A cosmogram depicts a

cosmology Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', and in 1731 taken up in Latin by German philosophe ...

in a flat geometric form. They are used for various purposes: meditational, inpirational and to depict structure -- real or imagined -- of the earth or universe. Often, cosmograms feature a circle and a square, or a circle and a cross. The circle may represent the universe, or unity, or an explanation of the universe in its totality - whether inspired by religious beliefs or scientific knowledge. The square or cross may represent the Earth, the four directions. The centre may represent the individual. Many diagrams featuring circles and squares or crosses may be interpreted as cosmograms, although they may not be intentionally created as such. For example, traditional Chinese coins that are round with a square hole in the middle, have been given such an interpretation, and so has the board for the game

ludo Ludo (; ) is a strategy board game for two to four players, in which the players race their four from start to finish according to the rolls of a single die. Like other cross and circle games, Ludo is derived from the Indian game Pachisi. The ...

, see

Cross and Circle game Cross and circle is a board game design used for race games played throughout the world. Design The basic design comprises a circle divided into four equal portions by a cross inscribed inside it like four spokes in a wheel; the classic examp ...

. Examples In the 20th and 21st centuries, the framework of a traditional cosmogram is used to reflect on a particular person, persons or cultures. Often public buildings and parks host the cosmogram permanently. Examples include a memorial at the

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is a research library of the New York Public Library (NYPL) and an archive repository for information on people of African descent worldwide. Located at 515 Malcolm X Boulevard (Lenox Avenue) b ...

in Harlem, which commemorates the center's namesake and

Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. One of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called jazz poetry, Hug ...

, who during his lifetime lived near the plot of land where the center was constructed.

Strawberry Fields The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid species of the genus ''Fragaria'', collectively known as the strawberries, which are cultivated worldwide for their fruit. The fruit is widely app ...

, the memorial for John Lennon in

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...

fits the criteria for a cosmogram: a pattern inside the border of a circle with an inner circle inscribed "Imagine".

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of North India, northern, Central India, centr ...

and

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

mandalas are cosmograms, but similar diagrams, known as '' schema'', were also used in western Europe during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. The Kôngo cosmogram represents the man's origin, destiny, and path to salvation. Architectural cosmograms -- ancient city planning employed by the

Aztec The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl ...

, Mayan and

Mesopotamian Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the F ...

cultures -- used structures to reflect the cosmos. The basement floor of First African Baptist Church in

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...

, GA has a Congolese cosmogram made of drilled holes in the shape of a diamond with an inner cross. This is a prayer cosmogram depicting birth, life, death and rebirth. There is speculation that this cosmogram is made of drilled holes in a floor because American slaves hid in underneath the panels and needed air holes for circulation. Scholars argue cosmograms appear in performance, citing the concept albums of George Clinton's bands Parliament and Funkadelic.

References

{{reflist Esoteric cosmology Cosmology Public art Ancient art Religious symbols

See also

References