Emblem of the empAθos Nation,
The empAθos National Flag,
and the
Copper Wing Broach

Emblem of the empAθos Nation

The Emblem of the empAθos Nation consists of a stylized and oxidized copper wing on a flat weathered stele of limestone. The limestone represents our desert homeland, and the wing represents our freedom and our aspirations. The copper wing is not a bird's wing, but that of an angel, and it represents the aspirations expressed in the motto of the empAθos Nation "On Earth as in Heaven". Copper is valued by empAθos people more highly than gold or platinum, and is used in empAθos jewelery along with silver which is regarded as second in value to copper.

An empAθos Flag

The Emblem of the empAθos Nation is used in the canton of a flag to represent our people, as well.

There was some difficulty in considering the adoption of a flag, as such have traditionally been used as identification in war, and were therefore instruments of the destruction associated with such violence. However,they have also been used for peaceful purposes, such as the prayer flags of Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan, and as a means of recognizing a people's identity. On these bases, we have adopted this as our flag:

Barry of three, violet, white and violet, on a canton in the hoist the limestone stele in muted yellow, and the copper wing in copper oxide green.

The violet represents a maternal colour of creativity and renewal and is also the colour used to tie the tsitsi on our prayer shawls. Therefore, violet represents Life and Beginnings and Desired Change to empAθos people,and also renders our flag as a prayer flag (rather than a flag of war), sending our prayers for life and compassion to G-d.

The white bar represents a blank page upon which we write our own identities as individuals, and therefore design our own futures and our own personhoods. It is also where we share that personhood with other individuals in our lives. Therefore, white represents Self Definition and Sharing to empAθos people.

(Note; Care must be taken with this interpertation, because the colour white, when applied as a racial or ethnic designation to empAθos people is regarded as an insult. The blank page left unfilled denotes lack of expression, and represents stupor. Calling an empAθos person "white", is the same as calling them stupid. A people such as we empAθos, who regard intelligence highly, will not take the matter kindly when such statements are made about us.)

Different empAθos villages, individuals or agencies may decorate, embroider, inscribe or otherwise embelish the white space of the flag to express their particular identity and creativity. This tradition of embellishment is drawn from the decorations and emblems of the Standard of ΣEi yoni. Examples of this are shown in the empAθos Consulate Flag, which displays the land masses of the Earth in the white bar; and in the flag of the empAθos Community of shAnuFi, which displays, instead of the white bar, ΣEi yoni's Blue Rose in the center with the flag of New Mexico in the hoist and the flag of Arizona in the fly.

The colours and traditions of the empAθos flag are based upon the Standard of ΣEi yoni, and give honour to our Founding Mothers, leA, eθül, AinA, sud elAm, and ΣEi yoni). The standard is four and a half yards long (4.1148 metres). In the hoist is the coat of arms of the one of the direct founding branches of ΣEi yoni's ancestral American family. In the fly are ΣEi yoni's livery colours in barry of three violet, white and violet, with the emblems of a blue rose emblazoned to the hoist of the first motto bend, a white unicorn at rest upon a blue rose between the two motto bends, and six small blue roses to the fly of the second motto bend. Upon the motto bends is written, "On eorðan swa swa on heofonum", "On Earth as in Heaven" (in ancient Anglo Saxon English). ΣEi yoni regarded this standard as a prayer flag, with the motto being the substance of the prayer.

Unlike other nations who possess flags and emblems, empAθos people do not serve their flag or their emblem. Rather, the flag and emblem serves us. Reverencing these things would be like reverencing one's postal code. The empAθos flag, even with all it's symbolism, is more or less like a street sign, or an address. We don't pledge allegiance to it (or any other flag), we don't reverence it, we simply use it to identify our presence. Since the first statement in the Decalogue that Moses brought down from mount Horeb was "I am Ha Shem your G-d who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no gods before me." (Exodus 20:2-3), our energies must be in our individual personal relationships with G-d, and reverencing objects gets in the way of those relationships.

(When empAθos people are under attack, we may change the white bar in the flag to red as a symbol of the injury inflicted upon our people's individual lives. Individuals assigned to protect an empAθos community may display it this way as a matter of course. This form is called the "Red Flag" or the "Blood Flag". Fortunately, it's quite rare that this form of the flag is displayed. When it is displayed, it's intended as a warning against intrusion into empAθos lives.)

The Copper Wing Broach

The Emblem may also be seen in the Copper Wing Broach, our highest honour given only to those who exhibit the highest in trust and loyalty to the empAθos People. Only an empAθos person who has shown this loyalty and trust may wear or even possess the Copper Wing Broach. It consists a copper wing on a silver base in the same form as the Emblem of the empAθos Nation.

To earn the right to wear the Broach, one must have done an extraordinary service as an empAθos person for the entire empAθos People, in such a way that one's loyalty and confidence cannot be denied. Since empAθos people are empathic, subterfuge in one's motivations will be detected. The deed of the individual must not carry with it any desire to earn any merit, including the right to wear the Broach. The only motivation in performing the service, is the safety and well being of the entire empAθos Nation.

When the Broach is offered, it must never be refused, as it is never offered lightly. This stipulation prevents any question regarding the individual's right to wear the Broach. The entire Nation must be in agreement to the right of the individual to possess the Broach. Under these circumstances, all doubt is removed as to the recipient's right to the broach. Because it requires the entire Nation to offer this honour, it's extremely rarely given.

When offered, the recipient then enters a period of fasting, cleansing and self examination that is specifically prescribed, after which the recipient themself makes their own broach from pre-molded and patterned parts. This ritual of making one's own broach emphasizes one's own responsibility for one's own actions, and that one is always duty bound to never dishonour the empAθos People, but to aid their evolution, and to keep them safe. After the initial polish given to the broach, it is never polished again, but left to develop a natural patina. The older the broach, the more rich the patina.

So, when someone asks a recipient about the Broach, the recipient will answer that they made it themself. This is usually the only thing that they or any other empAθos will say about it. The service of loyalty and trust that earned them the right to wear the Broach is never mentioned again.

Website built by Cheryl J. Mason-Middleton, BFA. This page was last modified on 03/23/06. Copyright © 1999-2006 empAθos Nation.
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