
Pi (Perforated Disk) The Pi (pronounced 'bee'), being one of the earliest symbolic carvings, represented the sun or heaven. It was used as a device to communicate with the heavens as well as in other ritualistic ceremonies. In later dynasties, the Pi was symbolic of power and authority - much of that power was thought to come through the essence of jade…as it is considered the stone of heaven. Pi Kan is a deified spirit of a sage of the 12th century B.C.; he was punished by a wicked tyrant and condemned to death. His heart was then used as an illustration of intelligence; in ancient time the Chinese believed that it was the heart that contained the intellect of a person. Therefore the heart became the symbol for the “perforated disc” known as Pi.
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