While we were in Peru, we learned about the ancient Inca Cross, also known as the Chakana.
The symbol predates the Inca culture, which they inherited the symbols and philosophical principles from those people that came before them. The Inca cross is composed of 12 points revolving around a circle.
Each area composed of a few different meanings. The twelve points represented, not only their lunar and calendar year, but also the following points in each “season”
| – The Underworld – The Modern World – The Upper World |
– The Underworld – The Current World – The Upper World |
– The Condor – The Puma – The Snake |
– Don’t Lie – Don’t Steal – Don’t be Lazy |
The number four (the cross split in quarters) is also a very strong symbol within the cross. It represented the cardinal points of a compass. Also, they relate it to the four winds; the four directions, and the body, mind, heart, and spirit.
Animals were a large influence of the Inca culture. The snake symbolizes intellect and knowledge. The puma represents courage and internal strength. It also represents present life. The condor symbolizes the balance people strive for. It also signifies the future and possibility of life in another dimension, soaring through the heavens.
Each quarter contained three different levels of conscious:
- Hana Pacha – (Condor/superconsious) The upper world inhabited by gods and other celestial beings
- Kay Pacha – (Puma/conscious) The living world and conscious.
- Urin Pacha – (Snake/sub-conscious) the world inhabited by spirits of the dead, ancestors, etc.
The center in the middle of the cross is the human soul and being, around which life experience happsn.
The circle represented Cusco (pronounced like Costco) as the center of the empire. It also represents Cuzco, the center of the Inca world and the Southern Cross constellation.
“And even more intriguing, at Puma Punku (Door of the Puma) which is the oldest part of the Tiwanaku site in present day Bolivia, the Chakana can be seen carved deeply into many different stone blocks. The stone used at Puma Punku is diorite, second only to diamond inn terms of hardness; the Chakanas are perfectly formed, as if cut by a laser.” [source]
Either way, I found it an interesting symbol that reminds me, not to be lazy.