Earth Wind Fire

OM
(The symbol within the art)

It’s the sound of the universe
It represents the past, present and future.

The syllable OM, is the universe. Whatsoever has existed, whatsoever exists, and whatsoever shall exist hereafter, is OM. And whatsoever transcends past, present, and future, that also is OM.

The chanting of the sound Om reminds us of those connections to the divine and to each other.
Om also represents the states of human consciousness.
The first state of consciousness, known as Vaishvanara,
is waking state which is focused outward to material objects. The waking state is represented in the symbol by the lower curve (the bottom of the “3”).

The second state of consciousness, Taijasa,
is dreaming sleep or the mental nature which is focused inward to only the thoughts in the mind.
The dreaming state is represented by the curl coming out of the center of the “3.”

The third state of consciousness, Prajna,
is dreamless sleep or deep meditation. The dreamless state is represented by the top curve
(the upper part of the “3”).

The Fourth state of consciousness, known as Turiya,
is the hardest to describe – in fact, the text calls it “indescribable.” But perhaps the best attempt to describe it is as follows, “It is pure unitary consciousness, wherein awareness of the world and of multiplicity is completely obliterated. It is ineffable peace. It is the supreme good. It is One without a second. It is the Self. Know it alone! This Self, beyond all words, is the syllable OM.”

The Fourth state is represented in the symbol much as it is described in the text.
It is separate from and different than the other three states – visually represented by the crescent and dot in the upper right.
These four states of consciousness are part of the makeup of human nature.
They exist in all of us at all times. Each of these states is represented not only in the symbol, but also in the sound. Om is comprised of three distinct Sanskrit sounds – A-U-M.
The A and U together create the sound “O.” The A represents Vaishvanara, the U is Taijasa,
and the M is Prajna.
The Turiya is represented by the silence that follows the sound. Have you ever noticed the peacefulness of the seconds just after an Om? That is a subtle expression of Turiya – The Fourth state. (Based on the Madukya Upanishad)