Helping Hand

This picture shows one person rescuing another.  The dirt on one hand represents the downtrodden.  The sweat on the other hand represents the effort of helping.  The grasp of wrists indicates the desperate need is quelled by committed effort.  The dark background and the dirty arm represent the condition of despair and lack of dignity that needs uplifting.  The light behind the hands represents the mutual caring of a helpful deed.  The perspective is from the person helping.

Build Community

The black and white hands represent diversity.  Shaking hands represent community.  The transformation into a sphere represents the community of Earth based on equality.  The white, surrounding the hands, represents the energy that that surrounds us.  The fading at the edges represents the blending that community creates.

Imbalance Begets Balance

The negative image of the top hand represents material need while the positive image of the other hand represents material wealth.  But to understand this picture you must not associate negative with bad or positive with good.  Rather, think of them as compliments that arise as contrasts in an underlying unity.  
The outstretched hand represents yearning yet openness, while the clutched hand represents holding but closedness.
The white background represents the spirit which is imbuing the open hand.  The black background that is merging into the closed hand represents the possessions that weigh us down.
The two hands are joined representing the interdependence. That one is above the other indicates they are in a state of imbalance caused by greed and need.

Step towards Freedom

In this picture the child's hand is up and forward representing new skills and wider exploration.  The mother's outstretched hand represents responsible support that allows freedom by letting go.  The dissolving that occurs between both represents the pulling apart of the infant dependency bond.  The clarity of the forward part of the child's hand represents the clarification of responsibility that a free journey brings.  The background is darker in the direction of the child’s journey indicating that the direction of a search is from certainty to mystery.

Weaving a Life

The adult and child represent the interdependence of parental care that weaves culture.  The adult hand represents both a proto-human and an adult human. As a proto-human it represents the relationship we have to our ancestors in the web of life.  Either interpretation, together with the human child represents how the older generations have helped to weave us as individuals and as a species.

Finding Spirit

The brightness of the meditation hands represents the spirit within.  The brightness of the praying hands represents the spirit above.  The openness and levelness of the meditation hands represents acceptance of what is.  The fingers of the praying hand all point to the above representing the search for the perfection that is God.  The background of black represents the mystery that surrounds the light of the hands, which represent different ways to truth and meaning.

Uphold Our Principles

The Flaming Chalice is the symbol of Unitarian Universalism.  Generally, our chalice is a vessel made sacred by containing the flame of illumination/energy/warmth.  But this chalice is made from the hands of two people, transforming it from an inert container to a dynamic and cooperative shaper of the flame’s reflection which translates to empathy/spirit/love of community. In the background the light of countless stars shine.  Each star, a light like ours.  Interpreting the myriad of stars as heaven, we become part of heaven, a heaven of our making, of our communal uplifting.  But we are humble before its vastness, for even though we are guided by our principles, they are not the only lights.
We join and hold together from a mutual commitment to uphold our Unitarian Universalist principles by living our religion with actions guided by our hearts and expressed with our hands. 

Untited by Choice

The discontinuous shading (posterization) represents the heightening of contrast.  Thumb up and thumb down represent the yes and no vote.  Both represent the polarization of voting.  The black and white background represents the polarization of the issue at hand.  The clasping of hands represents a community that chooses to abide together, yet are not forced against their conscience.  When a choice arises the whole group is put into conflict and this is represented by both hands being negative images.  Choice heightens differences as expressed by the contrast of hand and background.  The equality of the members is expressed in the equal level of the arms.