Infinity Symbol: Origins, Meaning and Spiritual Significance - (2024)

The word ‘infinity’ signifies ‘forever.’ For almost a thousand years, the Infinity symbol has represented the everlasting in the universe and the cosmos around us. This mystical symbol is the number eight lying sideways, and it has provided people with strength in the past.

The infinity symbol means love, spirituality, power, and beauty. Further, this symbol represents a sense of simplicity and balance in a world full of distractions and difficulties. It is a reminder to be aware of where we are and the limitless possibilities.

This symbol has no beginning or end, and you can draw it in one continuous movement. It is because it embodies the idea of no bounds and infinite possibilities.

After reading this article, you will better understand the origins of the infinity symbol, what it represents in different cultures, and why you might wish to use it in your life.

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Infinity Symbol Origins

The Ouroboros (Uroborus), adopted by the Greeks in 400 AD, is the oldest and most famous portrayal of infinity. The Ouroboros is an ancient symbol depicting a snake or dragon biting its own tail in the circular sign. While the Greeks adopted the Ouroboros in 400 AD, the sign dates back to the 14th century B.C. in Ancient Egypt.

Many people believe the Ouroboros represents infinity, and in some ways, it does. But on the other hand, it represented the cycle of birth and death, often known as the circle of life.

The Ouroboros was initially on one of the shrines surrounding Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus. Throughout Ancient Egyptian history and into Roman times, the sign reappears. The Ouroboros also appears frequently in magical talismans and emblems during this period.

Mathematics created the sideways number eight that associates with infinity. The very first person to have written about the infinity symbol was English Mathematician John Wallis in 1655. John Wallis decided to utilize a sideways eight to represent infinity. It refers to a quantity with no end or bound – a quantity larger than any number. It’s thought that the roman number for 1.000, CIƆ, inspired him, which is a similar symbol to the infinity.

While the meaning of the infinity sign has evolved and expanded beyond mathematics, the concept of infinity remains the core idea underlying the image.

Ancient Symbol Meaning

Infinity has a deep meaning in spirituality, faith, and religious beliefs. Christianity, Sanatan Dharma (Hinduism), Buddhism, Daoism, etc. had mentioned the infinity symbol.

What’s fascinating about the religious interpretation of infinity is that every faith appears to come to the same conclusion. Life is limitless. Our time on this planet is limited, but our souls are eternal.

Many uses the sign of infinity in meditation to represent balance, peace, harmony, focus, and oneness.

The word infinity comes from the Latin word ‘infinitas,’ which means unending or everlasting. It describes timeless, infinite, and endless events or sentiments. In a finite world where everything has an end, this eternal is timeless and magnificent. Scientologists refer to this as the eighth dynamic, which is the desire for an eternal and infinite existence.

Infinity can represent something immeasurable, eternal, and infinite in its simplest form.

To be infinite means having no bounds and being limitless and eternal. Many religions believe that God is infinite, just as the cosmos is endless.

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Infinity Symbol in Various Cultures

Asia – Tibet & India

Various historical accounts of the Infinity symbol exist from different parts of the world. For example, this symbol represents perfection and a balance between male and female energy in Tibet and ancient India.

Celts

Interwoven lines forms Celtic knot rings and they are similar to the infinity symbol. These knots pay homage to Irish, Welsh, and Scottish traditions while also having a meaning similar to the infinity symbol. For example, the trinity knot’s unending loops symbolize eternal love.

Endless knots or mystic knots are other names for Celtic knots. The delicate knots intertwine and overlap, giving the impression that there is no beginning or end, a never-ending circle.

Some Celtic Knots are complex, while others are precise replicas of the infinity symbol. The Celtic Knots and the Double Infinity Symbol are very similar. The Double Infinity Symbol represents “double absoluteness,” which few people know. There are a variety of Celtic knots, each with its interpretation. However, the underlying idea remains the same: life’s never-ending circle.

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Greeks

Ancient Greek mathematicians and philosophers thought that a defined set of values or whole numbers can represent all things in the world. They even said that ‘Good’ was a measurable value and, thus, finite.

