‘Life’ – "the dynamic fullness of the infinite and eternal creative activity of inner human consciousness." Life is that which is beyond the material dimension and is concealed from physical senses. It represents the psychological state of transcending potentiality and the "invisible realm of infinite possibility."
In ancient Egypt, the
word for ‘life’ and regeneration is ‘ankh’
(or ‘nkh’) and its pictorial
representation is one of the most familiar hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt.
It is depicted as a joined
circle on top of a capital T or a looped tau-cross. The circle and T symbolises
the duality of the nature and humanity consisting of Feminine/Receptive
and Masculine/Expressive Principles, respectively. For new life to be there and
sustained, there should be the union between the feminine and masculine
polarities through reproduction (biological conception) and causation (imagination
resulting in innovation, creativity and invention to shape, fabricate, weave,
mould and form).
“(The ankh) was the … relationship of living polarity, the union of
positive and negative, and as such it symbolized not death but life. The truth
of this elucidation is irrefutable, for the ankh symbol is the old Egyptian
hieroglyphic word for life. It is also the word for "love" and
"tie," since life is generated only when positive and negative
energies are tied together by a binding power, love.” - Alvin Boyd Kuhn.
The ankh is therefore
“the emblem of generation and creation,
but since these powers may be easily perverted they must be brought under
control.”
The ‘ankh’ was
adopted for Greco-Christian iconography as the ‘crux ansata,’ the handled or “eyed” cross.
The purpose of human life was depicted in
ancient Egypt at the end of the references of kings’ names or to their
household, with a phrase, “ankh, wedja,
seneb,” which meant “life, prosperity, health” or “to live, to prosper, be well.” These are
described in Aristotle’s Ethics as “eudaimonia” and this can be translated
as “well-being” or “human flourishing.” A healthy and
supportive upbringing nurtures such a possibility.
In Sanskrit, the word “life” is “jivana” and “jivita” and the two words mean the masculine (solar) and feminine (lunar)
principles, respectively. "Jivita"
means lively or spirited.
In Greek, the word
for life is derived from a direct transliteration of the ancient Greek word
'zoe' (written 'zeta-omega-eta'), meaning
“eternal life.” The Greek symbol for
life is a “tau,” 19th letter of the Greek alphabet and numbered 300. "Tau/Tav" is the last letter of the
Hebrew word "emet," which
means truth. Literally, it means a "mark" or "sign," it is also
a sign of Truth and Perfection. "The
midrash explains that emet (truth) is made up of the first, middle, and last
letters of the Hebrew alphabet (Aleph, Mem, and Tav). Sheqer (falsehood), on
the other hand, is made up of the 19th, 20th, and 21st (and penultimate)
letters." It represents a gate or opening, i.e. death, and it also symbolises
the absolute and indicative of infinity.
The word for life in
Latin is “vita,” a derivative of “vitalis” "of or belonging to life," related to “vivere,” meaning "to live." The Latin symbol for life
is a triquetra, a noun derived from the Latin word “tri” (three) and “quetrus”
(cornered), it can also be noticed that it is closely related to the Sanskrit
word “Trikuta,” meaning "Three
Peaks” and refers to the three peaked mountain in Hindu mythology.
A triquetra are three
interlocking cornered circles that represent the elements of earth, water and
air; three cycles of life, death and reincarnation; and trinity of the human
energy consisting of physical, mental and intuitive; the Hindu trinity (Brahma,
Shiva and Vishnu); the alchemical concepts (Sulfur, Mercury and Salt); the
phases of the moon (waning, full and waxing); and the Hebrew "Mother"
letters (Mem, Aleph and Shin). It was also called the "Trinity Knot"
as used in pre-Christian times by the Celts to represent the triple goddess or
feminine life cycle of Maiden (born to innocence), Mother (inspired to create
through pregnancy and motherhood) and Crone (the old age and embodied with
immense wisdom); the masculine life cycle of manifestations of Youth, Warrior
and Sage. The logos of Mercedes Benz and Mitsubishi are derived from the
triquetra.
In Hebrew, Life is ‘chayyim’ is 'Chayyim' whose schema is "Chet-Yod-Yod-Mem"
with a Hebrew gematria is 8+10+10+40. The first two letters, “Chet-Yod” emerge due to laws:
female and male polarities (i.e. Chet) and the Law is Yod, and these give us
the shortened versio, ‘Chai,’ spelt
as “Chet-Yod” (8+10 = 18). “Eighteen is also the sum of five,
six, and seven (the numbers of the highest three principles, Manas, Buddhi, and
Atma) and so represents yoga or unity with our Higher Self.”
For this reason, 18
is a lucky number in Judaism, and many Hebrews give gifts of money in multiples
of 18. Its composite words stand for the feminine and masculine polarities
whose full expression is love in marriage. ‘Chet’ means “fence or inner chamber” and a symbol of new life while ‘Yod’ is a Masculine/Expressive Principle
and signifies responsibility, accountability and authority. "Chet" is
made up of masculine "Vav" and feminine "Zayin."
1. A genuine or authentic Life does not make one to be righteous or rational, instead righteousness and rationality make one to be an individual of a genuine and authentic life. “No book can do more than tell you about a thing; it cannot produce it. You may study the cookery book from morning till night, but that will not give you your dinner. First think what it is all about; then look at the nature of the general principles involved, and then see what instruction the book gives you for their practical application. Then go and do it. And remember also a further difference between reading about a thing and doing it. A book is for everybody, and can therefore only give general instructions; but when you come to do the thing you will always find it works with some personal modifications, -- not departures from the general principles you have read about, but specializations of them -- and in this way you will learn much that is not to be got out of books, even the best.” - Judge Thomas Troward, The Law and the Word (Robert M. McBride & Company, 1937).
2. A genuine or authentic Life unfolds the true nature of a person according to certain fixed rules which, when faithfully followed, elevates "human consciousness to a point where it was capable of cognizing its own constitution and the true purpose of existence." - Manly P. Hall, The Secret Teachings of All Ages: The Human Body in Symbolism (H.S. Crocker Company, Inc 1928).
3. A genuine or authentic Life is “attained only by bringing the lower nature up to a certain standard of efficiency and purity.” - Ibid.
4. "Lest knowledge lost, it was concealed in allegories and myths which are meaningless to literalists but self-evident to those acquainted with that theory of individual growth which is the foundation of philosophical theology." - Ibid.
5. In a genuine or authentic Life, a person’s “only lasting adornments are his virtues and worthy characteristics; that he is clothed in his own accomplishments and adorned by his attainments.” - Ibid.
6. "The entire (scriptures are) in fact an ingeniously concealed exposition of the secret processes of human regeneration. The characters so long considered as historical men and women are really the personification of certain processes which take place in the human body when humanity begins the task of consciously liberating himself from the bondage of ignorance and death.” - Ibid.
Read further related on the subject, www.huffingtonpost.com/roya-r-rad-ma-psyd/how-to-look-for-genuine-s_b_995647.html
