A Symbol To Know The Unknowable

This morning, I ran into one of my friends in our little Spanish town, and we decided to grab a coffee and catch up. I was delighted at how she took an interest in my Om/Aum pendant. She commented on how I seemed to treat my pendant as something rather sacred, and with respect – an interesting observation! She loved the flow of the shapes, and asked if the pendant had any specific meaning.

I had to remove the pendant and study it closely to try and remember what I was taught years ago, in order to give her a brief description to the best of my ability. One by one I tried to connect with each swirl in the design and was surprised that I had remembered quite a lot of what my mentor had taught me. It was a long time ago, when we used the Om/Aum chant in our meditation sessions.

With my pendant on the table I began to explain the meaning of the dot at the top of the symbol, and recalled that this related to the silence after chanting Om/Aum. It represents the Enlightened Self, and is known as the transcendental state of Turiya.

 Om is not just a sound or vibration. It is not just a symbol. It is the entire cosmos, whatever we can see, touch, hear and feel. Moreover, it is all that is within our perception and all that is beyond our perception. It is the core of our very existence ~ Amit Ray

Beneath the dot is a semi-circle, and this represents that which we experience in our current world, and that which separates us from true enlightenment, and it is known as Māyā or ‘illusion’.

The highest of the three curves represents revelations which have yet to manifest in our deepest unconsciousness, and is often referred to as the ‘deep sleep’ or Subupti. This deep state aligns with the M sound in Om/Aum.

The lowest of the three curves relates to the familiar state we find ourselves in right now, that which we are experiencing through our conscious mind. It is our most wakeful state, also known as Jurgat. This awakened state aligns with the sound of A in Om/Aum.

The curved symbol to the right relates to our experience between wakefulness and deep sleep – a dream like state in-between. It is known as Swapna. This state aligns with the sound of U in Om/Aum.

When I returned home, I contacted a Hindi friend and told her about the way I had recalled some buried information about my pendant. She reminded me that Om/Aum is for many Hindus the most sacred symbol in Sanskrit. It is, however, also common to Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, as well as the Bön faith. She also enlightened me in saying that the Islamic word Amin and the Christian Amen also originate from Om/Aum. “Simply think of this sacred symbol as containing the past, present and future, life, birth and death – basically encompassing all that is in one symbol,” she said.

She further explained that in Hinduism, Om/Aum is one of the most important spiritual symbols Pratima. It refers to soul or Ātman, and the ultimate reality of Brahman or truth and knowledge. The syllable is often found at the beginning and at the end of chapters in the Upanishads, the Vedas and other Hindu texts.

Om is the things, Om is the ingredient, Om is the container and the content of this universe… Om is that God of love. Like a loving mother Om cleans us of our clutters collected through many incarnations ~ Banani Ray

She also described how Om/Aum is a sacred spiritual incantation made before and during private prayers, in ceremonies of rites of passages, Sanskara, such as weddings, and sometimes is used in Yoga and meditations. Worshipers begin their day uttering Om/Aum. It is engraved or enshrined in all Hindu temples. “We need some kind of symbol to help us get our heads around the unknowable!” she said.

I further learned that chanting Om/Aum creates positive vibes and clears the environment of toxic energies. It helps us to gain composure and control over runaway emotions, prompting joy and positivity. It assists us in slowing down our breathing, reaching a meditative state and deep relaxation. It also helps mental concentration and clears our Aura, whilst boosting the immune system by removing toxins from the body. Chanted in a group, the positive effects are greatly increased.

Personally, I find the symbol very calming and peaceful. I know that when I experienced rapid heartbeat in the past, which was related to adrenal exhaustion, chanting Om/Aum helped to sedate my nervous system and slowed my breathing, like a massage to my physical organs and glandular system.