Suncross.org - Tantra, yoga, spirituality & philosophy of nature.

What is a Sun-cross? A Sun-cross is a cross-centered inside a circle or wheel. The English word "cross" was probably derived from the Old Irish word "cros" or the Old Norse word "kros". Whichever way it was, the word cross was preceded by the Sumerian word "garza", which means staff or scepter of a Sun god or a king. It was believed that kings embodied god on Earth, in ancient times. And like a king (or queen) in a kingdom, the Sun rules over all parts of our solar system and dictates the length of the day, the seasons of the year, the vegetation cycles, etc. Hence, the Sun-cross represents the movement of the Sun across the sky from the east to the west, and from the north to the south during the winter and summer seasons on our planet. Therefore, a cross in a circle is also an astrological symbol for planet Earth.

The cross has always been associated with Mother Earth, and how we perceive the Universe from our planet. In 1610, Galileo was the first man to point a telescope at the Milky Way and discovered that the Milky Way was made of countless stars. But not until Edwin Hubble's discovery in 1923 did we know that there are millions of other galaxies beyond the Milky Way. Thus, our understanding of the Universe expanded far beyond that of ancient man or of those who lived in the early 20th century. Yet, the truth remains the same. We are products of our planet and the highest-developed lifeforms on the planet.

The cross in a wheel is one of the most ancient, if not the most ancient symbols known to man found across the planet. The Sun-cross also has a long tradition in spiritual healing, yoga, divination, ancient sciences, and for example, in basic designs of Buddhist Mandalas, Hindu Yantras, and American Indian designs, just to name a few. It was a very important symbol for those who followed the movement of the Sun across the sky, as well as for those who followed the movement of the Moon across the sky. Hence, its universal use could represent unity in diversity, something there has always been a deficit of.

So, why am I using the word "Sun-cross" (or "Sun cross") instead of a solar cross, sun wheel, Celtic cross, cross of Wotan, a Mandala, etc.?
The reasons are:
1) because I have a personal bias, the Sun-cross, which represents the movement of the Sun has been used by me for as long as I can remember,
2) because other names and forms of the cross have become associated with other subjects, persons, worldviews, traditions, etc.
3) because some forms and names of the cross have been misused and misrepresented in the past.

What is the purpose of the cross and where does it come from? Since ancient times, scholars attempted to find a key to harmony and order in the universe, and a way to organize the knowledge and wisdom they had in a way that would be easy to pass on to others. That is because it is in the nature of the mind to organize things logically and vividly.

Long before the first written language was invented, symbols such as the Sun-cross were used to express complex ideas. Some of those ideas dealt with the rhythm of time, the seasons, times in our lives, and the movement of the celestial bodies across the firmament. It was observed to them that there are four times of the day, that there are four stages in life (childhood, youth, adulthood, old age), four cardinal directions, four seasons, four types of elements (types of matter), etc. and they personalized such knowledge in the form of rituals, holidays, icons and other forms of expression.

It may come as a surprise to some that ancient predecessors of modern scientists were not as ignorant as followers of the Darwinian Theory may believe. They just didn't stumble by accident on the same revolutionary discoveries that led us to where we are in science and technology, today; especially in the fields of medicine and electronics. But the ancients also had luck and discovered other revolutionary things by accident that we have little or no knowledge of, and which have been lost through time.

Among those ancients, were people of great wisdom, who studied nature, our anatomy, and the celestial bodies. They passed their knowledge on to others through word of mouth and symbols or drawings. That passage of knowledge from one generation to another continued for millennia in closed circles and monasteries. Perhaps some of their knowledge was not well-founded, had gone astray, or we just don't fully understand it. But it still could hold a treasure-house of new insight and knowledge for those, who have an open mind and an inner calling for that type of treasure hunt. Perhaps that's also why there's been such an interest in the wisdom of the East, wisdom that was widespread among ancient Indo-Europeans, and parts of which survived to our times mainly in Asia.

Ancient learned man functioned in a difficult and hostile environment, full of ignorance, skeptics, and people mostly interested in building muscles, satisfying their basic needs, winning wars, making babies, and "putting food on the table". Yet, some of those learned people were fortunate to find a place in their community by "making a living" as shamans, magi, or medicine men. That is also a full-time job, and everybody has to make a living. Eventually, they were the ones that gave rise to organized religion, education, social sciences, management, and sciences such as astronomy, medicine, chemistry, and mathematics.

