Usually when we see a cross with a circle around it, we think of the Celtic Cross. The sacred religious Solar Cross, or circle cross, is a symbol of the Sun and fire and was adopted by many ancient cultures in various forms. The cross itself symbolizes the cardinal directions and the sacred fire, while the circle part of it symbolizes the Sun.

In North America the origin of the Cross in a Circle Symbol derives from the ancient culture of Mound Builders in Mississippi. Some of the Native Indian tribes still retain elements of the Mississippian culture and the symbolism of the Cross in the circle - the simple shape is easy to depict on any raw materials such as rock, stone, wood, shell and animal hides.

Although we live in a 3D world, most of the time we are seeing things in 2D. Looking at the two diagrams above helps to expand our perception. First, on the left,  we see the Solar Cross in the usual 2D way, then as the sphere starts to rotate, in the image above right, we see that there is more to the lines that we originally perceived as a 2D cross.

The circles drawn around the sphere on the right are special kinds of curves called 'great circles', which divide the sphere into equal sections. Also known as an orthodrome, a great circle is the intersection of the sphere and a plane that passes through the centre point of the sphere.

So next time you see an image of a cross somewhere, imagine that you might be seeing just the 2D face of a greater dimensional reality behind it. By expanding your imagination even further you might get a glimpse of a 4D reality.

Images of ancient Egyptians may seem as if they have just a 2D disc above their head and the representation of the Aten is often called a Sun-disc. In reality it is a sphere, or an orb. Do you have an orb above your head? Could it be connected to higher dimensions?

Spectacular interactive experiences, unique artefacts and stunning imagery shed fresh light on humanity's relationship with our closest star in the London Science Museum's latest exhibition.

From golden solar religious artefacts from the Nordic Bronze Age (dating back to 1400 BC), to details of upcoming NASA and ESA solar missions, The Sun: Living With Our Star tells the story of humankind’s dependence on, and ever changing understanding of, our star.

Visitors to our latest blockbuster exhibition can bask in sunlight on our indoor beach, virtually try on a range of historic sunglasses in a digital mirror and see the Sun rise in different seasons and locations around the world on a huge illuminated wall display. 

 Friday late opening
The exhibition will be open until 22.00 on the following dates:
    Friday 12 October 2018
    Friday 19 October 2018
    Friday 26 October 2018
    Friday 2 November 2018
(Source: https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/see-and-do/the-sun-living-with-our-star )

The three-dimensional universe is made of material, so is it bound by a shape, or is it infinite? One scientific website, Space.com considers the possibility that, “the universe is closed and finite, though it has no end, and has a spherical shape.” But, like most scientific thinkers today, they still believe in the “big bang” theory.

There is an excellent article in the current issue of Nexus Magazine (Vol.25 No.6) by David Rowland titled “A big bang never happened.” I agree with him when he says, “This is mythology, not science.” Scientists who endorse the “big bang” theory state that the universe is finite, yet always expanding. Mr Rowland asserts that it is not expanding, but it is infinite.

So here we have several possibilities, all apparent paradoxes. Space.com says it is finite but has no end; most scientists think it is finite but expanding; Mr Rowland thinks it is infinite, but static. So, I will throw in another paradox into the mix: Whether it is expanding or static, finite or infinite, I think it has a shape, because it is clearly physical/material. And I think that shape is spherical.

Hindu texts describe the universe as a cosmic egg, while Aristotle believed it was made up of a series of concentric spheres. Here are two quotes from Universetoday.com: “A positively-curved Universe would look somewhat like a four-dimensional sphere. This type of Universe would be finite in space, but with no discernible edge.” And, if it was shaped like “A soccer ball (it) would look much like a spherical Universe, but one with a very particular signature – a sort of hall of mirrors imprinted on the cosmic microwave background.”

If it is indeed spherical, consider whether it may have a centre – in particular, a gigantic Central Sun, like the ones at the centres of galaxies – see the above for an infrared image of our neighbouring Andromeda Galaxy, Credited to NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Ariz (Courtesy of http://www.astronet.ru/db/msg/1208803)