Editing Hexagram (section)

==Religious usage==
===Indian religions ===
{{more citations needed|section|date=October 2018}}
{{Further|Bodhicitta}}
[[File:Jain Cosmology0007small.JPG|thumb|Diagram showing the two mystic syllables Om and Hrim]]
Six-pointed stars have also been found in cosmological diagrams in [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]], and [[Jainism]]. The reasons behind this symbol's common appearance in Indic religions and the West are unknown. One possibility is that they have a common origin. The other possibility is that artists and religious people from several cultures independently created the hexagram shape, which is a relatively simple geometric design.

Within Indic lore, the shape is generally understood to consist of two triangles—one pointed up and the other down—locked in harmonious embrace. The two components are called "Om" and the "Hrim" in Sanskrit, and symbolize man's position between earth and sky. The downward triangle symbolizes [[Shakti]], the sacred embodiment of femininity, and the upward triangle symbolizes [[Shiva]], or [[Agni Tattva]], representing the focused aspects of masculinity. The mystical union of the two triangles represents Creation, occurring through the divine union of male and female. The two locked triangles are also known as 'Shanmukha'—the six-faced, representing the six faces of Shiva & Shakti's progeny [[Kartikeya]]. This symbol is also a part of several yantras and has deep significance in Hindu ritual worship and history.

[[File:Anahata Mandala.svg|thumb|Anahata: The Heart Chakra]]
In [[Buddhism]], some old versions of the [[Bardo Thodol]], also known as The "Tibetan Book of the Dead", contain a hexagram with a [[swastika]] inside. It was made up by the publishers for this particular publication. In Tibetan, it is called the "origin of phenomenon" (''chos-kyi 'byung-gnas''). It is especially connected with [[Vajrayogini]], and forms the center part of her [[mandala]]. In reality, it is in three dimensions, not two, although it may be portrayed either way.

The ''[[Shatkona]]'' is a symbol used in [[Hindu]] [[yantra]] that represents the union of both the [[male|masculine]] and [[Female|feminine]] form. More specifically it is supposed to represent [[Purusha]] (the supreme being), and [[Prakriti]] (mother nature, or causal matter). Often this is represented as [[Shiva]] – [[Shakti]].<ref>[http://sivasakti.com/articles/intro-yantra.html sivasakti.com: ''Introduction to Yantra'']</ref>

''[[Anahata]]'' or heart chakra is the fourth primary [[chakra]], according to [[Hindu]] [[Yoga|Yogic]], [[Shakta]] and [[Vajrayana|Buddhist Tantric]] traditions. In [[Sanskrit]], ''anahata'' means "unhurt, unstruck, and unbeaten". ''Anahata Nad'' refers to the Vedic concept of ''unstruck sound'' (the sound of the celestial realm). Anahata is associated with balance, calmness, and serenity.

===Judaism===
{{Main|Seal of Solomon}}{{Main|Star of David}}
[[File:Seal of Solomon (Simple Version).svg|thumb|The Seal of Solomon]]
The Seal of Solomon or Ring of Solomon is the legendary signet ring attributed to king Solomon in medieval mystical traditions. In mystic Jewish and Islamic lore, the ring is variously described as having given Solomon the power to command the supernatural, including shedim and jinn, and also the ability to speak with animals. Due to the proverbial wisdom of Solomon, it came to be seen as an amulet or talisman, or a symbol or character in medieval magic and Renaissance magic, occultism, and alchemy. The seal is the predecessor to the Star of David, another Jewish symbol.

[[File:Leningrad Codex Folio 474a.jpg|thumb|The Star of David in the oldest surviving complete copy of the [[Masoretic text]], the [[Leningrad Codex]], dated 1008.]]
The ''Magen David'' is a generally recognized symbol of Judaism and Jewish identity and is also known colloquially as the Jewish Star or "Star of David." Its usage as a sign of Jewish identity began in the Middle Ages, though its religious usage began earlier, with the current earliest archeological evidence being a stone bearing the shield from the arch of a 3–4th century synagogue in the Galilee.

