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What Do Squares Symbolize?

Shapes in general, tend to be quite overlooked in our daily lives.  If you look around you in a room, you will notice that several shapes surround you. Squares are everywhere, from windows, wall hangings, picture frames, and so on. We do not always acknowledge them, but squares play a pivotal role in our lives. Over time, this basic shape has acquired various symbolism, making it one of the most symbolic shapes.

What Makes the Square Significant?

The square is a four-sided figure that has always been used to represent the attributes that are associated with the number four. In Sacred Geometry, the square represents orientation and direction, in contrast to the circle, which symbolizes limitlessness.

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There is a strong belief that human existence can be explained and governed using the four sides of the square. The four sides of a square are associated with the four elements, the four compass directions, and even appear in ancient artworks like the Vitruvian man to signify the material world, life, and spiritual balance. Because the four sides are equal, it represents proper structure, balance, logic, and law and order. It’s an often-referenced shape in various religions, spiritual customs, and even in logical sciences.

The Vitruvian Man by Leonardo Da Vinci uses the square to signify the material mundane world. 

Ultimately, because of how balanced a square is, it is more visually representative of the physical aspects of human existence. The four corners are foundations that ground the body to conscious awareness and spirituality that aren’t necessarily visually perceived as represented by the space between the four sides of the square.

In Some Eastern religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoism, the square has been used to represent stability and the grounding within which man can attain higher consciousness.

Symbolism of the Square

As aforementioned, the square has been greatly used regarding the association with the number four. In numerology, the number four is tied to the energy of practicality, hard work, logic, and cause-and-effect.

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The number four is perceived as being dependable, loyal, pragmatic, and intelligent. This also applies to the symbolism of the square even in broad terms because it encompasses aspects such as basics, balance, grounding, structure, foundation, community, elemental, direction, stabilizing, and dependability.

Structure: Structurally, the four sides of a square symbolize a variety of things in our surroundings such as:

  • The four seasons of the earth (winter, spring, summer, autumn).
  • The four compass directions (north, south, east, west).
  • The four elements on earth (fire, earth, air, water).
  • The four cosmic elements (suns, moons, planets, stars) 
  • The four phases of human life (birth, child, adult, death).

Dream Symbolism

Squares appear in dreams to symbolize sacrifice, balance, and stability. Seeing a square in your dreams serves as a reminder to let go of negativity and embrace positive thoughts and emotions.

The meaning of square dreams also varies based on the color of the dream.

  • A black square in dreams carries two meanings. It can either be a way to assure you that you are independent and autonomous, thus encouraging you to make decisions based on your truth and beliefs. On the other hand, it can also be a way to highlight indecisiveness based on a lack of values.
  • Dreaming of  a red square can mean that you are secure about the aspects of your life or in the case that you are experiencing negativity, it is a symbol of your insecurities concerning your financial situation and/or domestic situation.
  • White squares in dreams also come with double-sided meanings. They may either be an indication of your strong connection to the spiritual world and your ability to provide structure and hope, or they may be a warning to stop using your spiritual gifts for selfish gains.
  • Dreaming of a blue square is an indication that you are highly intelligent and can speak eloquently. These dreams usually appear to remind you to stop suppressing your speech abilities.
  • Green squares appear in dreams mostly when you are about to embark on a project. They serve as a reminder to use available partnerships to propel your project to success.
  • Yellow squares are a representation of your inner strength, your identity, and your ability to unapologetically show it to the world. Dreaming of these may serve as a reminder to stop suppressing your inner strength.

Spiritual Symbolism

 In  Buddhism, the square is such a pivotal shape because the foundation of a strong mind is often associated with the shape of a square. The corners of the square represent human physical existence and only in the grounding of the square can humans experience spiritual awareness and awakening based on the four sacred truths of the religion.

In Christianity, even though the square may not be referenced directly, the attribution of the four sides is quite clear in instances such as the four beloved disciples and the four angels on the four corners of the earth holding the winds as referenced in Revelations 7:1.

The ancient Greeks used the square in a circle to demonstrate that the conscious mind and the unconscious mind are part of the same essence which never leaves the confines of the shapes’ dimensions. This concept is still prevalent in some Christian churches today.

Symbolism of Squares in Astrology

In the study of the movement of celestial bodies, squares represent the distance between two planets being 90 degrees apart. Similarly, the number four appearing as part of your house in astrological readings is representative of domestic and physical foundations at home.

This represents the responsibilities and commitments that you have as either a cornered individual or one existing in the space enclosed by the corners. Of importance to note is that the symbolism of squares in astrology is directly linked with tarot reading. If you have squares appearing in your cards, then you are perceived as dependable and intelligent, and you could also be linked to elemental aspects, either cosmic or prime elements like fire, water, air, and earth.

Square Symbol in Freemasonry

The square is also one of the most important symbols of Freemasonry. The symbol is included in the masonic logo and the first-degree masons are taught that the square represents qualities of uprightness, honesty, virtue, and dependability.

This means that the square represents a person who masters their thoughts, actions, and emotions because mastery of one’s mind allows you to thrive in the physical plane.

Additionally, it’s only through the physical body that a human can channel consciousness and thus experiencing life in totality.

Square Symbolism in Math

The integration of the square symbolism mathematically was first introduced in Greece. The concept remains largely the same.

In recreational math, a square that consists of a range of numbers is known as a magic square if the numbers in each row and line and in each of the two diagonals have the same sum. Magic squares have been around for over 4000 years and have a history where they’ve been used in different cultures for astrological and divinity.

The Square as a Spiritual Symbol

The square is a highly symbolic shape that influences many aspects of daily life. Sometimes the interaction with square symbolism is subconscious but the interactions of square symbolism and our physical reality can also be individually driven.

Regardless of religious affiliation or lack of interaction with square symbolism, it’s a highly spiritual journey that one can only undertake on their own.

Squares can show up to give you information about feeling safe, protected, and the importance of hard work and strong values. It can also help you build up weaknesses that you feel are cracks in the foundation of your spiritual or physical life. 

Wrapping Up

From a symbolic standpoint, squares are multi-layered and complex, holding meaning in various cultures and religious beliefs. It’s connection to Sacred Geometry has given the square spiritual meanings, which stem from the four equal sides of the shape. Overall, the square is one of the most symbolic shapes and is possibly the shape we’re most familiar with as it can be found all around us.

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Rose Mulu
Rose Mulu

With a keen interest in understanding why life was and is as it is, Rose has been studying religion, culture, and history for over fifteen years. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication and uses this, together with her knack for literature, to share her knowledge and insight with the world.