Capture from HD with a touch of photoshoppery :)

http://img258.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dharmafirstconfirmation3ki.jpg

Has there been discussion of possible meaning for the unique configurations of the 8 sets of the 3 bars? Each set is configured different.

It's a feng shui compass. The bars (Kua) are trigrams from the Yi Ching.

The sets of three lines are called trigrams. The arrangment of all 8 sets is called a bagua. The symbolism is used in Feng Shui. You can see that the arrangement is exactly the same as this picture:
http://www.bartlettdesigns.com/fengshui-baguaoctagon.html

Has there been discussion of possible meaning for the unique configurations of the 8 sets of the 3 bars? Each set is configured different.

Yes.... and I did this graphic that compares relative symbol postions last week.
http://img267.imageshack.us/my.php?image=granslogotaegeukthingy3kc.jpg

Amazing symmetrical pattern.

thanks to my friend Jonathan for helping on the i ching interpretation
Siddhartha loved all living creatures. One day he was walking in the woods with his cousin, Devadatta, who carried a bow and arrows with him. Seeing a swan fly overhead, he took aim and shot it. Both boys ran quickly to where the swan had fallen, Siddhartha reaching it first. The swan was still alive and Siddhartha gently drew the arrow out of its wing. Taking some leaves he squeezed the juice from them on to the wound to stop the bleed
Devadatta came up and said the swan was his and that he must have it.
Siddhartha refused. 'If you had killed it, it would have been yours,' he said, 'but it is only wounded and since I have saved its life it belongs to me.'
They argued on and on until Siddhartha suggested asking the wise men of the palace. When they heard the story, the verdict was: 'A life must belong to him who tries to save it. A life cannot be claimed by one who wants to destroy it. Siddhartha has the right to take the wounded swan.'

the symbols begin at the head of the swan
they are paired with the one opposite the swan
number them for ease of use, starting at the head 1 - 8
here goes:
1+5 - Ch'ien - Modesty
http://www.cfcl.com/ching/P/15.10.shtml
Modesty creates success. The superior man carries things through
2+6 I - Increase
It furthers one To undertake something. It furthers one to cross the great water.
3+7 Kuai - Breakthrough - Resolutness (that one is inverted though perhaps 7+3 i don't know if the meaning changes upon inversion tho so i go with the base meaning)
Break-through. One must resolutely make the matter known At the court of the king. It must be announced truthfully. Danger. It is necessary to notify one's own city. It does not further to resort to arms. It furthers one to undertake something.
4+8 ChiChi - After completion (thats also inverted... i like the inverted notion. rather than water over flame, it would be flame over water...)
water over flame is completion of the flame
After Completion. Success in small matters. Perseverance furthers. At the beginning good fortune, At the end disorder.

looks like a reptile's face to me

Is the figure in the center a swan or a snake? Wouldn't a snake have more symbolism in a feng shui environment? Shedding of the skin, rebirth?

it's a swan.

it's a swan.


I'm 98% swan


and 2% flamingo.
http://images.google.co.uk/images?q=flamingo+logo&hl=en

for a few flamingo logo examples.

hmmm.. "The Dharma Bums" by Jack Kerouac has been published on the Flamingo label of Harper Collins.....

Here is another idea perhaps a profile of a Cobra with its tongue out?

I like this idea best because we then know who will come save the day..


GI JOE!!!!! The real American hero.

Any chance that this is the symbol for Sun's father's company? I should have put that between <speculation> tags because that's all it is, but it seems plausible.

"Dharma" according to dictionary.com:
Hinduism & Buddhism.
The principle or law that orders the universe.
Individual conduct in conformity with this principle.
The essential function or nature of a thing.
Hinduism. Individual obligation with respect to caste, social custom, civil law, and sacred law.
Buddhism.
The body of teachings expounded by the Buddha.
Knowledge of or duty to undertake conduct set forth by the Buddha as a way to enlightenment.
One of the basic, minute elements from which all things are made. Additionally, according to my limited research, Buddhism is Korea's most prominent religion, and though Feng-shui is technically Chinese, the Koreans have their own take on it.

http://www.buy-utah.com/images/graphics/bagua-map.jpg

So, I was thinking that each of the eight symbols on the octagon may stand for a main character on the island. Like for example, the children symbol would be for Claire/Aaron. Wealthy= Hurley. Knowldedge= Locke. Health,family=Jack, etc. What do you guys think?

Symbolism of : The White Swan

The swan thus symbolizes discrimation between the good and the bad or the eternal and the evanescent.

