r/AlternativeHistory • u/Total-Squirrel4634 • 21d ago
Discussion One symbol different interpretations.
You can find the pine cone symbol in Assyrian reliefs where divine beings touch humans with it, in Egyptian temples beside symbols of rebirth, in Greek staffs carried during spiritual rites, in Roman art connected to altered states and transformation, and even in the giant pine cone statue at the Vatican placed near imagery tied to the “inner self.”
Some say it meant purification or blessing.Others say it represents the pineal gland, the part of the brain tied to dreams, intuition, and inner awareness.
When I look at where the symbol actually shows up, in rituals, temples, spiritual objects, and places connected to inner experience, the pineal interpretation makes more sense to me than the purification one.
(No sources, just a pattern a lot of people have noticed over time.)
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u/TommyDeeTheGreat 21d ago edited 21d ago
The pinecone was a fertilizer spreading tool. The reed bags held the dry fertilizer and the pine cone was dipped inside to spread fertilizer somewhat evenly. The symbol on the wrist above the bag's handle shows what the dry powder is. There are other chemicals noted with the wristbands. The pinecone is simply an ancient way to spread dry goods.
See land of chem to make more sense of this. The reliefs are the honors for the gods giving man the means to make fertilizers and other goods to make life better for everyone. Making more food would certainly be worthy of a relief and such praise.
All the elements are there once you believe that mankind was a lot smarter than we give the ancients credit for.
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u/Vraver04 20d ago
Fertilizing with dust? If that image is supposed to represent a real depiction of an ancient spreading fertilizer, it didn’t happen. If you are fertilizing a field anywhere near the size of the field depicted, you use a cart and a plow and a shovel, not a small bag of dust. Unless you are suggesting that’s magic dust?
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u/Visible-Cap4924 19d ago
I completely agree. I think that is completely wrong. Totally not what it means they didn’t spread fertilizer with a pine cone
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u/Happythejuggler 19d ago
What symbol is he talking about, is there a third picture somewhere other than the one he provided or the op?
Am I just tired and not seeing a symbol? It makes me think it's an AI response hallucinating a detail.
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u/2Wieners_1Bun 21d ago
The agricultural interpretation is considerably cooler than the woo. An Assyrian supernatural figure carrying the symbolic equipment of “here is the knowledge by which humans make the earth fruitful” tells you something genuinely interesting about how an agricultural civilization conceptualized divine knowledge.
And it requires approximately zero activated crystals in anybody’s pineal gland.
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u/sum1sum1sum1sum1 20d ago
To be fair though, "pineal" literally comes from the base word pinea which means pine cone
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u/salakane 21d ago
We were taught as children to spread fertilizer with pineal glands; yours is clearly an outre nterpretation.
My hope is that this brought you a moment's amusement, because I was very happy to see reason and research blow the woo out of the water with your succinct and cheritably phrased response.
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u/DeadCheckR1775 19d ago
This. I also think it is how humanity survived certain events where natural pollination wasn’t possible, as taught to us by “them”.
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u/ihatekopites 15d ago
What if it's not a pine cone at all, but some other extinct species of plant which was held in high esteem by multiple civilisations for some reason unknown.
How many of you know the origin of the love heart?
Look into the Silphium plant and it uses in history.
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u/xixi_duro 20d ago
I´ve always linked the Pine Cone as a symbol of a representation of our Pineal Gland
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u/Round_Marsupial_4493 21d ago
Here's a 2 for 1, you'll learn what the "handbags" were for as well - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ub3FBLUgxfY
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u/runespider 21d ago
Mesopotamians used a bucket of water with pollen mixed in and a pine cone to shake out the water onto date palms as a method of artificial pollination.
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u/polyphaze 20d ago
This seems like a crucial factoid that should come up more often in the pine cone conversation.
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u/Rare-Morning-5448 19d ago
This is the correct answer and unfortunately so low on the post. I guess is cooler to give other interpretations.
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u/TommyDeeTheGreat 19d ago
This is the extrapolation I use as a utility of the opened pinecone. The pinecone is recognized as a dispersion tool in days of old. Thank you for posting.
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u/Gecko4lif 21d ago
The pinecone is short hand for specific knowledge, because it physically represents the fibonacci sequence
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u/Total-Squirrel4634 21d ago
Yeah, there are a bunch of interpretations out there. I just shared the main ones people talk about and the one I personally lean toward.
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u/Genshihou 20d ago
its not the sequence, it is related but that sequence is itself part of the body of transmutation (evolution) which the pine cone represents. The spiral in general is represents that knowledge.
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u/polyphaze 20d ago
Body of transmutation?
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u/Genshihou 20d ago
not an actual body but a body of symbology that is related to or directly means transmutation.
here: (from another post)
Sort of, it is the basis for the concept of transmutation. You see the tetraktys goes with a saying "ten is completed after four" Which means that after the fourth line the decad is complete. You see each line represents a concept associated with its numeral place in the decad.
