 Universal Faith Symbol  HE Universal Symbol of Life Affirmation, Belief, or Faith (Triform Emblem) represents Spirit or Being as one and infinite in triune, as well as other interpretations. After modifications that took place over several years, the above design was finalized in 1999 and became the basis for the logo of the Unitheist Fellowship (see Links).
We’re all familiar with the saying, “Two’s company, three’s a crowd.” While the number three is arbitrary, there are countless instances where it is associated with any value greater than two, which may be why people of such diverse backgrounds and cultures have perceived aspects of the divine in threes— to render comprehensible the infinite. A sentence has three basic elements— subject, verb, and object. The 13th Century Jewish mystic Abraham Abulafia described the Master as “the knowledge, the knower, and the known.” A Sufi mystic called Divine Union “the union, the one who unites, and the one who is united.” One as three. The symbol consists simply of an upright equilateral triangle surrounded by a circle touching its three corners and surrounded in turn by a heart outline in contact top and sides. The color, thickness, and precise overlap of the linear features are arbitrary, as well as the background (if any), and even the exact style and shape of the heart. Traditionally triangles have been used to symbolize God, power, fire, security, success, prosperity, and health. Circles have represented the eternal, the endless, the limitless, completeness, and cycles such as birth and death. Heart signs have been ideograms for charity and forgiveness, emotion, or the soul, expanding from religious origins. These elements can be interpreted on a variety of levels and in many ways. In an all-encompassing or unitheistic sense the triangle represents the physics or structure of the universe, natural Law; the circle, like an open eye, shows awareness or Life; and the heart stands for conscious creating, enjoying, and sharing, or Love— Law, Life, and Love.
Various attributes can be assigned to the forms. Below is a table of representations, far from complete, listed alphabetically by philosophy or faith: A palm tree, representative of victory, peace, prosperity, long life, resilience, rest, and hospitality is formed by the triangle as trunk and tops of circle and heart as branches. The symbol as a whole could be said to loosely resemble a smiling face, indicative of happiness and life quality. The number of voids is seven, perhaps next only to three the primary numeric in traditions of the world. The symbol is fully inclusive in what is meant by faith— i.e. all life-affirming ideation whatever the ontology, extending even to forms beyond what many would consider religious or even spiritual, such as natural science, humanism, and other positive nontheistic systems. While not demonstrative of belief in a particular God or gods, it represents acknowledgement of and appreciation for the wonder and mystery of being, and peace through fellowship based on essential commonality of spirit, understanding, and tolerance. The faith symbol is in the public domain— you and your organization are encouraged to use it freely to represent universal spirit or faith. Here are some graphic representations in different sizes and forms. For a selection of images with links that you can display on your webpage click here. For more info see FAQ.
© 1999-2009 Warren Farr — revised 9/10
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