===Christianity===
The first and the most important Armenian Cathedral of Etchmiadzin (303 AD, built by the founder of Christianity in Armenia) is decorated with many types of ornamented hexagrams and so is the tomb of an Armenian prince of the Hasan-Jalalyan dynasty of Khachen (1214 AD) in the Gandzasar Church of Artsakh.

The hexagram may be found in some Churches and stained-glass windows. In Christianity, it is sometimes called the star of creation.  A very early example, noted by [[Nikolaus Pevsner]], can be found in [[Winchester Cathedral]], England in one of the canopies of the choir stalls, circa 1308.<ref>Buildings of England: Hampshire and the North (now second edition) {{ISBN|978 0 300 12084 4}}, p.604.</ref>

====Latter-day Saints (Mormons)====
[[File:Salt Lake Assembly Hall Star of David.jpg|thumb|Star of David on the [[Salt Lake Assembly Hall]]]]
{{Main|Mormonism and Judaism}}
The Star of David is also used less prominently by [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], in the temples and in architecture. It symbolizes God reaching down to man and man reaching up to God, the union of Heaven and earth. It may also symbolize the [[Israelite|Tribes of Israel]] and friendship and their affinity towards the Jewish people. Additionally, it is sometimes used to symbolize the quorum of the twelve apostles, as in Revelation 12, wherein the Church of God is symbolized by a woman wearing a crown of twelve stars. It is also sometimes used to symbolize the Big Dipper, which points to the North Star, a symbol of Jesus Christ.

===Islam===
The symbol is known in Arabic as ''Khātem Sulaymān'' ([[Seal of Solomon]]; {{lang|ar|خاتم سليمان}}) or ''Najmat Dāwūd'' ([[Star of David]]; {{lang|ar|نجمة داوود}}). The "Seal of Solomon" may also be represented by a five-pointed star or [[pentagram]].

In the [[Qur'an]], it is written that David and [[King Solomon]] (Arabic, ''Suliman'' or ''Sulayman'') were prophets and kings, and are figures revered by Muslims. The Medieval pre-Ottoman [[Hanafi]] [[Anatolian beyliks]] of the [[Karamanids]] and [[Jandarids]] used the star on their flag.<ref name="Muwahhidists">The Muslim Empires of the Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals, By Stephen F. Dale, 2009</ref> The symbol is also used on the [[Hayreddin Barbarossa]] flag. Today the six-pointed star can be found in [[mosques]] and on other [[Arabic Art|Arabic]] and [[Islamic art]]ifacts.<gallery>
File:Caliph Al Mustansir Sicilian coin.jpg|Coin minted in the [[Emirate of Sicily]] during the reign of [[Al-Mustansir Billah]] (11th century CE)
File:Ayyubid Az Zahir 1204 Aleppo.jpg|1204 coin minted in [[Aleppo]] by [[Az-Zahir Ghazi]]
File:Gateway-Humayuns-Tomb-104.JPG|Hexagram at [[Humayun's Tomb]], Delhi, India (late 16th century)
File:Moroccan 4 Falus Coin (AH 1290).jpg|Hexagram on obverse of [[Morocco|Moroccan]] 4 Falus coin (1873)
File:PrizrenCollection2 2010 100 3123.JPG|Hexagram on the Minaret of Arasta Mosque, [[Prizren]], Kosovo
File:Morocco Fez Embroidery Horse Cover.JPG|Morocco Fez Embroidery Horse Cover
File:BarbarosSancagi.svg|Hexagram on the flag of [[Hayreddin Barbarossa]]
File:Flag of the Belik of Teke, Catalan Atlas 1375.svg|Hexagram on the flag of [[Beylik of Teke|Teke Beylik]]
File:Detail of the Gates from the tomb of Mahmud of Ghazni stored in the Arsenal of Agra Fort - ILN 1872.jpg|The Gates from the tomb of Mahmud of Ghazni, taken to the [[Somnath temple]]
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Katoenen banier met Arabische kalligrafie TMnr 5663-1.jpg|A [[Cirebonese]] cotton banner with a Chinese influenced lion with Arabic calligraphy with hexagrams; (dated to the late 18th or the 19th century)
</gallery>