Indian religions Six-pointed stars have also been found in cosmological diagrams in
Hinduism,
Buddhism, and
Jainism. The reasons behind this symbol's common appearance in Indic religions and the West are unknown. One possibility is that they have a common origin. The other possibility is that artists and religious people from several cultures independently created the hexagram shape, which is a relatively simple geometric design. Within Indic lore, the shape is generally understood to consist of two triangles—one pointed up and the other down—locked in harmonious embrace. The two components are called "Om" and the "Hrim" in Sanskrit, and symbolize man's position between earth and sky. The downward triangle symbolizes
Shakti, the sacred embodiment of femininity, and the upward triangle symbolizes
Shiva, or
Agni Tattva, representing the focused aspects of masculinity. The mystical union of the two triangles represents Creation, occurring through the divine union of male and female. The two locked triangles are also known as 'Shanmukha'—the six-faced, representing the six faces of Shiva & Shakti's progeny
Kartikeya. This symbol is also a part of several yantras and has deep significance in Hindu ritual worship and history. In
Buddhism, some old versions of the
Bardo Thodol, also known as The "Tibetan Book of the Dead", contain a hexagram with a
swastika inside. It was made up by the publishers for this particular publication. In Tibetan, it is called the "origin of phenomenon" (''chos-kyi 'byung-gnas''). It is especially connected with
Vajrayogini, and forms the center part of her
mandala. In reality, it is in three dimensions, not two, although it may be portrayed either way. The
Shatkona is a symbol used in
Hindu yantra that represents the union of both the
masculine and
feminine form. More specifically it is supposed to represent
Purusha (the supreme being), and
Prakriti (mother nature, or causal matter). Often this is represented as
Shiva –
Shakti.
Anahata or heart chakra is the fourth primary
chakra, according to
Hindu Yogic,
Shakta and
Buddhist Tantric traditions. In
Sanskrit,
anahata means "unhurt, unstruck, and unbeaten".
Anahata Nad refers to the Vedic concept of
unstruck sound (the sound of the celestial realm). Anahata is associated with balance, calmness, and serenity.
Judaism The Seal of Solomon or Ring of Solomon is the legendary signet ring attributed to king Solomon in medieval mystical traditions. In mystic Jewish and Islamic lore, the ring is variously described as having given Solomon the power to command the supernatural, including shedim and jinn, and also the ability to speak with animals. Due to the proverbial wisdom of Solomon, it came to be seen as an amulet or talisman, or a symbol or character in medieval magic and Renaissance magic, occultism, and alchemy. The seal is the predecessor to the Star of David, another Jewish symbol. , the
Leningrad Codex, dated 1008. The
Magen David is a generally recognized symbol of Judaism and Jewish identity and is also known colloquially as the Jewish Star or "Star of David." Its usage as a sign of Jewish identity began in the Middle Ages, though its religious usage began earlier, with the current earliest archeological evidence being a stone bearing the shield from the arch of a 3–4th century synagogue in the Galilee. The Star of David is used today as the primary symbol on the
Flag of Israel.
Christianity The first and the most important Armenian Cathedral of Etchmiadzin (303 AD, built by the founder of Christianity in Armenia) is decorated with many types of ornamented hexagrams and so is the tomb of an Armenian prince of the Hasan-Jalalyan dynasty of Khachen (1214 AD) in the Gandzasar Church of Artsakh. The hexagram may be found in some Churches and stained-glass windows. In Christianity, it is sometimes called the star of creation. A very early example, noted by
Nikolaus Pevsner, can be found in
Winchester Cathedral, England in one of the canopies of the choir stalls, circa 1308.
Latter-day Saints (Mormons) The Star of David is also used less prominently by
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in the temples and in architecture. It symbolizes God reaching down to man and man reaching up to God, the union of Heaven and earth. It may also symbolize the
Tribes of Israel and friendship and their affinity towards the Jewish people. Additionally, it is sometimes used to symbolize the quorum of the twelve apostles, as in Revelation 12, wherein the Church of God is symbolized by a woman wearing a crown of twelve stars. It is also sometimes used to symbolize the Big Dipper, which points to the North Star, a symbol of Jesus Christ.
Islam The symbol is known in Arabic as
Khātem Sulaymān (
Seal of Solomon; ) or
Najmat Dāwūd (
Star of David; ). The "Seal of Solomon" may also be represented by a five-pointed star or
pentagram. In the
Qur'an, it is written that David and
King Solomon (Arabic,
Suliman or
Sulayman) were prophets and kings, and are figures revered by Muslims. The Medieval pre-Ottoman
Hanafi Anatolian beyliks of the
Karamanids and
Jandarids used the star on their flag. The symbol is also used on the
Hayreddin Barbarossa flag. Today the six-pointed star can be found in
mosques and on other
Arabic and
Islamic artifacts. during the reign of
Al-Mustansir Billah (11th century CE) by
Az-Zahir Ghazi , Delhi, India (late 16th century) 4 Falus coin (1873) , Kosovo cotton banner with a Chinese influenced lion with Arabic calligraphy with hexagrams; (dated to the late 18th or the 19th century,
Sultanate of Cirebon) ==Usage in heraldry==