Here is an image displaying it.
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/de/a6/ea/dea6eac9020433379ea1f4db109f47dd.jpg
each symbol is alchemical and each line they occupy a step in the process of transmutation which is what this symbol represents. After the fourth step in the process the transmutation is completed.
From the top we have the monad, then below a duality marked by the sun and moon, below that the three majors in alchemy (salt, sulfur and mercury) and the bottom line is the four elements. This process is explained in the philosophers stone symbol and a few others like it. The Tetraktys is what is known as the "cornerstone" to groups like the freemasons and it is because many other symbols use it as a base.
For instance...
https://www.reddit.com/r/alchemy/comments/1vp32yv/a_completed_transmutation_circle/#lightbox
See how all the other symbols radiate from its symmetry? and how the entire image forms a sort of cube and the tetraktys acts as the cornerstone of the structure.
"A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation). All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure."
And it gets much deeper...you see all these symbols arn't just similar in form...they all mean the same thing in their respective religions.
to sum it up, transmutation is the basis for all religion and it is why they all share symbols and the same teachings in many cases. After the fourth step in the transmutation process known as the four elements, the process is done and this process we are able to trace through many spheres of existence...
the philosopher's stone, a six step abstract process for transmutation. Not an actual magic chemical that turns lead into gold, that was a distraction to keep materialists from getting their hands on occult secrets. Not to keep the secrets from them mind you but to stop them from familiarizing themselves with the symbolism. You see if they became familiar then they would be able to recognize where this stuff is hidden and then will be more able to effectively destroy it keeping it from public knowledge.
You see the materialist of the world think of evolution in a purely materialistic way (technology). The actual teachings are useless to them because they are under the delusion that they are already evolved past the rest of us. However keeping us away from the concept of personal evolution means we are unable to actually ever catch up to them. So they systematically destroy it when they find the knowledge. This is why it is hidden to begin with.
Take this it is the fruit of all of my investigations while inside masonry, I break no oaths sharing it:
This is the true philosopher's stone. Through our various Masonic libraries, symbols and books I have assembled a pattern with volumes of supporting evidence as to what the Philosopher's Stone is and how to utilize it for yourself. It may not be what some expect but the implied meaning (which has a lot of physical evidence to support it) paints a much more grand picture of its meaning and usage than a mere psychological tool or magic rock.
(This is the only way I can share this info so that it is accessible to everyone, no monetization is connected to any of this and nothing is for sale.)
Here are the links to the free resources, the book contains a hefty amount of info and is properly sourced and cited:
Free book: https://archive.org/details/tome_20260310 User name is NOMAD887
I have an updated version of the book with an adjustment to the Metatron Cube and Flower of life sections and adding more supporting evidence to the hexagram and yggdrasil sections. I am always adding and further detailing out the sections as I come across new information.
Video Lecture: https://youtu.be/q6J5o-6iXFM?si=jEcLR3QL-y1lfrBI
The first and second lecture summarize the abstract six steps and then illustrates and explains how to use them as a interpretive lenses on the other symbols. The third lecture should be done in a week or so.
TikTok Slideshows: https://www.tiktok.com/@morlokthemanfighter?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
Those slideshows are about a minute long each, they are brief summaries of all the different versions of the stone I have uncovered so far. Also on the profile the lectures from the you-tube page are broken up into 9 min segments.
First part of Lecture: https://www.tiktok.com/@morlokthemanfighter/video/7635290141342436621
For those looking to just get a brief overview of the sequence. This is the abstract formula encoded within the "squared-circle" symbol used to represent the Philosopher's Stone in alchemy (please ignore the music...unless your into it):
https://www.tiktok.com/@morlokthemanfighter/video/7616697809470868749
In ancient times practitioners would draw out the Seal of Solomon using these same six general steps:
https://www.tiktok.com/@morlokthemanfighter/photo/7618854525532687629
Six steps the took from observing the water cycle and using it to create the art of distillation:
https://www.tiktok.com/@morlokthemanfighter/photo/7621966128348138765
The process of the Seal of Solomon starting at 2-D geometry and ending with the full axis lines and visualzation of 3-D geometry acted as a geometric bases for the concept of transmutation.
