The raised hand and Shiva

[McCIII]

The PIDer's says There is a raised hand behind Paul's head, the Indian sign for death as well as the four armed "Shiva" in the lower portion of the photo who is pointing its left back hand at Paul

But the Reality is: The hand is just waving; it is no Indian sign for death (none exists). In alternate shots of the cover photo, in fact, Paul *isn't* placed under this hand and the Shiva doesn't point at him. If it were an intentional clue, all photos would have been arranged the same.
Certain parts of the human body were believed to remain in a sympathetic union ,such as the Hand in some countries.

The hand was regarded as affording a valuable PROTECTION against ‘the evil eye’,especially if worn on the breast.In Southern Italy,the most popular charm is a representation of the hand in which the thumb is doubled under the forefinger,which is called ‘MANO FICA’,it is to believe that the same representation was even known in England.MANO CORNUTA,another representation of the hand in Napoli,is hung as a sign outside the house.

The hand,that member of the body which we employ more than any other for most actions whether ordinary,religious or magical,is both estensive and significant.

The hand has been regarded as a symbol of POWER.In Semitic usage an attack by a ghost on a human being was called ‘The Hand of the Ghost’.

The phrase ‘Gods hand’ means ‘his power’ in the Bible and in the Qur’an;and the fact that it is universally used as an instrument of BLESSING shows that it bears a relation to the supernatural.

As the hand signifies power,we find in Hindu mythology that the downcast hand means RENUNCIATION (represented in the gigantic figure of Budha Kyaikpun).
Among the early Greeks,the hand was a symbol of significance and the Romans used it as a SACRED symbol.

The hand was also represented as sending down rays of light in the Christian religion,thus expressing the DIVINE BENEFICENCE shed upon the earth or on a person. It is shown in the act of BLESSING.

The significance of the OPEN HAND is almost universal,its meaning is to avert or to protect.It is used to stop the approach of any undesired person or thing.The open hand is used as an amulet in oriental countries,is called HAND OF THE PROPHET or HAND OF FATIMA.

The hand was also regarded as a symbol of JUSTICE in France.The upliefted hand was used to command SILENCE,while in religious rites,the laying of the hand was a BLESSING.HEALING BY TOUCH was already performed by the priest-physicians of ancient Egypt and Babylonia.

HOLY HAND is believed to remove deseases.The hand is a personal magnetis that some people have.

One of the most popular amulets used by the Arabs is the OPEN HAND,which like the MANI FICO in Southern Italy is to avert the ‘evil eye’.The symbolisme of the hand raised,palm outwards,to repel some threatened evil,is abvious and the 5 fingers represent the five most sacred persons in Islam, Muhammed,Ali,Fatima,Hasan and Husain
HINDUISM
SHIVA
I seem to recall the hand above Paul being referred to as the “Hand of Shiva”. Shiva is the Hindu god of death, but not in a frightening or gruesome way.

img198.exs.cx/img198/6587/shiva013nv.jpg

img198.exs.cx/img198/6047/shivablesses016ay.jpg

img198.exs.cx/img198/8145/shivaparvarti01a3ao.jpg

img198.exs.cx/img198/2433/shivaparvati02a9sl.jpg

Hmm. Nope! It's not Shiva. Shiva's raised hand represents a blessing, not a curse.

KALI
I’m rather inclined to think there’s some confusion, claiming Shiva but thinking about Kali instead. It was Kali that was the plot in the movie HELP! In fact, the movie’s working title was “Eight Arms To Hold You”. Kali is a terrifying goddess of death.

img198.exs.cx/img198/4279/kali010bd.jpg

img198.exs.cx/img198/6655/kalibrass018tq.jpg

img198.exs.cx/img198/4489/kalistatue017ly.jpg


What about other religions? Does the raised hand symbolize the Curse of Death?

BUDDHISM
img65.exs.cx/img65/9290/buddhahand6fb.jpg

img65.exs.cx/img65/3537/goldenbuddha8pf.jpg

No curse here. It symbolizes a blessing, or a sign to remove fears.


CHRISTIAN
img14.exs.cx/img14/4617/ascensionrembrandt5gp.jpg

img14.exs.cx/img14/5268/christsculpture2sz.jpg

img14.exs.cx/img14/1300/handblessing1mx.jpg


No curse here either. The raised hand here represents a blessing.




The point is that the symbolism of the raised hand is one of peace and blessing – not a symbol of death.

[JoJo]

I'll leave this one, I don't know that we've discussed it much, the hand business is much like other red herrings from the early misdirection campaign. Shiva? not my dept...

[xpt626]

not my dept either...

but the statements he refers to were not made here...

maybe he should go share his wisdom with the peep who are actually having that discussion

[Girl]

Who ever said the raised hand had to be a "curse" to symbolize the death of Paul? That's just stupid.

It's a sign of blessing for both the living and the dead.

Wedding, baptism or funeral, same thing.

Don't know why it's such an issue for some people.

[-Wings-]

Take a look at some of the literature, such as articles or websites or books, written about the "Paul is dead hoax." It routinely focuses on stupid stuff like raised hands (which could serve a purpose but really comes off sounding contrived and silly) while ignoring the meatier clues and the sudden change in physical appearance.

[eyesbleed]

-Wings- said:

Take a look at some of the literature, such as articles or websites or books, written about the "Paul is dead hoax." It routinely focuses on stupid stuff like raised hands (which could serve a purpose but really comes off sounding contrived and silly) while ignoring the meatier clues and the sudden change in physical appearance.

This is the main thing I noticed about the 8-cd Miss Him box. All these DJ's use up all these hours of airtime discussing the album covers & possible audio clues, but nobody ever touches on the "meatier clues and the sudden change in physical appearance."

There is one radio show that mentions the fact that Paul looks way too tall on Sgt.P, but that's as far as they go...... back to the silly-game clues.

[revolver]

According to the Wikipedia PID article, on the Sgt. Pepper cover,

Paul is the only person with a hand over his head, a religious symbol for blessing the dead. The hand belongs to Stephen Crane, an American writer that died at the age of 28.

[DarkHorse]

I still think it's an intentional clue, though. Just not as good as some other ones.