The Symbolism Philosophie

The path that leads to the center of the Friedensmal (monument) is the path that people must traverse to reach themselves. The inner peace of people determines the external peace in the world.

The Friedensmal shows the Tree of Life, which breaks through a dark ring of 11 commemorative stones as “projection surfaces”. This dark ring symbolizes the vicious cycle of suffering and violence. It is surrounded by the Threshold of Humility, which bears the inscription: “Recognize the sacred in your midst”. This recognition would have prevented the Shoah. If it were recognized today, Germans would not hate their own culture, which is nothing else then a negatively transformed cultural arrogance and which can allow the past to repeat itself – even with all the struggles against this past in retrospect.

Our country often seems to focus heavily on the negative. This can even lead to self-hatred and a rejection of one’s own identity. A society cannot progress if it falls back on the negative to try and develop. It is important to have a motivation, an engagement for life surrounded by love and reason. We need to believe in something good in people to allow it to express itself. Resentment, dissatisfaction, and anger can be detrimental to people, but they can also be transformed into a creative expression for life – the Turning Point inside the Friedensmal – into awakening, courage, and a zest for life. Recognize the potential for good in yourself and others. 

The hexagram of the Blossom of Life located at the center of the Tree of Life, is composed of two interlocking triangles. One of them points upwards – from the world to the spirit; the other one points downwards – from the spirit to the world. It is a symbol of the heart, where the upper and lower realms meet.

Symbolism has no magical effects, but it helps in understanding. The Friedensmal contains 11 commemorative stones. The 1 symbolizes the will of the one God. The 0 is the absorbing vessel. The 10 also represents God’s creation, which is subject to His will. The 11 adds another will: my own will – being one of God’s creatures (10) – fallen out of the order of the 10. The 11 symbolizes the task to bring one’s one will into line with God’s will again. Thus, every stone in the Friedensmal represents the transformation of suffering, of a burden into a blessing. This means that I want to bring something inside me – in my thinking, feeling, and acting – in line with God’s will again. This is referred to as Tikkun in Jewish Kabbalah. But in contrast to it, as today in liberalism Tikkun Olam is often only understood as an external ideology for the salvation of the world, in the symbolism of the Friedensmal the Tikkun Olam takes place in one's own soul.

The 12th stone is located outside of the Friedensmal, which represents inner peace and the detachment from attachment. This 12th stone, the Stone of Encounter, represents a responsibility for peace and freedom in the external world. It is connected to the Friedensmal through the “signpost” pointing towards it. It is made of slate that is installed in the earth in front of the stone. This “signpost” reads: “Where dust is turned to light”