THE SYMBOL Of BEING
(Skull Version)
The SKULL Version of the BEING Symbol came when designing t-shirts like the Silver and Gold version. While the original version BEING SYMBOL, with the fire and water, is very cool, it still has a look that's more solid and somewhat basic. There's a heavy eastern philosophy vibe to it too, which made it look kind of classic and even a little "martial artsy" in a way. Even doing them in the Silver and Gold, both generations-- it was still missing something. I wanted it to pop, and appeal to a whole new crowd with a different way of thinking. I guess having written The Book Of Blacklights, and having started on the Second Book of Blacklights, influenced the style, and vibe.
I tried out some of those AI image makers, just to get specific elements, knowing how AI loves to NOT give you what you wanted after getting you sooooo close-- before it goes off into oblivion and eats your credits or points or whatever. I even did some sketches at first as a reference because I knew what i wanted. It evolved a little more after the first design. Adding the arrowheads at the bottom of the leaf stems was tricky, but I think it came out pretty cool. So, yeah, The Skull Version-- It looks more mystical, which it's really not, and might even have a bit of a darker, maybe rock "goth'ish" or metal kind of appeal to it, which I'm fine with. So, just to have something more trendy and "t-shirty" I did this one which has the same symbolism, but spins the whole energy a little differently, telling the story from a different angle. Maybe making things a little more specific adds more flare to it also. NO, it's not any type of secret society or cult, or club, or group thing (Other than Samurai Ruach maybe). I'd say it's esoteric because, even though the meaning is pretty obvious, there's a lot to each layer which, to some, might still be kind of hidden. Meh, I dig it. There's a lot packed in there, so, since we're here, here's a breakdown from the TOP of the shirt to the BOTTOM. ALSO, i understand that YOU (especially if you have that shirt, thank you for your support) may have your own breakdowns of things here, and what they mean to you. I'm all ears and would love to get your take on it. So I added a COMMENTS section at the bottom. Share!!!!
"C'EST LA GUERRE" - "that's [the] war (struggle/battle)" is the phrase at the top of the shirt. The actual delivery of that phrase, which has evolved over time, has come to be "C'est la vie, la guerre, et le jeu." That means "That's life (living), the war (the struggle/battle), and the game (the play)." That's a metaphor for BEING, or more specifically CONSCIOUS BEING, which is "That's the Soul/Spirit (la vie), the mind (la guerre), et le jeu (the tangible/the body)." The reason that "C'est la guerre" is at the top of the shirt is because most of the MIND elements are there (at the top of the skull).
THE FIRE CROWN AT THE TOP = The crown of fire has 9 points at the top, which symbolizes consciousness and illumination of each of the 3 states of BEING (Pure BEING, Pure CONSCIOUS BEING, and Pure NON-CONSCIOUS BEING), on all 3 levels (Body-The Game, Mind-The Business, Spirit/Soul- Pure Being). So it's full illumination of BEING-- that's Awareness which is universally natural, and Consciousness (focused willed awareness) which is individually voluntary. So it's a nod to all of the 3's inside all off the 3's, which goes in and out of itself multiple ways. Check out The Book Of 3's and you'll see what I'm talking about when I say "all of the 3's." This illumination and consciousness allows you a conscious knowing of divinity, which is what makes you royalty on all levels and in all realms-- so, the crown. It's more than an awareness, but an actual focusing and application-- a manipulation of awareness. However, there is no perception or understanding of self, heaven, divinity, time (moments which are versions, shades, and degrees of the knowing of divinity of self) God or Kingdom, honestly, if you are NON-CONSCIOUS BEING... because there's no consciousness of it. Non-consciously (Spirit) the awareness of the divinity is just there, because you do exist, and it does exist, but you are not conscious of it, even if it and it's inhabitants, and even the conscious being "God" are conscious of you. THEY'RE conscious. They can do that. I guess I'll have to write on CONSCIOUSNESS VS AWARENESS too, so I can explain that there, and not go off subject here. Man, this just stretches out, huh? Anyways, 9 point crown of fire = Consciousness and Awareness of Divinity of self on all levels of BEING, so Pure BEING BE-ing Being(s) awareness and consciousness of divinity of self in the now.
