Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd.
View your shopping cart Shopping Cart | My Account | Help | Become a Fan on Facebook Become a Fan | Follow Us on Twitter Follow Us | Watch Us on YouTube Watch Us | Subscribe to our RSS Feeds Subscribe
Browse ProductsAuthorsArticlesBlogsEncyclopediaNewslettersAffiliate ProgramContact UsBooksellers
Advanced Search
ENCYCLOPEDIA
Glossary
What's New
Most Popular
List of Articles

Email Exclusives
Sign up to receive special offers and promotions from Llewellyn.

Get the Latest Issue of New Worlds

New Worlds Spring/Summer 2013 Issue

New Worlds Catalog

Get the FREE app for your tablet and mobile device. Now available in the iTunes Store and the Google Play Store

Also available as a PDF File.

Click for more information about New Worlds or to receive issues via mail.


The Llewellyn Encyclopedia

Term: swastika

DEFINITIONS

Swastika: One of the oldest spiritual symbols in the world, possibly going back as far as 12,000 B.C.E. It consists of an equal armed cross with the ends of the arms bent at 90°, giving the impression that it is spinning either clockwise or counterclockwise, depending upon how it is drawn. The word itself is Sanskrit and first appears in the English language in 1871; however, the symbol has been found in ancient cultures all over the world, including pre-Christian Europe and among early Native American tribes. From the 1880s to the 1920s it became a popular motif in Western culture.

The Swastika is found all over India, where it is said to represent the Sun’s rays, the involution and evolution of the universe, and just good luck. Some, however, believe it is only good luck when shown in a clockwise-spinning direction.

The belief in the superiority of the German “Aryan” race by mystical and political leaders in the early 20th century led to the adoption of the symbol as representative of the Nazi party in 1935. The horrors of Nazi practices resulted in a shunning of the symbol in countries where it was not previously widespread. Some people are trying to reintroduce the symbol by explaining its spiritual and symbolic value while denouncing the Nazi’s subversion of the original meanings.


ARTICLES

Why Do Runes Have a Bad Reputation?
Runes have always been mysterious and forbidding. The very word "rune" means a secret, a mystery. In popular folklore runes are dangerous, evil, pitiless, and destructive. But how did runes get so wicked a reputation? Part of it can be attributed ...
Relevance:  7 % 7%



Whatever your background is, it's bound to happen to you: the scary paranormal case. We're not talking about your run-of-the-mill haunting here. We're talking portal hauntings, negative entities, and bad earthbound spirits—in a nutshell, things that scare us! These cases usually start out as a seemingly routine investigation; then, somewhere... read this article
Evolutionary Astrology: How Our Nodal Axis Defines the Soul's Path
The Mibramig Magical Tarot
Cultivating Bliss: 4 Ways to Explore Your Inner Garden
Exercise: Asking for a Dream Visit from a Loved One in Spirit
The Final Secrets of Enochian Magick

Most recent posts:
Sun Enters Gemini 2013: Forecast for the Year Ahead
Gemini, The Twins May 20 to June 20 Modality: Mutable Element: Air Ruler: Mercury Keywords: Versatile, charming, engaging, witty, restless,...

Thomas Edison: Ghost Hunter?
Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Rich Newman, author of The Ghost Hunter's Field Guide, Ghost Hunting for Beginners, and the new Devil...

The DMCA is a Challenge, Not a Curse
DMCA sounds like a strange Enochian entity that can be evoked through the use of weird tablets and strange, almost Cthuloid Calls into the beyond...


One of the questions I often receive is a request for contact with an occult group, order, coven, etc. As a policy, I don't recommend such...



Llewellyn's 2013 Moon Sign Book Llewellyn's 2013 Moon Sign Book
Conscious Living by the Cycles of the Moon

By: Llewellyn
Price: $10.99 $5.50 On Sale!
Llewellyn's 2013 Witches' Calendar Llewellyn's 2013 Witches' Calendar
By: Llewellyn
Price: $13.99 $7.00 On Sale!
Llewellyn's 2013 Witches' Datebook Llewellyn's 2013 Witches' Datebook
By: Llewellyn
Price: $10.99 $5.50 On Sale!
Llewellyn's 2013 Astrological Calendar Llewellyn's 2013 Astrological Calendar
Horoscopes for You Plus an Introduction to Astrology

By: Llewellyn
Price: $13.99 $7.00 On Sale!
Llewellyn's 2013 Magical Almanac Llewellyn's 2013 Magical Almanac
Practical Magic for Everyday Living

By: Llewellyn
Price: $10.99 $5.50 On Sale!