The Super S / Stussy - Does it represent the Tree of Life?

Back when I was a little kid, I was always drawing this symbol all over my notebooks out of boredom:

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/0c7c010da47b.png[/atsimg]

I'm sure you have seen it before. I rarely meet a person who hasn't seen it, and yet, I have not come across one that knows of its origins. Some say it is from the Stussy clothing brand (hence one of its nicknames), but the company itself stated that it never used that font at any point, and there is zero evidence leading back. Some others say it is from the Price is Right, but none of the S symbols used in that show resemble the stussy. Other theories such as it was the logo of a specific school/sports team or it was somehow connected to the Nazis and deeply rooted in ancient history were proven to be foolish, although, to be fair, I could not investigate the latter as much as I had hoped. As I researched it more and more, I learned that, although some learned how to draw it from their classmates, others just drew it without knowing why or for what purpose. So then I thought, since money is used all the time, could this be the child's subconscious drawing the symbol for money, expressing their desire to acquire wealth in life? No, because not every country in the world uses the dollar sign, and this is a global phenomenon. So then, why do people keep drawing it?

That is when I had a crazy idea that I had not thought of before. I remember a specific passage from the Bible that talks about the tree of life.

Revelation 22:2

In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

I found the numerology of 22:2 to be somewhat amusing, but coincidences aside, I always wondered in the past why when the tree of life is drawn down, it is shown to have 10 points, yet it clearly states in the Bible that the Tree of Life has 12 fruits. I eventually found a Tree of Life that contained 12 points and decided to put it under the stussy:

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/7148bcf64ea7.png[/atsimg]

The result is not too surprising, since the stussy already has a somewhat crystallized form, as does the tree of life. Another point of interest was this:

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/b9ab113b7e86.png[/atsimg]

The Stussy's outer shape has 12 points or 12 sides to it.

Have I unlocked something meaningful, or is this just wishful thinking? It is said that the younger a child is, the more attuned him/her is to things that are supernatural, and it is definitely more popular the lower the age range goes. Are kids compelled to draw these because they feel a connection to it?

Does this symbol represent life?

I am interested in any comments and information you all have on the issue, since this, to me, is one of the most mysterious subjects I have come across.

If it doesn't fit in this:





Since the tree of life derives from sacred geometry and the flower of life.

reply to post by EarthCadet


Yeah, I remember seeing the correlation a while back. I find it odd how the flower of life is symmetrical from various angles, yet the tree of life shown there is only symmetrical on a vertical axis.

To me, this looks far more symmetrical:



This is a rough version of what the 12-point Tree of Life would look like on a 3D-esque version of the Flower of Life. What's interesting is that you can actually build an entire Flower of Life sphere with the 12-point Tree of Life diagram, yet you cannot do this with the 10-point version.

I have never actually heard anyone articulate a discussion on this particular symbol.

However, I have seen tons of random people drawing it through my travels. Almost always students, interesting.

Almost all of the kids I knew as I grew up drew that symbol among other things.

I have no idea as to the origins of it or the symbolic references it may contain.

Whatever revelations may come from this, I have a feeling they will be quite profound.

Oh, and I almost forgot:



This is grasping at straws, but I do like my coincidences.

reply to post by muzzleflash


Unfortunately, despite how unknown in origin this subject may be, I have found a complete lack of interest in it. Most people will readily accept that it is from the Stussy brand clothing line or from their local sports team or gang despite evidence to the contrary. What if it is discovered that this symbol has ties to some place like Africa or ancient Egypt? If we all brush it off as nothing and never research it, we may never know.

I hope more people speak their mind here, since I thought ATS of all places would like to solve this puzzle.

Wow thanks for bringing this up because since my last post I have had all kinds of crazy synchronized ideas.

It was only a few minutes and I can't begin to sort that out and post it but this thing is making all kinds of bizarre connections appear in my brain tissue.

I totally think you are onto something here.

There are so many possibilities.

It is like a form of infinite symbol turned sideways.
∞
(Num Lock on- Hold Alt) (Press 236 on Num Pad)

What connections does the "Tree of Life" symbolism have with the "Infinity Sign ∞"?

I was also making a odd connection with super string theories.

I am really glad you brought this up.

Originally posted by muzzleflash
It is like a form of infinite symbol turned sideways.
∞
(Num Lock on- Hold Alt) (Press 236 on Num Pad)

What connections does the "Tree of Life" symbolism have with the "Infinity Sign ∞"?

When working with the 12-point Tree of Life, it is explained that all the points expand outward and return to the center, looping around and expanding into infinity. In the standard 10-point Tree of Life, there isn't any looping around the lines at all.

Ok Mate, you got me

I too used to draw this ALL the time in elementary school! My girlfriend who is from a totally different country knows it too and did it as well. I am Class of 2000 and she 2001 for reference

It would be awesome if you could animate your "technique" to drawing it though - I imagine that there could be some variance to this, which would be interesting and could provide insight into a personality perhaps?

some reading i found on the interwebs Know your Meme

This is very odd indeed, I remember drawing this symbol all over everything from around 5th grade all the way through highschool. I specifically remember at times thinking to myself "what is this even?". I asked people to that also had it on their binders etc. and they all had different answers like it was from graffiti or some skateboard/clothing company.

I don't mean to be a bummer but I get the notion that it probably was started in graffiti art, and it stuck since it is such a simple way to make a cool looking "S" but who really knows.

reply to post by Nick_X


Here is how I draw it:

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/93638166ada0.gif[/atsimg]

I know some people might draw the top before the middle or draw the bottom before the top, but I never understood how people could have trouble drawing 14 lines.