CROWN OF THORNS = Consciousness is a burden. Consciousness is also perception, which is where all judgment comes from, and division. Here your consciousness is from the perspective of being human, so the crown of thorns is two strands twisted like a DNA strand. I didn't put the ladder rungs in thinking it would be too detailed and get lost, looking like some crusty DNA stick. There are three openings in the crown of thorns, but only one has an eye in it. Speaking of the DNA strand, there's the CHRIST CONSCIOUSNESS part. CHRIST is the fusion of a Pure Conscious BEING (Having/Being WITH/Being IN] The Spirit of GOD, AND The Spirit of HUMANITY. The two spirits together as one is Christ-- per the Samurai Ruach explanation. The "I" part of "I AM" is the perception. It is that that divides it from Pure BEING ("AM"). Also, it is perception that makes you royalty, and that it's a divine nature all ways, always, is part of what keep the crown on. It's the WANT mixed with the WILL to BE (as opposed to just simply purely BEING), and in that, to BE "GOD" and "MAN" which is what Christ is, says the Samurai Ruach perspective. Everything God can be as a man, and everything Man can be as [a and even as THEE] GOD = Christ. Every aspect of that. People will have a problem with that. C'est la vie, la guerre, et le jeu. Be honest, all ways always, and walk your walk.
If you are thinking there is good and bad in that, then you're getting a taste of what it's like, because there is no good or bad, only what things are to you, which is even based on who and what you think you are IN THAT MOMENT. If you are thinking you are weak and broken, then a Higher Power is great. If you are thinking you are the highest power, then a Higher Power is evil. Meanwhile, you can only think of things that exist, and everything exists. Walk your walk. One thing that dilutes and even dirties or mixes the Pure CHRIST SPIRIT is the perception of GOD as God or god(s). That GOD CONVERSATION gets into that, but in short, "God" is a conscious being, "god(s, and goddesses)" are conscious beings, "GOD" is a non-conscious spirit, or energy, that makes "God" and "god(s) and goddesses" into GODS. It's the same way that having both a Degree and Experience to express the degree makes you a [whatever you studied and "are": doctor, lawyer, preacher, teacher, etc.]. So if "GOD" is the way, and you want to be the top one, then you have to limit everyone's access to that, and maximize your own access to that spirit and way. SPIRITS have a way of consuming. They're fire, in a sense. They don't have a consciousness, so when they consume, it's not that they want to, its that it's just their nature, to be every aspect of their self. THE 3 SPIRITUAL RELATIONSHIPS gets into that, maybe best explained in THE BOOK OF 3's, but I'll get into it shortly here (sigh)... because I don't know if you'll go and read that, so since we're here, why not? Really quick, You are YOU which is a CONSCIOUS BEING. That's all you are. That never changes. There is a Y. (sigh) Here's a picture... (every time I try to make it short...)
Ok, so, the above image(s), lets focus on the first two-- the one with the RED Fire Y, and the black and white image (split down the middle, white side, black side, circles kind of in a diamond shape) are the one's I'll talk about the most. The rest are there to show you the whole system.
