Through the years, humans of all races have used different symbols and signs to express various concepts, ideas, and beliefs. To this day, people still know and use some of these signs.
These symbols have a universal meaning that is able to cross the barriers of languages, like symbols for peace of mind, romance, rage, and strength.
There are many symbols signifying peace of mind, like the Lotus, the Yin Yang, the Tree of Life, and the OM symbol.
Although most of them might be familiar to you, there could be a few symbols you didn’t know existed. That’s why I’m here to educate you about them.
Below are 14 of the symbols representing peace of mind. So, keep reading to find out more about their meaning in different cultures as well as their origin.
Table of Contents
1. The Lotus Flower
Being able to grow and flourish in muddy ponds, the Lotus Flower represents achieving the State of Buddha as a symbol of spiritual elevation.
The thousand-petal flower symbolizes the 7th chakra, which is the crown chakra that contains all the other chakras. (1)
Through many different eastern cultures, the Lotus Flower was present. You can see it on Ancient Egyptian walls, Indian temples, and Tibetan scripts.
In Hinduism, for example, the Lotus Flower is a symbol of peace and purity. That’s because it has a unique blooming cycle, which demonstrates the soul’s purpose while transitioning to peace.
In Buddhism, Lotus is one of their eight famous symbols. The flower represents the purity of body, mind, and speech.
2. The Yin Yang
Image from pixabay.com
A famous Chinese symbol of balance and peace of mind, the Yin Yang represents duality. It symbolizes the idea that any two opposites can coexist and complement each other. (2)
This symbol proves that you can’t have the good without the bad, or the light without the dark. So, to achieve peace of mind, according to Chinese culture, you have to embrace the opposites.
Mostly, the concept of Yin Yang, also known as “taijitu,” existed thousands of years ago. However, nobody knows who exactly created this remarkable symbol.
3. The Tree of Life
Photo by Stephanie Klepacki on Unsplash
As most of you know, sitting under the shade of a tree should provide a person with shelter and tranquility. That’s why the Tree of Life is a famous and popular symbol.
Among many other meanings, like strength, growth, rebirth, and connection, the tree, in many cultures, symbolized various concepts.
In African culture, for instance, the tree represents life and nourishment, while in Celtic culture, it’s a symbol of connecting the earth and heaven. (3)
In Buddhism, however, the Tree of Life is a symbol of enlightenment and inner peace.
4. The OM
Image courtesy: pxhere.com
The famous OM symbol has roots in many different religions, like Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. That’s why it has a higher spiritual meaning that’s usually related to peace of mind.
In Hinduism, they consider OM the foundation and the first sound emitting from the universe. Moreover, it represents the unification of the body, mind, and soul. (4)
That said, the way they write the OM symbol also has an interpretation. That’s because each one of the five strokes represents one of the states of consciousness, which are:
- The conscious state
- The unconscious state
- The dream state
- The Maya state
- The absolute state
5. The Mandala
Rubin Museum of Art / Public domain
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You probably know what the Mandala looks like. Recently, this symbol has grown to be rather popular. However, it’s not just for decoration purposes.
The Mandala is an artistic interpretation of higher thought using geometric shapes. Basically, people use it to focus their attention within an emotional, spiritual, or psychological context.
Though present in many cultures, Mandalas usually serve the same idea, which is encouraging introspection. As a result, it allows a person to achieve peace of mind. (5)
6. The Shanti Karuna Reiki
Shanti in Hindi means peace, and this symbol is quite meaningful. The Shanti Karuna Reiki symbol helps heal the past and harmonize the present.
When combined with other Karuna Reiki symbols, Shanti helps achieve many purposes, like realizing one’s goals and releasing all fears. (6)
People use it to fight insomnia, fatigue, and stress. That’s because it induces calmness, which helps them let go of worries and achieve peace of mind.
7. The Zen Circle (Enso Circle)
Ensō by Nick Raleigh from the Noun Project
Another symbol of enlightenment, the zen circle, also goes by the name Enso, represents the circle of life.
The symbol itself originated from Zen Buddhism. However, the word “Enso” comes from the Japanese language, and it means “circular form.” (7)
Alongside Bodhidharma portraits, almost all Zen masters have aided their students and patrons to achieve peace of mind by producing Enso paintings.
8. The Meditation Buddha
The Buddha statues have different postures and poses, each holding a significant meaning behind it. The Meditating Buddha is the symbol of inner peace.
The Buddha sitting in a lotus pose with hands on lap facing up is commonly a representation of tranquility, enlightenment, and inner peace. (8)
Most of the large Buddha statues in Japan and Korea are sitting in a meditation posture. Moreover, they’re usually called the “Amithabha Buddha,” which means “infinite light.”
9. The Bodhi Leaf
The Bodhi leaf comes from the Bodhi tree, which is a sacred tree in India. Even long before Buddhism, the Bodhi leaf was often associated with Vishnu, who’s a Hindu god.
Among many other Indian myths, they say that Buddha, after reaching enlightenment, sat for a week in front of this tree without even blinking. (9)
That’s why the Bodhi leaf is mostly linked to the higher state of being, spiritual vision, and wisdom.
Furthermore, the shape of the leaf itself provides mystical power that helps achieve peace and find inner awakening.
10. The Unalome
This is another iconic symbol that you probably recognize as it’s become popular in the tattoo world. The Unalome design is simple, however, it holds quite deep meanings.
In Buddhism, the symbol reflects each person’s path to enlightenment. (10) At first, the path starts as a spiraling line, and on the person’s journey to maturity, the line straightens.
The final stage is reaching the goal of enlightenment and peace of mind. This stage is often symbolized by three dots, but sometimes they use a Lotus symbol instead.
This ancient symbol’s philosophy represents how each person’s life is uniquely amazing. So, no matter how hard it can get, all people reach a place of greater peace eventually. (11)
11. The Hopi (Healer’s) Hand
Photo 69161726 / Hand © Gary Hanvy | Dreamstime.com
The Hopi Hand symbol shows a hand with a spiral in the middle resembling the Japanese Zen Circle.
It holds great significance among the Hopi clan, which is a Native American tribe that has a goal to live in a peaceful co-existence with mother nature.
The Healer’s Hand symbol is known through Shamanism (a religious practice in which a shaman practices his interaction with the spirit world.)
What’s more, it represents the Shamans’ journey of life toward gaining spiritual knowledge. (12)
12. The Anchor
Image from Piqsels.com
Although the shape of the anchor, as we know it, has evolved over the years, the concept itself hasn’t. It was, and still is, a sign of strength and groundedness.
Because an anchor serves the purpose of stabilizing the ship and holding it at its location, it’s often a symbol of security and confidence. (13)
Among many other meanings related to the Anchor symbol throughout history, it embodies groundedness, steadiness, and peacefulness.
13. The Fu Lu Shou
As three Chinese language characters, the Fu Lu Shou represent the three gods of luck in China. They’re the god of blessing luck, the god of wealth and prosperity, and the god of longevity.
These three symbols have become more known through Feng Shui, which is a practice aiming to arrange a certain space’s furniture to create a balance with nature. (14)
Among the many benefits of having the Fu Lu Shou symbol as a part of your space lies the aim to inspire inner peace and harmony. (15)
14. The Flower of Life
Tomruen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Though the Flower of Life appears to have a simple design, it holds magnificent depth and symbolism. It’s a well-known circular structure in the Sacred Geometry world.
Basically, Sacred Geometry is an ancient science explaining all energy patterns that unify the world around us. (16)
Therefore, by researching this information, I concluded that the Flower of Life forms a connection between humanity and every single living being.
So, by understanding its meaning, we begin to comprehend how the universe works. Consequently, a person becomes able to reach inner balance and peace. (17)
A Final Thought
Along each point in history, there have been common symbols people used to signify deeper meanings. Furthermore, humans have continuously been in search of inner peace.
Through different cultures, people have tried, and still are trying, to achieve this level through different practices, like meditating and praying.
Expressing oneself through drawings and writings is one of these practices, and it’s also a major reason why we now know what we know.
References