Romans

For the ancient Greeks, the constellation Cygnus, which means "swan", was related to the myth of Zeus (http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/mythology/zeus.html&edu=elem) and Leda, the queen of Sparta. The queen of Sparta was so beautiful that Zeus wanted her.

After numerous attempts to conquer Leda's love, Zeus changed himself into a white swan. The swan was magnificent and Leda fell in love with him. Leda then delivered a blue egg. When the egg was hatched, two (Twins) lovely children came out of it: Polydeuces and the beautiful Helen who later became famous as Helen of Troy. The constellation Cygnus was then formed to celebrate the lovely swan.



Celtic

the White Swan represents the radiant divinity of the Gods who are said to go to their underground forts during the Autumn Equinox.

Yes, dparis79 I think you are on to something here. To continue...

Locke = Knowledge
Hurley = Wealth
Jack = Health, Family
Claire = Children

Sun/Jin = Marriage
Kate = Fame (infamous)
Charlie = Lifepath, Career? (everyones dream to be rockstar)
Walt = Travel always moving around

Of course that does leave out some important characters, Sayid, Shannon, Sawyer, Michael. But who knows?

Yes, dparis79 I think you are on to something here. To continue...

Locke = Knowledge
Hurley = Wealth
Jack = Health, Family
Claire = Children

Sun/Jin = Marriage
Kate = Fame (infamous)
Charlie = Lifepath, Career? (everyones dream to be rockstar)
Walt = Travel always moving around

Of course that does leave out some important characters, Sayid, Shannon, Sawyer, Michael. But who knows?

Locke = Knowledge
Hurley = Wealth
Jack = Health, Family
Claire = Children

Sun/Jin = Marriage
Charlie = Fame
Michael = Lifepath (chose to give up Walt)
Kate = Travel always running

Seems to fit, my changes in bold.

I really like this theory, it makes sense and that would be one reason why all these people were brought for a reason, they all have the required charictoristics.

Alright people. I uber-geeked it out this morning and recreated the DHARMA logo from scratch with the crappiest graphic programs ever, Adobe Imagestyler 1.0 and Paint Shop Pro v3.11 (for Windows 3.11....yeah, its old).

It turned out decent, but as you can see I did not include the "DHARMA" text. I couldn't quite make it look right, so I left it out in hopes that maybe someone else could throw it in there:

http://sier_element.home.comcast.net/DHARMA.jpg

Adobe Imagestyler is based on shapes, so that entire logo is built using circles and rectangles piled on top of eachother. Check out the structure of the logo in Imagestyler:

http://sier_element.home.comcast.net/DHARMA2.jpg

This took a LOT of patience, and I realize its not perfect.

But hey, I'm a fan and I like to share...so enjoy.

Locke = Knowledge
Hurley = Wealth
Jack = Health, Family
Claire = Children

Sun/Jin = Marriage
Charlie = Fame
Michael = Lifepath (chose to give up Walt)
Kate = Travel always running

Seems to fit, my changes in bold.

Hurley = Wealth
Jack = Health, Family
Claire = Children

Sun/Jin = Marriage
Charlie = Fame
SAWYER = Lifepath (turned into man he was hunting)
Kate = Travel always running

I think Sawyer fits in to the Lifepath thing better than Michael. I think Michael's story has kind of played out. His only importance is that he is Walt's father.

Is the figure in the center a swan or a snake? Wouldn't a snake have more symbolism in a feng shui environment? Shedding of the skin, rebirth?

I had the same question. When I first saw it I thought it was a snake. It really didn't occur to me that it could be anything else until reading other posts on here. The front of the face isn't quite shaped the way that I would think a swan's would be.

People seem set that it is a swan. I think that the snake is still a plausible explanation.

Although someone mentioned that Cygnus is a constellation of a swan. I wonder if it is laid out anything like the southern dipper and the number laido ut on a connect 4 board that has been brought up before.

And, I thought it was that one famous movie image of the Loch Ness Monster.

Symbolism of : The White Swan


It's funny, but I thought it looked like a White Swan, too. Only I didn't think (or research) that deeply. I was thinking more along the lines of the Ugly Duckling, lol! Something ugly that turned into something beautiful. :biggrin:

Yes, there's another thought.
Not like anyone could accuse us of over analyzing :rolleyes:

it's a swan.

Okay, so I'm completely not caught up in the conversation, but I had to say this made me think (now remember people, I'm, like, the only Ohio Northern student on here so it's almost completely pointless to post this, since it's such an inside joke...) "OH MY GODDARD! IT'S THE BLACK SWAN!"

*sigh* I'm done. And if those darn black swans try to attack me....:chair: