Hands - Sacred Symbol of Humanity

In various cultures the hands have been called the sacred symbol of humanity. When we begin to scrutinize the ‘hand’ and what bears in meaning to each of us, the world opens to a myriad of ritual, conviction and belief. To what a Buddhist or Indian, or to what the Eastern World calls its own and claims its ways, lends itself to being true to oneself.

As example, Christianity long known for the “praying hands” of the Lord emits its own connotation and reverence. Or take the study of palmistry that puts emphasis on the hand when trying to decipher the intricate highways and byways of the nervous system. Also, the mounds and fingers were named for the seven planets that were recognized by astronomers and astrologers at an earlier time in our history. And then there were ancient civilizations that left handprints on cave dwellings and cliffs that remain today symbolizing many things from death, rebirth, reclamation, even demise.

And so it goes; the study and representation of the hand takes on many a meaning each unique and meaningful throughout many cultures. And when you pair it with the meaning of humanity in the strict sense of the word, it says it all. Desirable characteristics, kindness, mercy, sympathy, mankind, people, and being humane all make it easier to understand how peoples from every walk of life can relate. The simple act of praying, meditating, or participating in any creative endeavor only brings humanity that much closer.

Gretchen L. ©