What does the pis sign mean. In the last century, the symbol of peace meant despair. What does the "peace" sign mean? And when and why did he appear

In the 80-90s of the 20th century, a record number of youth subcultures existed in the post-Soviet space. In connection with the fall of the Iron Curtain, all kinds of symbols and pictograms that came from other countries were “snatched up” like hot cakes by representatives of various youth movements. And some symbols that came from the West and East are still interpreted one-sidedly or stereotypically. This material will help to understand the true meaning of such "affected" cult symbols.

Pentagram

In one of the most popular books of the 21st century, The Da Vinci Code, the writer and culturologist Dan Brown, through the mouth of the antagonist Professor Langdon, tells the true meaning of the pentagram or pentacle - a pictogram in the form of a five-pointed star, in which each line is equal in length to all the others. This symbol is one of the most powerful images, which for thousands of years in many cultures was considered divine or magical. If you draw a pentagram and draw all the diagonals in it, then they are automatically divided into segments corresponding to the famous "divine proportion". It is for this reason that the five-pointed star has always been a symbol of beauty and perfection and has been associated with Venus, the goddess of beauty, as well as the sacred feminine. In view of the patriarchal nature of most religions of the world, they simply began to forget about the connection of the pentagram with Venus and the feminine principle.

Due to the fact that in the 80-90s of the 20th century a wave of shocking ritual murders swept around the world, committed within the framework of a sect that called itself Satanists, where the inverted pentacle was used as the main symbolism, people began to fear this sign, associating it with nothing less than satanists and brutal murders. In fact, the participants in this well-known sect set themselves such a goal as the realization of their own sadistic inclinations, but not serving the Devil.

The pentagram is an ancient Slavic universal amulet. To this day, Eastern Slavic healers recommend wearing a pendant in the form of a pentacle somewhere on oneself (under clothes as a pendant or in a pocket) as a universal protection against the evil eye and damage.

Pacifist sign

In the 90s of the 20th century, the informal youth movement was very popular in the post-Soviet space, which the editors of the site remember very well: they rarely washed their hair, wore plaid shirts and listened to Kurt Cobain. Informals (like their hippie forefathers) chose the international sign of pacifism as their main symbol, in connection with which some people still associate this most peaceful sign with a rebellion against society, because then informals loved to skip school, smoke, drink and quarrel with non-informals. The association with the rebellion would truly surprise the creator of this symbol if he knew in 1958 what would happen to his offspring in the minds of fairly broad masses.

The sign was originally designed for the British nuclear disarmament movement by British graphic designer Gerald Holtom for the Committee of Direct Action march against atomic war in 1958. The march was held on 4 April from Trafalgar Square in London to the Atomic Weapons Research Office in Aldermaston in England. After that, the symbol was adopted by the Movement for Nuclear Disarmament and in the 1960s became the international emblem of the anti-war movement and countercultures (hippies, etc.) of that time.

Yin Yang

Everyone believes that yin-yang (this is how the name of the symbol is correctly pronounced) is a symbol of the male and female principles and nothing more. But this is fundamentally wrong. This pictogram came from the Buddhists around the 2nd or 3rd century AD. In the East, it is considered the model of all things. The word 'yin' means 'shady mountainside' and 'yang' means 'sunny mountainside'. Therefore, the main interpretation of this symbol is the endless interaction of contrasts.

Polar forces complement each other: each of them carries a piece of the opposite. This symbol is a peaceful struggle in which a final victory is impossible, since, according to Eastern philosophy, there is no end to anything (even human life, because Buddhists believe in the transmigration of souls).

Star of David

The vast majority of people believe that the six-pointed star, in which all lines are equal in length to each other, is exclusively a symbol of the Jews or everything connected with such a nationality as the Jews. This sign is indeed located on the flag of Israel and is revered by Jews around the world as sacred. That's just the sphere of influence of this symbol is not limited.

If you look at the sign carefully, you can easily understand that these are two isosceles triangles inscribed in each other. One is directed with its sharp part down, and the second, respectively, up. In many cultures of the world, the triangle looking down symbolizes the feminine (“bosom”), and looking down - the masculine (“sword” as a universal phallic symbol). Thus, this sign denotes the unity of the male and female principles (as the only ones conceived by nature or God) as well as the harmony of all things.

