The symbol many people today know in a negative light was never originally intended that way

The symbol many people today know in a negative light was never originally intended that way. Its true name is the swastika, an ancient Sanskrit word meaning well-being, good fortune, and auspiciousness. For thousands of years before the modern era, it was a universal sign of peace, prosperity, and balance.

The design is simple—a cross with arms bent at right angles, turning either clockwise or anti-clockwise. In Hindu traditions, the swastika represents the sun, the four directions of the Earth, and the eternal cycle of life. In Buddhism, it appears on statues of the Buddha, often on the chest or palms, symbolising compassion, harmony, and the endless flow of wisdom. Beyond Asia, similar versions of the symbol appear in ancient Greek pottery, European carvings, and even in Native American art, where it expressed community, continuity, and good fortune.

I remember seeing this myself in the early 1990s. In the foyer of the Hilton Hotel in Brisbane stood an Asian statue marked with the swastika. It caught my attention because it carried none of the dark meaning that later history gave to it. Instead, it looked serene and sacred, a reminder that this symbol was once about peace and connection.

The tragedy is that the swastika was misappropriated and distorted in the twentieth century, its meaning turned upside down. But if we look back to its origin, we see it for what it truly was—a sacred sign of life and well-being, carved into statues and sacred objects across cultures and centuries.

By remembering its real history, we reclaim its story. The swastika deserves to be known again for its first purpose: a symbol of peace, balance, and hope.