When the classic red heart emoji was crowned the most popular symbol on World Emoji Day 2025, billions of users worldwide continued a tradition far more ancient and profound than they might imagine. While we’ve come to associate this ubiquitous shape with love and romance—particularly since the Middle Ages—the heart symbol’s true origins reach back millennia, weaving through diverse cultures and spiritual traditions across the globe.
From Palaeolithic rock art in the Central Sahara to sacred Hindu temples, from ancient Greek pottery to Japanese fertility figurines, the heart shape has carried meanings that transcend simple romantic affection. This iconic symbol has represented fertility, divine connection, and perhaps most remarkably, served as a sacred bridge between the material and spiritual realms.
What if the heart symbol we casually tap on our smartphones each day embodies one of humanity’s most fundamental spiritual truths? Join us on an archaeological and mystical journey as we trace the heart’s evolution from ancient fertility rites through botanical associations to its profound expression in Sufi mysticism, where it represents nothing less than the connection between heaven and earth, between our earthly existence and divine consciousness.
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