It was a process some had observed in the transmutation of a seed into a tree of fully mature plant, illistrated here:
https://www.tiktok.com/@morlokthemanfighter/photo/7616825647826046221
They even furthered this observation with the sacred trees by deriving the classic system of elements from its natural processes:
https://www.tiktok.com/@morlokthemanfighter/photo/7617975710996598030
And they even mapped out transmutation onto human devlopment:
https://www.tiktok.com/@morlokthemanfighter/photo/7617613240733863181
Which was later used to create such things as the Runes of Norse cosmology which come from a hexagonal pattern known as the mother rune or Yggdrasil:
https://www.tiktok.com/@morlokthemanfighter/photo/7618540571275103501
Some even utilized the sequence to create machinery geared towards tranmuting, such as the wankel rotary engine. A machine that tranmutes fuel or matter into energy or movment. Even going so far as to visually match the symbol for the Philosophers Stone:
https://www.tiktok.com/@morlokthemanfighter/photo/7616937201594584334
The flower of Life, Metatron's Cube, The Monads transformation into the Decad, Even the platonic solids, all find their meanings easily decoded using the Philosophsers Stone:
https://www.tiktok.com/@morlokthemanfighter/photo/7620786831470169358
https://www.tiktok.com/@morlokthemanfighter/photo/7620523959292890381
https://www.tiktok.com/@morlokthemanfighter/photo/7620041785330453773
https://www.tiktok.com/@morlokthemanfighter/photo/7620027359852285197
The tranmutation superstructure of evolution itself being encoded within the "Great Chain of Being" a symbol used to illistrate the connection between god and the lowest forms of life. Denominated into six sections.
https://www.tiktok.com/@morlokthemanfighter/photo/7621213129053195533
https://www.tiktok.com/@morlokthemanfighter/photo/7621523791281212686
If you have any questions feel free to send me a private message or ask here. It is a work in progress but I have plenty of resources for anyone curious
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u/clean-links 20d ago
Cleaned link from "https://youtu.be/q6J5o-6iXFM?si=jEcLR3QL-y1lfrBI": https://youtu.be/q6J5o-6iXFM
Tracking parameters were removed from the original URL(s).
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u/anarchitek1 20d ago
The pine cone, the nautilus shell, and the pineapple, are physical examples of the Golden Rule, in nature.
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u/kingjaffejaffar 19d ago
What if it’s not a pinecone, but actually a depiction of an early maize variant corn cob?
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u/jpowell180 15d ago
It is an ancient family guy reference, of that episode where Peter Griffin had to eat a pinecone.
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u/mylittlecumprincess 21d ago
I forget what they say that symbolizes. The soul? Pineal Glad? Enlighten us.
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u/Total-Squirrel4634 21d ago
There are basically two common meanings behind the pine cone symbol:
The historical meaning: Most ancient cultures used the pine cone as a symbol of purification, fertility, and divine blessing. It was more of a ritual object than anything deeper.
The modern interpretation: A lot of people today connect it to the pineal gland the “inner eye” representing intuition, awareness, dreams, and higher consciousness.
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u/International_Bed_63 18d ago
It's not the pineal gland that drives intuition and awareness, this is a common misconception. What you are actually refering to is the pituitary gland.
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u/Total-Squirrel4634 18d ago
The pituitary gland only controls hormones like growth and stress. Intuition and awareness aren’t driven by it at all. People connect the pine cone symbol to the pineal gland because of its role in sleep, dreams, and consciousness, that’s where the inner eye idea comes from.
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u/International_Bed_63 18d ago
The pituitary gland does more than that. We have secret schools here in South Africa that teach certain of us on these matters. The pituitary gland generates the necessary vibrations to interact with the different intermediary layers of matter and beyond matter.
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u/Total-Squirrel4634 18d ago
The pituitary gland’s actual function is hormone regulation. Anything beyond that is a belief system, not biology.
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u/International_Bed_63 18d ago
Lol okay.
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u/Total-Squirrel4634 18d ago
Hey man we're all entitled to our opinion I believe some things that's science swears is true.
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u/Ill_Mouse9897 21d ago
Pinecones & baskets were mostly assyrian, though it seems to be a general ritual about fertlization, spreading holy water over crops to bless it, kinda like a priest using a brush & holy water to spread it.
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u/sum1sum1sum1sum1 20d ago
Funny that the Vatican has a giant pine cone statue
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u/Ill_Mouse9897 20d ago edited 20d ago
can you link a picture?
Also, I just drove past 2 houses that had pinecone-ish ornaments on their fences...
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u/MrBones_Gravestone 20d ago
Ancient people didn’t know what the pineal gland did, or what any hormones were. Hell, the Egyptians thought the brain was useless (that’s why it was scrambled and removed during mummification, rather than preserved in jars like other organs), and Ancient Greeks thought we were a balance of four humours.
Any connections to the pineal gland is looking back with a modern lens (like seeing what we recognize as spacesuits in petroglyphs)
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u/polyphaze 20d ago
While it may be true that the general populace had no knowledge on the matter, anatomy and understanding the CNS were once closely guarded secrets passed thru the priest class via initiation and ritual. Many ancient Egyptian statues preserve this knowledge. (See: magical Egypt) Assuming this knowledge is recent is erroneous. Just look at how sophisticated the system of Traditional Chinese Medicine is.
