10. IL CERCHIO, LA CROCE, L’UNIVERSO E L’UMANO.
︎ From Naufragio 10 / Simbolo
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“Years past, I chanced upon an illustration within a scientific tome delineating the Earth's orbit around the sun, its spatial orientation during solstices and equinoxes, and by extension, the regions bathed in solar radiance. Remarkably, a simple rotation of 90 degrees unveiled an entirely distinct configuration. I preserved it, foreseeing its eventual resonance. Presently, reflecting on the significance of the number 10, symbols, and the imperative to apprehend phenomena as they truly are, the image divulges its semiotic richness, underscoring the arbitrariness of symbols and the latitude afforded by human interpretation.
The numeral 10, both quantitatively and symbolically, evokes notions of culmination and excellence, connoting flawlessness, the attainment of the highest score, and perfection. Thus, it inexorably conjures the image of the circle. The circle, historically emblematic of the Sun, represents an archetypal motif denoting perfection, vitality, perpetuity, and divine essence—a concept ingrained in human consciousness since time immemorial. Emblematic of the Sun since antiquity, its astronomical glyph, ☉, comprises a circle intersected by a central point or alternatively, a concentric configuration denoting the solar disc within an encompassing void. From this solar locus, emanates the terrestrial sphere, our abode, symbolized by 🜨, itself circumscribed by a circular motif delineated by a central cross, symbolizing the cardinal points, the equator, and by extension, the solstices and equinoxes, thereby encapsulating the cosmological order within a geometric trope.
The cross, as a symbol imprinted upon the Earth, serves to delineate our spatial coordinates and aspirations. Its geometric ubiquity spans epochs, serving as a religious, mathematical, and directional signifier. For the Romans, it manifested as the rotated cross, X, while in Chinese cultural tradition, it aligns as the character 十 (shí), signifying 10. This semantic versatility finds expression in the concept of shí quán shí měi (十全十美), denoting completeness, perfection devoid of any imperfection—a concept intertwined with the numerical tenet.
In this interplay of symbols, cosmic configurations intertwine with human perception, belief systems, and societal constructs, engendering a dialectic between the infinitesimal and the infinite, the tangible and the transcendent. Thus, amidst this semantic tapestry, symbols, ostensibly disparate and remote, converge in a dialectical dance, traversing realms vast and minuscule, imbued with profound significance yet tethered to the quotidian—a testament to the intricate interplay between the human intellect and the cosmos.”
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