page_title: Swastika
section_title: Britain
hierarchical_section_title: Swastika / Early 20th century / Europe / Britain
context_page_description: The swastika or sauwastika — as a character, 卐 or 卍 respectively — is a geometrical figure and an ancient religious icon in the cultures of Eurasia. It is used as a symbol of divinity and spirituality in Indian religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.
  In the Western world, it was a symbol of auspiciousness and good luck until the 1930s when the right-facing tilted form became a feature of Nazi symbolism as an emblem of the Aryan race. As a result of World War II and the Holocaust, many people in the West still strongly associate it with Nazism and antisemitism. The swastika continues to be used as a symbol of good luck and prosperity in Hindu and Buddhist countries such as Nepal, India, Mongolia, China and Japan. It is also commonly used in Hindu marriage ceremonies.
  The word swastika comes from Sanskrit: स्वस्तिक, romanized: svástika, meaning 'conducive to well being'. In Hinduism, the right-facing symbol is called swastika, symbolizing surya, prosperity and good luck, while the left-facing symbol is called sauvastika, symbolizing night or tantric aspects of Kali.
context_section_description: In the 1880s the Theosophical Society adopted a swastika as part of its seal, along with an Om, a hexagram or star of David, an Ankh and an Ouroboros. Unlike the much more recent Raëlian movement, the Theosophical Society symbol has been free from controversy, and the seal is still used. The current seal also includes the text "There is no religion higher than truth."
  The British author and poet Rudyard Kipling used the symbol on the cover art of a number of his works, including The Five Nations, 1903, which has it twinned with an elephant.
caption: Theosophical Seal