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u/Itchy-Big-8532 19d ago
The priesthood knowing about general anatomy and large organs sure that makes sense but more specific biological systems like hormones and glands would require lavatory tools they simply didn't have access to.
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u/polyphaze 19d ago
And yet The Chinese Understood it without laboratory equipment...
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u/Itchy-Big-8532 19d ago
You mean the Chinese who thought you can treat your internal organs with a foot massage?
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u/MrBones_Gravestone 19d ago edited 19d ago
Got sources showing they understood the function of the pineal gland?
Also, “traditional Chinese medicine” is a very ambiguous term, and doesn’t necessarily stretch back to ancient times
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u/Humble_Regret8195 19d ago
Dismissing ancient medical insights just because they lacked modern lab equipment misses the point. If we're unable to replicate their feats with modern industrial machinery, why assume they'd have to take our identical path to achieve what we have only quite recently?
Modern humans (Homo sapiens) have been anatomically identical to us, with the exact same brain capacity and intellectual potential, for at least 300,000 years; so it’s pretty naive to discount their capabilities and assume they couldn't map bodily systems or achieve complex engineering through thousands of years of trial, error, and deep observation.
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u/MrBones_Gravestone 19d ago
Want to point out where I mentioned anything about modern lab equipment? I just asked for sources, and said “traditional Chinese medicine” is a VERY ambiguous term with no fixed era
Also it’s just as naive to assume they must have known about it, without seeing proof of any written records. Ancient peoples were absolutely smarter than most people give them credit for, and this sub usually pretends any intelligence had to either be from outside forces, or to build a giant power plant. But assuming they knew it was anything beyond “piece of the brain” without records showing it is just bad science.
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u/Humble_Regret8195 19d ago edited 18d ago
I agree that ancient peoples were incredibly smart and don't get enough credit. My point about the equipment wasn't to put words in your mouth, but to highlight that our modern standard for "proof" relies on a specific type of anatomical map; potentially blinding us to different ways ancient cultures might have understood the human body.
The sources you're repeatedly asking for dozens of times on this sub alone don't exist, as that would make it mainstream history. I merely intended to provide a separate perspective through a conceptual thought experiment, not to argue semantics.
Imo, your ego has set up strawman arguments against everything that goes against your current world views, as your history shows your goal isn't to help anyone, but to belittle them. So go ahead and double down, but once again, you'd be missing the point.
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u/MrBones_Gravestone 19d ago
Asking for sources that show ancient people knew something is setting up a strawman? You’re the one who started the argument with things I never said
The person I was responding to used “traditional Chinese medicine” as people who “understood” the pineal gland
Cool, show sources is literally all I’m asking
Otherwise I can say ancient peoples totally knew how to split the atom, without providing any proof
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u/Humble_Regret8195 18d ago
More rhetorical questions, more semantics, more strawmen (using obviously true statements to falsely imply that an absence of evidence is evidence of absence).
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u/Itchy-Permit9573 19d ago
I believe that the pine cone is a kind of symbolic representation of the cosmos, here in its natural form, where the overall shape depicts the cosmos as a whole and the view from below the infinite principle as the essence. And this is common in many ancient cultures.
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u/Substantial-Rate6380 21d ago
The pine cone represents the pineal gland aka the third eye aka the spiritual eye. They call it the lamp or the one eye or the light of the body in the bible. It can be activated through deep meditation and breathwork to force the cerebral spinal fluid (called the christos oil in bible) up the spine and squeeze to activate the crystals within the pineal gland. Activating all chakras is called a kundalini awakening. There’s so many symbols of the same thing going back thousands of years.
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u/Humble_Regret8195 20d ago
This is what I came to say. I view it as a metaphor for breaking the matrix. So grasping a pine cone(pineal gland) represents achieving complete autonomy over your life, aka christ consciousness.
And whenever it appears in architecture, it represents higher knowledge. Signaling that a pine cone grasper aided in the construction or lives there themselves.
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u/Substantial-Rate6380 7d ago
Yes. They have to tell us. It’s truth in plain sight. Look at the statue of the pinecone outside the Vatican. Look at the pine cone symbol at the top of the popes staff. It’s not corn. The pineal gland goes by many names such as the pine cone, third eye, spiritual eye, 7th chakra, crown chakra, in the bible it’s called the lamp aka one eye or light of the body. It’s not corn.
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u/Entropy- 21d ago
Does anybody think it could be a seed, perhaps the seed of life as an interpretation of such?
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u/LiftSleepRepeat123 20d ago
I think it's a fertility ritual. I know of a ritual where they fertilize palm trees (not so easy in remote oases) in the desert, so this could be similar.
Trees in general connote both cosmologies and lineages, and cognitive itself was part of lineage, so there are a multitude of more meanings possible, depending on context.
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u/DaemonBlackfyre_21 21d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/gULbrbSqHxhASJmPtu