Rose of Wind

Most people believe that this symbol means the direction of the winds and nothing more. But this is too narrow an approach. The first mention of this symbol dates back to about 1300 AD, the time of the active development of navigation. The pictogram was a symbol of the guiding star and a talisman for all sailors. They applied tattoos in the form of a wind rose on their bodies in order to return home unharmed from each voyage.

Jolly Roger

In fact, pirates never flew flags with a skull and crossbones (as an option - a sword) on a black background. This recognizable symbol, which is called the Jolly Roger, was already generated at a time when pirates went down in history, thanks to such an art form as cinema. But the truth is that sailors (not only pirates !!!) applied skull tattoos to their bodies, but every sailor had a good reason for this. They believed that if Death itself came to them with a scythe and saw a skull on the body of a sailor who was injured due to a storm or a shipwreck, he would decide that he had already died, which means he would pass by (the person would survive).

To this day, many tattoo lovers tattoo themselves with a skull because they adhere to the same superstition (tattoo as a talisman against death by accident). And in Mexican culture, the image of the skull is not negative, but purely positive, because it is a reminder of the endless gratitude to the spirits of the ancestors!

Images with skulls are placed in every home, as a rule, the skull is combined with red marigold flowers. It is through their petals, according to the beliefs of the Mexicans, that the spirits find their way to the world of living people during the main holiday of the year - the Day of the Dead, which is celebrated on the same scale as, for example, in Russia - the New Year.

masonic eye

Many people believe that since this image is on the banknote of such a religious country as the United States, it certainly means that it means the eye of God or the All-Seeing Eye of the Almighty. Only here are the pipes! This is a sign of such an intellectual and philosophical trend as the Masons. The main activity of Masons has always been and remains charity, at the forefront for them is moral perfection (in most cases requiring faith in the Supreme Being), as well as the development and preservation of fraternal friendship in a fraternal environment. Culturologist and writer Dan Brown is sure that under any ruling power in the United States, Masons have always been the most influential members of parliament, which is why this sign has penetrated the main currency of the world.

Crescent

This symbol has a sacred meaning in many cultures. It originated around 4000 BC. It is found in Egypt, Greece, India, Byzantium and Sumer, where it represents rebirth and immortality. In Hinduism, the crescent represents a person's control over his mind. In Christianity, this is the sign of the Virgin Mary. In modern tradition, it is indeed most commonly known as the sign of the Muslims (along with the star).

Swastika

The ancient international symbol of the sun, which was found throughout Eurasia and was a universal amulet and sign of the sun, was forever trampled into the mud by the fascists of the first half of the 20th century and their leader Adolf Hitler. Millions of people have been killed in the name of this sign. It is unlikely that the sign of the sun will be able to rehabilitate itself in the next 100-200 years.

In the fictional universe of the Harry Potter books by the English writer J. K. Rowling, there is such a character as the evil magician Grindelwald, who wants to enslave the whole world and kill a large number of social groups that he does not like (especially non-magicians). There is an obvious parallel between the sign of Grindelwald, who wanted to enslave non-Magi, and the Nazi swastika of Adolf Hitler, who exterminated non-Aryans.

Initially, both signs did not carry any aggression in themselves, remaining only symbols of bygone days. The circle in Rowling's triangle is originally a sign of the Deathly Hallows from a children's fairy tale, which at one time became a kind of flag for those who believed in the real roots of this story. The swastika is a solar (relating to the sun) universal ancient symbol used by many ancient peoples of the world (from India to Russia), meaning the movement of life, the sun, light and well-being. Both signs with the light hand of Grindelwald and Hitler became symbols of oppression, persecution, violence and terror.

The material will immerse you even deeper into the life of past generations.

One of the key symbols of the hippie movement is the old Volkswagen minibus, which hippies traditionally painted in the flower power pichodel style. The second basic symbol is the Pacific ("paw") - a symbol of the world. Logo of the Organization for Nuclear Disarmament, also used for anti-war demonstrations. The third is a symbol of the Taoist philosophy of Yin and Yang.