The earliest centers of learning and schools were much like religious sects, in which different observations, experiments, and theories were discussed and adopted. That tradition was not invented by the Greeks. They were as old as mankind and followed early man on his journey from Africa to the Middle East, where according to archaeological evidence Homo sapiens met Neanderthals. From there, those traditions followed mankind to the Indian subcontinent or perhaps to the Kumari Kandam continent (it is believed that Sri Lanka and Madagascar are remaining parts of that lost continent), which was a remnant after the supercontinent (Gondwana), before reaching India. Darwin also believed that Sri Lanka and Madagascar are remaining parts of that lost continent Gondwana.

Then from there, man could have gone to Australia, the Eurasian steppe lands, and the Americas. Finally, it returned to the Indian subcontinent in a new form with migrations of Aryan tribes due to a glacial era in northern regions of Eurasia. That's the theory I arrived at based on the latest archaeological discoveries, scientific theories, and genetic studies of the migration of man. But nobody can be sure if newer discoveries won't abolish the older ones. So, let's keep an open mind on that subject...

The cross had accompanied man on his and her long journey through time and across the planet. Most of those ancient people didn't have a written language. So, they didn't leave written records for us to find; though there have been claims by some pseudo-scientists such as James Churchward, that he saw written tablets from the lost continent that he called 'Mu' (Kumari Kandam), hidden somewhere in a Hindu temple. And that there were Brahmins who guarded them, and who knew how to read those tablets.

In pre-Christian times, learned spiritual people studied the heavens, the movement of the Sun, Moon, and stars, and the forces of nature such as fire, static electricity, and the life force, for example. They knew how to use plants, herbs, and minerals in many ways. The earliest roots of science came from people like that. They were the earliest prototypes of modern scientists.

For those initiated into a given hermetic system of logic, the organization of data is important. The Sun-cross has been used as an instrument for the transfer of defined types of knowledge and wisdom through concentration, meditation, and assimilation of information, a process similar to Classical Yoga (dharma, dhyana, samadhi).

Based on a basic model of the cross, much more sophisticated and multidimensional designs were developed for use with more complex data in the person's neuron network system. The Shri Yantra is an example of such a highly developed instrument used for that purpose. It is believed by some scholars that the Hindu scripture called the Veda deals with the mechanics of neuron network systems. More information on that is in the Introduction to Sama Veda by S.V. Ganapati. Even in our times, designs have their secrets, and serve to identify a given tradition, culture group, worldview, or religion, and are also used as talismans or good luck charms, for example.

Whatever the case may be, a cross is a carrier of great power that has given comfort to many; especially in difficult times, and which has been imprinted into the subconscious of mankind through genetic memory imprints that are passed on from one generation to the next. Though it is very unlikely, I wouldn't be surprised if the sciences associated with the Vedas and the cross were passed on to us by time travelers because they are so much in line with modern theories in physics and in science that are just being explored. I also believe we may be just beginning to rediscover some of the ancient wisdom that was lost through the long ages of darkness; which I believe accelerated especially with the destruction of the Alexandrian libraries.

The subject here is an ancient system of organization of information. And perhaps it's time I should also explain why it is still important and relevant in our times. It's not a secret that many of us are overwhelmed every day with tons of tasks and information from many diverse sources. Our minds are often incapable of handling such large inputs of data. So, we have to be selective and concentrate on that which is important at the moment. Computers we use to assist us in that task have become a source of even more information and stress. In the end, everything comes down to the user who has to make some sense out of all that information and sort it out somehow.

We also come across so-called "conspiracy theories" that often may sound convincing and fake news. It may take many years before some to admit to themselves that they have been fooled. Our awareness of reality and of our place in it is important. But not all windows on reality show the broader picture. And that's a serious subject that many authors have written thick books on. Consciousness is awareness. And consciousness shapes our reality and our world. Thus, a not-too-dogmatic and not-too-sophisticated system of practice for the organization of ideas and information is essential for the integrity of a healthy mind, as well as holistic health because what occurs above in the mind has great influence on the body.

