still apes. I like Yuval Noah Harari on language evolution and religious misunderstandings I love Stephen Fry because he makes me laugh and he understands Greek Epistemology. Do you understand how rarely one gets to use epistemology in a sentence? 😀
The Book of Enoch is nowhere in the Dead Sea Scrolls. The parable of the Sower first appears in Danie page 274-275 Christianity from its inception was anti-Semitic..........
https://christiangist.com/10-reasons-why-the-book-of-enoch-was-removed-from-the-bible/
Solomon Zalman ben Judah Loeb ha-Kohen Hanau (later known by the acronym Raza"h or Zalman Hanau or Zalman Henna (1687–1746), was a German Jewish expert in Hebrew grammar and critical textual critic of Jewish liturgy and prayer nussach.
https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/perelmann-jerohman-judah-leib-ben-solomon-zalman
https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/gnosticism-jewish