THE ONE WITH THE RED "Y" - You are YOU which is a CONSCIOUS BEING. That's all you are. That never changes. There is a Y. You can see the "Y" there. It's red (fire) because that's CONSCIOUSNESS (the Conscious BEING side). That fused with the blue one (the NON-CONSCIOUS BEING side-- or pure SPIRIT side), according to the philosophy here, is the "whole picture" or BEING. So, you as a conscious being, draw from the abundance of non-conscious spirit. So, at the top of the Y, on the Left
THE EYE INSIDE THE CROWN OF THORNS = represents how you see things one moment at a time, not all 3 levels at once. There are three holes in the DNA crown, but only an eye in one, so you are seeing this reality one level at a time. There is an eye with the pupil being the world where the land masses are gold and the water is black. The land mass is gold because you are a pupil here, which is a golden opportunity. The water is black representing what's hidden in the spirit, which you draw from and produce more solid gold moment (knowing) and being. Since I'm breaking it all the way down, the middle level is where the seeing takes place, while the other two on the sides are hollow. That's a representation of presence of mind. Your mind is how you see things, and the mind is in the middle. The doorway from the mind to the physical is logic. The doorway from the mind to the spiritual is emotion. That minds eye's lid is the veil. On the other side is the eye's (it's reflection). It is looking inward to the spiritual through the emotiona door, looking into the void to see what you feel like. Things manifest by passing through from the abundance in the void, through the It's also nod to the Third eye, which is still itself, meaning, that form of you-- those eyes, remain long after the physical ones have turned to dust. That eyelid is the veil which keeps the logic, and illumination on one side, relating to the physical, and the emotion and void on the other side, relating to the spiritual. That vision is the gatekeeper-- your mind. One eye looking out, one looking in. What does that mean? Ok, ascension (rising) and descending (falling) is a matter of focusing awareness. Focusing awareness is called consciousness. Where your focus is is where you go. So, at "the top" or higher frequencies, levels, etc. is the Spiritual, where your Soul comes from. The soul, according to the Samurai Ruach philosophy, is an individual conscious expression of a spirit. The Non-conscious expression of a spirit is the pure spirit, or way, or energy-- HOW TO BE that thing. The Conscious Soul is WHO IS BEING that thing. For instance (for those who didn't get that) there's THE SPIRIT OF HUMANITY (Spirit) and HUMAN BEINGS (Souls). Spirit of Humanity is everything that makes a human being a human being: empathy, logic, emotion, etc. You can be a different type of being and still express your self via/through the spirit of humanity. For instance, when animals do human things, and even stop behaving as animals but take on human logic and behavior. They're walking and being IN, the Spirit of Humanity. They're not Human Beings, nor do they have Human Souls, but they're in the same Spirit-- when they are. Check out THE 3 SPIRITUAL RELATIONSHIPS and you'll understand that more.
THE SKULL = Wearing a skull, to me, is just honest. You're doing it right now. You're not your body. Life is "a dream," an illusion, like death. How is death an illusion? If you died, and saw the other side, then you didn't die, now did you? However, the illusion is a gift, because we're infinite immortal beings, and since we really don't die, we can come here to at least have the experience, like going on a ride at an amusement park. What's real death? Well, to me, since all things are BEING, then you're always being something. Even NOTHINGNESS is a thing, so even when you're "nothing" you're still something that exists. Death, to me, would be absence of, or non-Illumination-- like being a Non-Thought. Not lack of consciousness, but more like a thought that never happens, like how there are things that you cannot (more than will not) think of-- that would be death.
FIRE IN THE EYES = The fire there has 3 points, because you see in 3 levels, illuminating things 3 levels, but one plane at a time. The roses are Conscious side (red) and Non Conscious side (Blue) with their elements Fire, gold, light and water, silver, darkness... the words are also lit (illuminated) to their corresponding levels, whether Pure BEING, The BUSINESS, or "The GAME". You can figure the rest out, or read one of the books (Book of 3's might help, Book of Blacklights explains it too, and The 2nd Book of Blacklights that i'm working on now is no holds barred)... Anyways, here's a shirt.
Along with one of the more common phrases in the Samurai Ruach writings "C'est la guerre, la vie, et le jeu. (that's the war/struggle, life, and the game)" this unisex t-shirt also has a different spin of the BEING symbol. All of the same elements are there but in this more trendy expression. Like how there are the red (divine masculine, fire) rose, which opens and closes, balanced with the blue (divine feminine, water) rose, and how the stems have the arrows for red, fire, conscious clock-wise, and the eternal anti-clockwise motion of the blue. You can figure the rest out. There's a lightweight soft feel with the right amount of stretch for wherever your path takes you. It's comfortable and flattering for all.
• Direct to garment print (DTG) on a Gildan 64000
