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14K Gold Antique Market Find - Theosophical Society Symbol of 1875.

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    Posted 9 years ago

    Efesgirl
    (1017 items)

    I have had this 585 gold pendant for some weeks and taken stabs at trying to find out what it actually is. Last night, I stumbled across a website of the Theological Society:

    http://www.theosophy-nw.org/theosnw/theos/ts-seal.htm
    This is part of what it says there:

    "The Seal of The Theosophical Society

    The seal shown above (>>drawing is on the webpage which matches my pendant<<) is a replica of the original TS seal, printed in the Society's first Preamble and Bylaws, October 30, 1875.
    The seal of The Theosophical Society was adapted from H. P. Blavatsky's personal seal, used by her before the Society was founded in 1875. The symbols it contains are so ancient that nobody knows when they were first used to express universal ideas. They far antedate any political or other modern applications, and have nothing to do with any social or political movements. They are in fact part of the universal mystery-language that can convey wordlessly to the mind sacred truths of nature."

    The more modern design has the Ohm symbol above the swastika.

    More:

    "The Serpent swallowing its tail: A very ancient symbol depicting eternity and the continuity of cyclic time. Like the biblical serpent of Paradise lost understood mystically, it represents wisdom and, because of its ability to shed its skin, regeneration and rebirth. As a circular symbol it signifies to the Hindus the outbreathing and inbreathing of Brahma ("expander"), the cosmic creator: when Brahma breathes out, worlds come into being; when he breathes in, all is reabsorbed into the divine essence. The descending arc of the serpent's body signifies worlds descending into matter; the ascending arc, their evolution toward spirit. This spiral circulation is eternal, implying evolution through time. The circle itself represents perfection and the restoration of universal harmony; also the Boundless from which all manifestation springs and to which all will return. The symbol is found also in ancient Egypt, Greece, and West Africa, and among Buddhists and Jains, Gnostics and alchemists.

    The Swastika: A Sanskrit word meaning "well-being," "auspicious" -- the perennial symbol of good fortune found in the cradle of ancient cultures of India, China, Japan, and the Americas, as well as Greece and Rome (including the early Christians). In Scandinavia it was Thor's hammer and in India Vishnu's discus and the Jaina cross. In Buddhism, it expresses the "wheel of the Law." Symbol of evolution and perpetual motion, the swastika denotes the ever-churning "mill of the gods," in whose center is the soul, while the bent arms suggest the ceaseless turning of the wheels of life throughout universal existence. When we look at photos of faraway spiral galaxies, we are wonderstruck to see that they clearly resemble swastikas in their vortical motion.

    The Interlaced Triangles: Known in the Occident as King Solomon's seal or star, it was called in India the seal of Vishnu. The interlaced triangles signify the bipolarity in nature -- spirit and matter, or male and female. The apex of the white triangle represents the divine monad; the apex of the dark triangle, the manifested worlds. The upward triangle suggests spirit, consciousness, and concealed wisdom, which are mirrored in the downward pointing triangle representing matter, receptive space, manifestation, or wisdom revealed. The sides of the dark triangle may stand for form, color, and substance; the three gunas or fundamental qualities; and the creative, preserving, and destructive/regenerative forces of the Hindu triad, Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva.

    Together the triangles represent the manifested universe evolved from the central point within the serpent-circle of time and space. They also form the hexagon of six principles, cosmic and human, emanating from and synthesized by the central point, the seventh and highest self of any evolving being. Thus they express the sevenfold structure of the universe. The central cross is the inner person, touching all things from the six sides through the six triangles. The six points of the star reach outward toward the serpent of eternity, growing and evolving through time.

    The Ansated Cross, Ankh, or Tau: A sacred symbol particularly associated with ancient Egypt, it signifies life, regeneration, and the descent of spirit from inner realms into the worlds of substance. It can denote a universe in embryo, the circle representing the cosmic or spiritual germ or egg hovering over the cross of matter which has issued from it; or limitless, uncreated space. Astronomically it is the sign of Venus, earth's sister-planet and guardian of humanity. Applied to the human race, it may represent the evolution of mankind into the bipolarity of male and female, as well as the initiate who holds the key to the mysteries when united with his own spiritual intelligence.

