The Meaning of the American Flag: A Spiritual History

Shrouded in both history and to some degree in the mystery of its creation, the story of the American flag has been recounted many times by historians and yet its symbolism is only partly understood. Originally the symbol and banner of the thirteen colonies, its form and colors were chosen not on the basis of rational thought, but on the basis of intuition infused by spiritual truth and guidance which led to a correlation between the flag that America came to call her own, and the intentionality of the realms of Spirit whose guiding light was ever watchful over the destiny of this nation.

At the time of her birth, America's flag was simple, with bands of red and white color and a circle of stars against a background of blue. Yet, in this simplicity lay a depth of meaning, for this composition of elements was not accidental, but held together by an overarching sense of meaning and purpose in concert with the higher realms of light.

The red of the stripes was not only emblematic of the blood that was shed in the war that led to the establishment of an independent republic. It also signified the passage into the embodied state of the higher principles of light. Red is the color of the life-blood that runs through humanity and through all warm-blooded creatures, and it was, is, and always shall be America's destiny to be a funnel or vehicle for bringing light and energy from the higher realms to the earth for the purpose of benefiting the realms of life amidst the physical. In this sense, America functions as the heart of the planetary body, and her purpose serves the purposes of all.

In relation to the white stripes that accompany the red, just as the red signifies the life of the earth, the white signifies the higher realms of light joining and intermingling with the life of the earth, a constant companion to the spiritual evolution of mankind and of all beings.

The stars on the blue background are a composite image that has gone through many changes as the Republic of the United States of America has grown from thirteen colonies to a much vaster size. Indeed, the blue background, today, is almost filled with the stars representing the fifty states of America, and it is possible that more shall be added at some point in the future when those territories seeking statehood shall also come under the umbrella of the vast entity that shall be the new Republic of America.

The number of stars in the original pattern were shaped in the form of a hexagon, with invisible lines of light joining the thirteen stars. These lines crisscrossed from one star to another. Though they could not be seen outwardly, they represented the developing national identity that was being given energy and light by the forces that supported the birth of a nation and the principles upon which she stood. These lines of light remain today in the upper left-hand corner of the flag between each of the fifty stars and every other, although in some instances the threads of connection have become weakened, indicating that the coherence and integrity of the nation as a unity has also become weakened. The patterning of light related to the stars reflects the condition of things on a spiritual level as well as on a physical. At this time in her history, America is in need of a kind of joining on the level of the heart and mind that will eradicate the divisions that are presently undermining her national integrity.

Finally, the blue background against which the stars are placed is a symbol of the eternal being of God, the Creator of all, and represents the Infinite, out of which both America's identity and the earth itself has been constructed. The eternal and the infinite is interwoven into America's outer life as it is interwoven into her spiritual life, and despite the fact that there have been significant departures from the fulfillment of her true destiny since her founding, and clear departures from the moral vision that is also part of her foundation, the blue that represents America's relationship to God remains as the assurance that this connection will never change, no matter what ideology becomes popular. It is why "In God We Trust" is written on the dollar bill, and why in so many other instances, the connection with the eternal has been enunciated as part of America's most sacred documents.

The flag of America is a symbol of her spiritual heart, just as America herself is meant to be the heart of a greater whole. Let us seek to reinstate the integrity of identity of one people within one nation, whose soul is the soul of all and whose purpose is the purpose of all - a nation whose spiritual name is 'Love'.

See also "The Creation of the Flag of the Thirteen Colonies"