The earliest known philosophy or idea of infinity stems from the Pre-Socratic era in Ancient Greece, which lasted from 610 to 546 BC. Anaximander, a Greek philosopher, was the first to conceive the concept of Cosmology.

Anaximander believed the universe originated from the Apeiron, the Greek term for infinity. It has the same meaning as boundless and limitless, but it was once considered a pejorative word. ‘Apeiron’ was once thought to signify ‘chaotic, without definite form, or crooked.’ “Being infinite is a privation, not a perfection, but the absence of a limit,” Aristotle.

Plato and Aristotle shared a common Greek aversion to the concept of infinity. Aristotle affected thought for more than a millennium with his rejection of “real” infinity (numerical, temporal, or spatial), which he distinguished from the “potential” infinity of being able to count without end.

Egyptians

The Infinity Symbol is also known as Lemniscates, which comes from the Latin word “Lemniscatus,” meaning “ribbon.” The ancient Greek myth of Ouroboros, which depicts a snake or dragon biting its own tail, inspired this concept

This ancient symbol shows the eternal cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. This meaning has a link, but it comes from a less familiar source.

The sloughing of the snake’s skin indicates soul transmigration; the symbol of the biting of the tail represents fertility, with the tail representing the phallus and the mouth representing the womb.

The Ouroboros is thought to have first appeared in a 10th-century copy of Cleopatra’s “Chrysopoeia of Cleopatra,” a 3rd-century alchemical text.

In Egypt, the symbol of the dragon eating its tail first appeared in a 14th-century B.C. Egyptian funerary writing. Hermeticism, Gnosticism, and alchemy later incorporated it once it entered western tradition through Greek magical practices.

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Gnosticism

Gnosticism means “wisdom.” It is a set of beliefs, systems, culture, and theological ideas that emerged in the first century A.D. from early Christian and Jewish sects. For example, the serpent biting its tail was regarded as a symbol of eternity and the world’s soul. The Ouroboros was thought to have encompassed the world and completed the round by biting its tail.

Infinity in the Modern times

The Infinity Cross

The Eternal Being, also known as God, is represented by the infinity cross. Religious people wear an infinity cross to demonstrate their devotion to God and the eternal promise to their religion or faith.

Double Infinity Symbol Meaning

The double infinity symbol, which comprises two intertwined infinity symbols, can represent the notion of two independent commitments coming together as a unified whole — a synthesis of different ideas.

Because of its complexity, this symbol is utilized in decor. It signifies the commitment and endless love between two people and reflects their bond. Therefore, this is one of the very popular symbols. People use it as jewelry, wedding decoration, flower arrangements, stationary at engagement parties, anniversary celebrations, or it can be a perfect gift.

Many couples exchange jewelry with this symbol in the form of a necklace or a bracelet. Sometimes, they engrave it on their wedding bands.

Infinity Jewelry

The symmetrical symbol can be used as the focal point of a piece of jewelry or as a decorative accent, making it an addition to jewelry. In addition, the symbol’s multi-layered symbolism adds to its worth. As a result, infinity symbol jewelry is a perfect gift for a variety of events, including:

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The Number 8 Meaning

Because of its resemblance to the number 8, some people have associated the infinity symbol with spiritual and religious significance. The infinity symbol can represent regeneration and eternal life after death on a spiritual level.

In Hinduism, the number 8 represents the initiate, a person who has gone through the seven heavens of Hindu theology and the seven stages of spiritual enlightenment. As a result, the sign can represent renewal and resurrection and the eternal return to Paradise after a long absence.

Because the number 8 is considered lucky in Chinese culture, the infinity symbol is associated with good fortune and luck.

What is the Meaning of the Swedish Malin symbol?

The Swedish Malin is an infinity symbol that looks like an arrow that breaks the center. It signifies that you must experience challenges and setbacks to progress.

What is the Meaning of the Infinity heart symbol?

The infinity heart symbolizes limitless or eternal love. This usually represents a close bond between friends, partners, or family.

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