    These spiritual symbols forming the seal of The Theosophical Society together comprise an entire philosophy of the inner workings of man and universal nature. Taken as a whole, the seal represents the spiritually reborn person, symbolized by the tau/cross in the center, evolving through the six human and cosmic principles and encircled by the serpent of evolution of spirit in and through matter. On the larger scale, it expresses a universe expanding into manifestation from cosmic spirit."

    How old is this pendant? I have to find out when the Ohm symbol was added. I emailed the Society and sent a photo so, hopefully, I will hear something back fairly soon. This design is also said to represent reincarnation.

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    Comments

    1. Peasejean55 Peasejean55, 9 years ago
      Fantastic write up, even before I read the write up, I throught what a interesting pendant. I recognise some of the symbols. I hope you get a reply back. I'll be watching this post.
    2. Efesgirl Efesgirl, 9 years ago
      Peasejan - this is where the society is located.

      Northwest Branch of The Theosophical Society, located in the Seattle area in King County, Washington

      I sent the email about 2 a.m. my time. Maybe it will peak their interest and I won't have to wait an eon for a reply.
    3. Peasejean55 Peasejean55, 9 years ago
      It's interesting you have the Swastika which we know that used the other way round was the symbol for the Nazis. Then there is the Ankh would you call that a coptic cross! I throught the star was a pentagram, but it's not has a Pentagram has 5 points your has 6. Just thinking of possibilities. This such a exciting post.
    4. Efesgirl Efesgirl, 9 years ago
      That symbol is also known as a "Whirling Log" > https://nativeamericanjewelrytips.wordpress.com/2010/06/10/native-american-symbol-whirling-log-swastika/
      I'm so glad you find my pendant so interesting! I also have a beautiful 14K brushed gold (the seller thought it was brass or bronze) Ankh, bought from the same person for under $5.00. Weighs nearly 7 grams. On a roll!


    5. Peasejean55 Peasejean55, 9 years ago
      You lucky thing. :-)
    6. Gillian, 9 years ago
      So, so interesting - thank you for taking the time to share with us. Amazing that one pendant contains so many symbols that represent such a wide, and far reaching, range of countries, religions, philosophies. I'm sure there must be some Wicca in there somewhere.

      I had a friend who considered himself a Theosophist. I did try and follow when he was explaining it.

      Canada has its' very own Society: http://www.theosophical.ca/
    7. Gillian, 9 years ago
      Just a bit more if Efesgirl doesn't mind me adding something - in the Cdn. website there is a short but understandable (to me!) article that tells what a Theosophite is, and strives for.
    8. Peasejean55 Peasejean55, 9 years ago
      Hi Gillian, headquarters in India, that's interesting in its self. At the top of the link you gave, there seems to be some Sankrit writing, which isn't on the pendant, just a observation. This as got me intrigued.
    9. Peasejean55 Peasejean55, 9 years ago
      https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theosophy
      Just read this on wiki.
    10. Efesgirl Efesgirl, 9 years ago
      Hi Gillian - thanks for the information. I have done some reading on the society, and the first one I wrote to asking about the pendant wrote back and told me the pendant did not originate from them and they have no idea who created it. Because the "Ohm" symbol is missing at the top, I wonder if my pendant is an older version. I'm still waiting to hear from the Washington state society about it.
    11. Gillian, 9 years ago
      https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Om
      It's the Devanagari symbol of Om or Aum(?)
    12. Efesgirl Efesgirl, 9 years ago
      Gillian - yes, that one.
    13. Rick55 Rick55, 9 years ago
      You must have been thrilled to have found all of this information! To think that each and every part of the pendant has specific meanings is amazing! Great piece, and lucky you!!
    14. Efesgirl Efesgirl, 9 years ago
      Rick55 - I was quite surprised, I must say. I wish I would hear back from the society in Washington state about this pendant. I bought this pendant from a friend who sells me alot of jewelry. She bought it at a flea market somewhere...
    15. Theosophist Theosophist, 9 years ago
      Hi Efesgirl!

      What an incredible find!

      This must have been one of the pendants sold by one of the jewelry stores of the TS. But it looks like it is from the earlier days pre WWII. After the war, the swastika was less pronounced .

      Do you still have it?

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