A six-pointed star (hexagram) is an attribute of many cultures and religions, one of the most common forms in architecture, military uniforms and ornaments around the world. The hexagram can be found around the world in a variety of graphic versions, it flaunts on the arms of states and organizations.
The six-pointed star is associated primarily with Jewish culture and Judaism. This ancient symbol flaunts on the flag of the State of Israel, at all synagogues and Jewish cultural centers. The Nazis forced the Jews to wear a yellow six-pointed star on clothes as a sign of Jewishness. In the Jewish tradition, the hexagram is called Magen David (shield of David). Some researchers note that the six-pointed star is a monogram of the name David and consists of two letters Dalet (in the name David there are two D). Indeed, under King David, Dalet was designated by a triangle.
Even before appearing in Jewish culture, a hexagram was distributed in India and designated the "heart" Anahata chakra. In this case, the six-pointed star is a simplified image of a lotus flower, which has sacred meaning in Hinduism. There is a possibility that the Jewish king, David, borrowed a beautiful symbol suitable to his name from merchants from India. However, in mass culture, the Six-pointed Star is, first of all, not Anahata, but the Star of David. In addition to the Jews, Buddhists borrowed the hexagram from Hinduism. In some Mahayana schools, a hexagram (sometimes in the form of an initial symbol - a lotus flower) began to denote the mantra of the Boddhisattva of compassion Avalokiteshvara Om-mani Padme Hum, each ray of the star denoted one syllable of the mantra.
From Judaism, Magen David migrated to Christianity. For example, in the Orthodox tradition, a hexagram (without lines drawn in the center) denotes the dual divine-human nature of Jesus Christ. In general, Christianity relates the six-pointed star to the six days of Creation or the Star of Bethlehem (comet). Believers who are most prone to paranoia and conspiracy theories suspect the introduction of a six-pointed star in a series of Christian symbols of Masons and Jews, although by the time the hexagram appeared in Christian ornaments, neither Masons nor Jews used it as their symbol.
Magen David turned into a scalar attribute of Judaism only in the Golden Age of Prague Jewry (16-17th century), when urban Jews chose the six-pointed Star of David as their symbol. It is not known to what extent this influenced Czech culture, but in the 16th century in Prague, on the orders of the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand the First, the Hvezda Castle (Star) was built, having the shape of a six-pointed star.
In modern interpretations, the hexagram can have many interpretations. This is a combination of the masculine and the feminine, and heaven and earth, and the relationship between God, man and the universe.