A brief analysis of the main symbols.

1st character. The old minibus characterizes the rejection of luxury and a return from the technocratic principles of the development of civilization to the technological path of development. In other words, this is a rejection of the consumer way of development of Western civilization. The only way, according to hippie philosophy, is the psychedelic revolution of consciousness. Such a revolution is indicated by the features of the color scheme. This color symbolism will still emerge in a series of color revolutions at the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century. And it will bring grief and suffering to the peoples of Europe.

2nd character. Pacific - or foot in a circle. According to representatives of the subculture, it symbolizes eternal peace between people, an artificial mandala of humanity, something similar to a communist utopia about a bright future for humanity. A symbolic analogue of the program for building communism in the USSR, adopted at the XXII Congress of the CPSU. Meanwhile, the second basic symbol - Pacific ("paw") - a symbol of the world. The logo of the Organization for Nuclear Disarmament, which is also used for anti-war demonstrations, can be interpreted quite differently. Since it is very reminiscent of a broken cross and symbolizes the destruction of the Christian consciousness and worldview. Therefore, adding all three symbols in succession, we come to the following conclusion: the psychedelic revolution of youth consciousness is the path to the destruction of the Christian West and East.

3rd character. Tao or mandala of the harmony of the universe. With regard to man as a microcosm - the highest level of personality development. In Taoist philosophy, it can be interpreted as the Way.

Thus, in any case, the hippie symbolism reflects the desire to build a "paradise" on Earth not with the help of the world communist revolution, but with the sexual one.

Pacific (English) Pacific- “peaceful”, “peaceful”) is an international symbol of peace, disarmament and the anti-war movement. The sign was originally created for the British CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) movement by designer Gerald Holtom (1914-1985). Work on the sign was completed on February 21, 1958.

The first badge with the Pacific made of white clay.

Gerald knew the graphic would reinforce the message of the thousands of demonstrators who were taking part in the 50km march from London's Trafalgar Square to the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment (AWRE) in Aldermaston, Berkshire.

Photo: Henry Grant Collection/Museum of London

At first, Gerald considered using a Christian cross within the circle, and approached some priests for their opinion, but the priests did not appreciate the idea of ​​using a Christian symbol for a protest march. Therefore, Gerald settled on the idea of ​​using the letters from the semaphore alphabet - N (Nuclear - "nuclear") and D (Disarmament - "disarmament") in a circle that symbolizes the Earth.

Semaphore alphabet

Pacific

Original sketch by Gerald Holtom, photo by The Peace Museum

He later wrote to Hugh Brock, editor of Peace News, and gave a different, more personal explanation for his idea:

“I was in despair. In deep despair. I drew myself: a man with his hands down, palms out, in the manner of a Goya peasant before being shot. I formalized the drawing into a line and placed it in a circle. It seemed so funny at first glance."

Peace by author Ken Kolsbun describes how the Pacific spread around the world and became associated with the civil rights movement, the counterculture of the 1960s and 70s, including the Vietnam War protests, environmental and equal rights.

Anti-war protest in Washington, photo: History

Anti-war protest at Heroes' Square, Budapest (2005), photo: National Geographic

Anti-terrorism protest in Lahore, Pakistan (2014), photo by Xinhuanet

More materials

In 1958, British artist and activist Gerald Holt provided an emblem for the campaign for nuclear disarmament. They say that the peasant with raised hands from Goya's painting "The Third of May 1808" became the prototype of this symbol. One way or another, but this symbol has become a real meme. However, today, in addition to the symbol of peace, invented by Holt, there are a number of other symbols that are associated with peace in many countries.

1. Olive branch

The use of the olive branch as a symbol of peace and the end of conflict dates back to ancient Greece, where crowns of olive branches were worn by brides and also given as gifts to Olympic winners. In Greek mythology, the god of the sea, Poseidon, once argued with the goddess of wisdom, Athena, for power over Attica. Poseidon threw his trident into the ground and a well with ocean water arose in that place.

Athena threw her spear into the ground, where an olive tree grew from it. People appreciated the tree more than the unlimited amount of undrinkable water, after which they began to worship Athena (hence the name of the city).

2. Dove

The Bible said that when the waters of the flood began to recede, Noah released a dove into the sky, which soon returned to the Ark with an olive leaf in its beak (this supposedly signaled that life had returned to the earth). Thanks to the biblical story, the dove has become a symbol of peace and holiness. This bird appears repeatedly in Judeo-Christian iconography, often depicted with a twig in its beak. The dove with an olive branch as a symbol of peace was probably adopted from the Middle East and the Mediterranean. And thanks to Picasso, the dove became a symbol of peace during the Cold War.

3. White poppy

After the end of the First World War, flowering poppies on battlefields and mass graves could be found throughout Europe. This flower is one of the vivid images of John McCrae's poem "In the Fields of Flanders". After the war, the Royal British Legion (a non-profit organization similar to the American Legion) essentially spawned the tradition of wearing red poppies in a buttonhole, as well as laying wreaths of poppies on graves. In 1933, the Women's Anti-War Coalition began using white poppies for events related to commemoration and pacifism. White symbolizes the absence of bloodshed.

4. "V" - a symbol of victory

The “V” gesture with the middle and index fingers is pretty versatile. Douglas Ritchie (also known as "Colonel Britton") - a resistance fighter in the German-occupied territories - used this sign as a symbol of camaraderie and unity during World War II. It is the first letter of the French, Flemish and English words for victory (victoire, vrijheid and victory, respectively). British Prime Minister Winston Churchill celebrated the victory of the British with this gesture.

5. Paper crane

Little Japanese Sadako Sasaki was only 2 years old when the atomic bomb fell on Hiroshima. Because of the radiation, the girl developed leukemia. The last days the girl spent on folding paper cranes. Shortly before this, Sadako was told a legend that a person who folded 1000 cranes can make any wish that will certainly come true. But the girl did not have time. After stacking 644 paper cranes, she died in 1955 at the age of 12. Her story inspired the paper bird to be considered a symbol of peace in Japan.

6. Rainbow flag of the world

During the peace march in 1961, the philosopher and public figure Aldo Capitini sewed a flag from several colored stripes. This rainbow flag, which is usually written with the word PACE (Italian: Bandiera della Pace) to distinguish it from the flag of the LGBT community, soon began to be used throughout the country. In 2002, the peace flag experienced a resurgence during the second Gulf War.

7. Broken rifle

The London group "International Association of War Resisters" uses as its symbolism a rifle broken in two by hands. Today the WRI, which was founded in 1921, organizes peaceful demonstrations in more than 40 countries.

It is worth noting that creativity is present in everyday life. What are they worth.

Every social environment has its own special insignia. They can be traced in the manner of communication, and in appearance. Hippies, for example, clearly have slang speech (colloquial and anglicisms: "bag" - bag, "shoes" - boots, "flat" - apartment, "drink" - booze, "dude" - guy, "old" - hippies, having experience, etc.), hair is long and flowing, motifs of costumes from different countries show through in clothes. But there is also a special attribute. It includes “hairatnik” (a hair strap made of ropes, bright ribbons, leather, jeans), baubles (jewelry with a special semantic load, can only be given) and pacific. These are special signs of hippies. The last and main of these signs will be discussed.

What is a hippie symbol?

This sign is a regular circle divided by straight lines into four parts. According to some sources, it appeared earlier under the slogan “No to radioactive waste!”, while according to others, it has a completely different meaning. What do the hippies themselves say about it? For them, the circle means continuity and unity. And the drawing inside is a dove's paw print. By the way, it is this bird that is considered to be. It turns out that the hippie sign (photo posted in the article) is a kind of statement: “We stand for peace!”

Details

Pacific can be found not only in pacifist accessories, but also in clothes. Hippie sign - what does it mean today? Why is it so important and so clearly advertised?

Hippies are pacifists. For those who know Latin, it is not difficult to understand the thinking and views of these people. Recall: the Latin pacificus is translated as "peaceful." The root is "peace". Here the statement is clearly traced: "Hippies against violence!" This is the basis of the pacifist worldview. A true hippie does not accept violence, even if it may be required for protection. For these people, harmony in the commonwealth "man-nature" is very important. Hippies are inherently very peaceful. Despite their rejection of many values ​​of civilization, they defend their own rights and views without resorting to cruelty. Hippies are ready to suffer, defending their beliefs, and at the same time they will be happy. Digging even deeper...

Basis of the Pacific

The peace sign of the hippies is the Algiz rune, however, it is upside down. It is known both in direct form and in reverse. Let's consider in more detail. The Scandinavian direct Algiz is also called Mannar (from man - a man). The scheme depicts a person who turned to the sky, which means the desire for a higher consciousness. The straight line crossing the circle in the center also points to the universal axis (center), symbolizing the upper light worlds. The inverted rune symbolizes with roots going far into the depths (to the earth, to the lower world, to the dead). In occultism, the bowels of the earth have always been associated with the feminine.

The appeal to the archetypal, matriarchal principle among hippies is impossible not to notice. It manifests itself primarily in appearance. For example, all male hippies should have long hair woven into ribbons with bells. We have already talked about ideology: hippies protest against wars and any violence in principle. But the main thing for them is an appeal to the subconscious within themselves, to intuition, to their own dreams. Hippies show genuine interest in the traditions of the peoples, in the ancient world culture, esoteric and philosophical teachings, and the teachings of shamans. Folk wave picked up in the fields of fine arts, music, cinema. Looking for themselves, hippies left the gassed, stuffy cities for India, Tibet, the Australian jungle, Mexico. They are alien to the public, mired in dependence on money.

Hippies are considered nomads. As are the gypsies. Their whole life is an endless hitchhiking. By the way, the inverted Algiz can also be traced in the gypsy witch traditions. True, here the hippie signs are interpreted differently. The drawing in the circle is nothing more than a crow's foot. Why? Algiz inverted means the lower world (death). And the crow feeds on everything, not disdaining carrion. Gypsies (and not only) dead bodies have always been associated with the other world. True, the hippies themselves are skeptical about this relationship. They prefer to call the crow's foot a pigeon, after the bird of the world.

Theory one

The Cold War between the US and the USSR in most countries was accompanied by numerous demonstrations and protests against the development of nuclear weapons and the deployment of missiles in Europe. Pacifists also became active participants in the rallies. Even then, those hippie signs that we see today appeared. Numerous images of the Pacific, painted on clothes, posters and even on faces, were probably even more common than slogans like: “No nuclear war!”. Not surprisingly, the hippie sign is now perceived by some as a limitation of nuclear weapons. The drawing itself represents a rocket, and the circle indicates that terrible weapons should be limited or banned altogether.

Theory two

They call her "pigeon". We have already considered this option above. According to this version, the paw of the bird of the world is enclosed in the sign of infinity. peace, love and happiness. And endless. Here we recall the "pigeon" anti-war drawings of the well-known Pablo Picasso, on the one hand, and the biblical story of the old man Noah, who survived the Flood, on the other. Remember who brought the news that the flood was about to end? It was precisely a dove holding an olive branch in its beak ("Genesis", the eighth chapter). This theory of the emergence of the Pacific looks more beautiful and, perhaps, even more interesting. But there are other explanations as well.

Other options

Perhaps these theories are the most fantastic, but nevertheless they have the right to life. The hippie signs, according to this theory, were taken from the rune. We have already talked about this above (the fifteenth rune of the Elder Futhark called "Algiz").

Some believe that the Pacific symbolizes the horned head of an elk. This animal is considered noble and strong. It represents "hope, security, protection, help."

Another interpretation of the hippie sign is a growing reed (sedge). He is constantly moving upward. It is explained as the desire for wealth, power, exaltation above others. Aspirations to surpass rivals in any skill are full of ambition. A contemporary runemaster from Norway believes that the sign of a hippie is an image of a Valkyrie with a sword, therefore, it is interpreted as "fearlessness, strength." True, the hippies themselves do not particularly like this explanation.

Common denominator

As you can see, there are many explanations. But all the above interpretations can be reduced to a common denominator: “Rebelliousness. Power. Strength. Protection. World". However, the interpretation of inverted signs should be taken into account. Pacific "upside down" will be interpreted already with opposite meanings.