Trees symbolize nature to many of us. Just like a tree that is not only a part of nature but nature itself, we are parts of nature and nature itself. What that means is that we are not separate from nature or better from it. And we are the youngest living beings on our planet and perhaps even in our solar system. We have reached a high level of development compared to other animals and lifeforms on Earth. Doesn't that sound a bit odd? How is it possible that we have evolved that far?

Below are a few examples of highly developed designs of the cross, which can be found in India. Illustration #1 shows a Hindu Shri Yantra, known also as Shri Chakra. It''s been described in Hindu scriptures as a pyramid-shaped city (illustration #2) with four gates on each side of the base (Bhupura). The four gates at the base of the Shri Chkram are in the form of a cross.


#1	#2
Shri Yantra	Shri Chakra

Illustration #3 shows a rare bronze cross design from the Early Iron Age that was found in Poland. Many other traditional types Pre-Christian Slavic and Celtic crosses that resemble an early Christian cross in a circle were also found at other archaeological sites in Poland. But cross #3 more clearly than the conventional ones depicts an ancient Indoeuropean school of thought that I'm familiar with, that is a lot older than the Bible. One that follows the Vedic tradition or Hinduism will recognize the image of the god Brahma in the design of the four sides of the Svetowit/ Swetowit column, discovered in a river in Zbrucza, Ukraine in 1848, which I am sure was used not just for spiritual rites and divination but also to transfer hermetic knowledge and wisdom. And the cross in figure #3 is a clever representation of that ancient spiritual tradition. Ancient wisdom and scientific knowledge were put in writing thousands of years ago and stored in the library of Alexandria in Egypt. But most of those precious works went up in smoke and were lost only because they didn't fit into someone's belief system. Fortunately, some have survived in India. Ancient mounds made of stone in the form of a cross as in illustrations #4 were also found at distant locations on our planet. Such mounds were discovered in Poland, as well as in Tarlton, Ohio, for example. There could have been an ancient center, a source of those traditions that migrating nomads brought to Central Europe and the Americas in prehistoric times. More light on that subject can be shed through comparative linguistics, archaeology, and especially through genetic studies. Examples of other types of cross designs can be seen in illustrations #5, #6, #7, and #8. Those are just a few examples of more elaborate cross designs to help the reader get a broader understanding of how the cross has accompanied humankind in various forms and traditions.
#3	#4
Cross. Inowroclaw, Poland. Circa 2200 BC	Burial mound, Grabonog, Poland. Circa 1500-1200 BC

#5	#6
American Indian Medicine Wheel represents the four directions	Hindu goddess Lalita Tripura Sundari, who's four hands point at the four directions of the world.

#7	#8
Shiva Lingam with deities on its four sides	Romanesque bowl from a temple in Altenkirchen, island of Rugen

Cross designs have been used for many purposes since prehistoric times. They were used for the layouts of settlements, architecture, decorative designs, and for spiritual use. The design is very simple and universal. It can be used to convey difficult ideas such as the four seasons, classical elements, or four cardinal directions. The cross makes it easy to visualize such ideas in the shape of the cross. That design could also be applied in modern science, for the genetic code, four-dimensional space, Kardashev scale, and many other applications.

A cross, in an X design may also represent the movement of the Sun and the Moon across the sky, or the male and female triangles; sometimes symbolized by the Sun and Moon, consecutively. A cross design can be associated with the Four Hindu gods. It's also found in the form of the Vedic and Buddhist Homa fire altar, the four-headed Hindu god Brahma, and the four-sided Slavic pillar of Svetovid that represents four gods. Furthermore, it is also found in Christianity as the most sacred symbol.

Other well-known examples of a cross design are the four sides of pyramids, temples, and settlements such as the gigantic Bayon Temple in Cambodia near Angkor Wat that was dedicated to the Hindu god Brahma; though it was wrongly associated with Buddha by the French. Other such examples are Atlantis, Troy, Arkaim in Russia, Trelleborg in Denmark and the model of the Round City of Baghdad built between 762-768 AD. All those ancient sites may have been made for protection from wild animals or to keep farm animals within the settlements; for protection from invaders; for spiritual protection; as a tool for the transfer of knowledge and for other purposes. The design may have been used because of its simplicity, functionality, or because of old traditions. Whatever the reason was, the cross design was a multi-functional one, and as old as mankind.

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