Swastica

The term "swastika" derives from Sanskrit "svastika," meaning "conducive to well-being." It is composed of "su" (good, well) and "asti" (to be). This symbol is found globally, predating written records, appearing in cultures from the Indus Valley to Mesoamerica.

It has been exhumed from the lowest foundations of the ancient site of Troy, and it appears on Etruscan and Chaldean relics of antiquit}'. As Mrs. Jamieson shows: "The ankh of Egypt was the crutch of St. Anthony and the cross of St. Philip. The Laharum of Constantine . . was an emblem long before, in Etruria. Osiris had the Lahannn for his sign; Horus appears sometimes with the long Latin cross. The Greek pectoral cro.ss is Egyptian. It was called by the Fathers 'the devil's invention before Christ'. The crux ansata is upon the old coins of Tarsus, as the ^Maltese upon the breast of an A.ssyrian king. . . The cross of Calvary, so common in Europe, occurs on the breasts of mummies. ... If was suspended round the niM-ks of sacred Serpents in Egyi)t, . . Strange Asiatic tribes bringing tribute in Egypt arc noticed with garments studded with crosses, and Sir Gardner Wilkinson dates this picture B.C.. ir)00. " Finally, "Typhon. the Evil One. is ehained by a cross!" (E(/. lielirf and Mod. Thought K 68 THKOSOl'lIK'AI, Campanella, Tomaso. A Calabrcse, born in ir)6iS, who. from liis iliiliUuxKl exhibited strange powers, and gave himself up during liis whole life to the Oeeult Arts. The story whieh shows him initiated in his boyhood into the scert-ts of alchemy and thoroughly instructed in the secret science by a Kabbi-Kai)balist /// n fortniaht by means of notariroti. is a cock and bull invention. Occult knowl(>dge. even when an htirloom from the preceding Ijirth, does not come back into a new personality within fifteen days. He became an opponent of the Aristotelian materialistic philosophy when at Naples and was obliged to fly for his life, fjater. the Inquisition sought to try and condemn him for the practice of nuigic arts, but its clTorts were defeated. During his lifetime he wrote an enormous quantity of magical, astrological and alchemical works, most of which are no longer e.xtant. He is reported to have died in tlie convent of the Jacobins at Paris on May the 21.st 1639.

The swastika, a symbol so ancient it predates coherent historical narratives, offers a potent counterpoint to our modern obsession with linear progression and definitive endings. Its very name, from the Sanskrit "svastika," meaning "conducive to well-being," hints at an inherent positivity, a blessing woven into its form. Mircea Eliade, in his monumental "The Myth of the Eternal Return," explored how such symbols function as anchors to cyclical time, reminding humanity of the recurring patterns of creation and destruction that underpin existence. This is not a symbol of stagnation, but of perpetual motion, like the turning of a wheel or the unfolding of seasons.

In its many manifestations across cultures—from the auspicious markings on Buddhist statues to its presence in Vedic rituals—the swastika serves as a reminder that beginnings and endings are not absolute but part of an unending cycle. It speaks to a worldview where dissolution is merely a prelude to rebirth, a cosmic respiration. For the modern seeker, grappling with the anxieties of a seemingly chaotic and unpredictable world, the swastika can be a visual mantra, a quiet affirmation of underlying order and the possibility of renewal. It invites contemplation on the nature of time itself, not as a relentless march forward, but as a series of interconnected phases, each holding the potential for transformation. The symbol's unfortunate appropriation in the 20th century has cast a long shadow, yet its original, profound meanings persist, waiting to be re-examined with an open heart and a discerning mind. To truly understand the swastika is to look beyond its superficial form and grasp the cosmic dance it represents.