Creation, Birth, & Rebirth
This is the Cosmic Egg, the Hiranyagarbha. The source of the universe in Hindu mythology from which Brahma the Creator was born.
Called the "golden womb," the egg is a potent image in mythologies around the world. It is sacred, hopeful, and primal.
Read on to learn about the symbology of the Egg:
In many creation myths, the universe is hatched from an egg. In one Hindu myth, an egg arose out of a primordial ocean. When the egg split, the top half formed the heavens and the bottom the earth. The Bramanda cosmic egg, which contains the universe, expands and collapses with the breath of Vishnu. When a universe collapses, it is destroyed and a new one is created with the next breath.
So in this view, the material universe exists literally in the breath of Vishnu. Not unlike the creation of the world in Genesis by the spirit (breath) of God. And as the Apostle Paul said, quoting Cretan philosopher Epimenides, "For in him we live and move and have our being."
In an early Egyptian myth, an egg was laid on a mound of dirt by a celestial bird. The egg was incubating the sun-god Ra, the creator.
Chinese mythology tells of the formless, primordial universe in the form of a cosmic egg, which contained the god Pangu, who symbolized the Tao. Pangu awoke and split the egg, turning the top half into the sky (yang) and the bottom half into the earth (yin). Pangu is like the Chinese equivalent of the Greek god Atlas.
In Greek tradition, it was known as the Orphic Egg, from which hatched an hermaphroditic deity, Phanes, the firstborn of creation. The Orphic Egg is often depicted with a serpent, which is also a symbol of the primordial lifeforce.
In this depiction of the Orphic Egg, the snake represents Ananke, a primordial deities of Greek mythology, who personifies force, constraint, and necessity. As we will observe in a future essay about serpents, this animal symbolizes the phallic, fertilizing force that brings forth life from the egg.
For thousands of years, the elliptical form of the egg has been a symbol of birth and regeneration. This symbol survives in our Easter rituals involving eggs in the spring: a renewal of life after the dead chill of winter. A time when the animal and plant world restarts its reproductive activities.
It is a symbol of potential and possibilities. When a new life awaits. It is also the sacred place of fertilization, a primal scene when the chaotic swirls of sperm meets the protective cosmos of the egg. A place of union between yin and yang. The watershed between old and new.
The sperm and egg is harkened to by the image of the serpent Ananke and the Orphic Egg.
Just as life gestates in the egg in isolation, so spiritual seekers often withdraw from society into dark caves where they incubate until they are ready to be reborn. This is mirrored in deeply introverted, self-reflective states. The egg points to the inherent mystery of the incubation process, where much of the work of developing and nurturing happens in secret or obscurity.
The egg is a prominent feature in Jung's meditations. To him, it is a sign of the need for deep reflection and preparation. Just as an egg needs the hen's warmth, so the egg of the soul needs the care and warmth of our devoted attention. When we are ready, we will be reborn. Along with a new world.
Thanks for reading! This is the first post in a series I wrote recently on archetypal symbols. Over the next few weeks, I have the following symbols lined up to share with you:
- Snake / Serpent
- Dove
- Bull
- Ear
- Ring
- Wind
- Rainbow
- Suicide
I would love to hear your feedback on this new series and the newsletter!
As always,
Stay purposeful.
– Nathanael
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