1) Wheel
While it has much of the symbolism of the circle, the main difference from the wheel is the concept. in continuous action, which refers to the cycles of the Sun and Moon, the planets, the seasons of the year, the ups and downs in human existence… Tibetans consider the wheel so sacred that it was never used with the simple meaning in transport. Native Americans built medicine wheels in the desert, representing the cosmos. In Buddhism, the Wheel of Dharma has eight spokes, because 8 would be the number of the Noble Eightfold Path, the one that leads to the end of suffering.
2) Seal in shamash
Shamash was the Sun god in Mesopotamia. First used around 1000 BC, in the region between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers (present-day Iraq), the Seal in Shamash has a meaning in much power. The outer circle with the center point and four clusters in rays symbolize the star king himself. The horizontal and vertical beams represent the “jurisdiction” in Shamash in the four directions, north, south, east and west. The symbol references a type in judge, with powers in heaven and in the world beyond.
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3) Seed of life
This is an element present in many ancient cultures, such as Chinese and Japanese temples, mosques in the Middle East, archaeological sites in Turkey, Mexico and Peru. In general, it is seen as a powerful sign of the creation and sustaining of life. Formed with seven circles in equal diameter, this symbol is the elementary component in another larger one, the Flower of Life. For Jewish and Christian traditions, the Seed of Life circles correspond to the six days of creation, plus the seventh, in rest. The overlapping of forms generates two other ancient religious symbols, the Vesica Piscis (symbol of the eternal feminine) and the Borromean Rings, related to the divine trinity.
4) Tomoe
Used in both Shinto and Buddhism, this emblem can be seen on many Japanese samurai coats of arms. The word Tomoe means curve, or circle. The image can have two, three or four internal stems in the form in comma, forming a spiral. The Tomoe with two internal commas is similar to the Yin-Yang and carries the same meaning. The sign with three commas represents Earth, heaven and humanity, which are the three bases of Shinto philosophy.
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5) yin-yang
In Chinese origin, the Yin-Yang is a symbol in Taoist tradition that has spread its meaning and popularity around the world. The circular format has an internal line in an inverted “S”, which divides it into two identical parts, usually painted in black and white, with dots at the wider end. This design symbolizes the interaction between opposing forces: Yin represents the feminine, the Moon, coldness, passivity. Already the Yang is the masculine, the Sun, the heat and the action. The points signify the harmony between these opposites.
6) Awen
This symbol is related to various movements of neo-Druidism, a pagan and polytheistic religion. The signal is composed in three converging lines that almost touch three upper points. Everything is surrounded by a triple circle, which symbolizes the orders of Bards, Ovates and Druids (the main strands of this movement). Each line and each point carries a meaning that can be past, present and future, love, knowledge and truth, or masculine, feminine energy and the balance between them.
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7) Cho ku rei
Used in reiki (spiritual therapy that uses the imposition of hands to manipulate the vital energy of the Universe), the Cho Ku Rei even resembles a clef in sun, the musical symbol. But the meaning is quite different: in According to reiki practitioners, drawing is used to increase the power available to each person doing the therapy. They build the sign mentally before and after the sessions and claim thereby to allocate the power of the Universe to the intended location.