The primary "public" symbol of the Early Church of the SubGenius (1953-1975) was the SubGenius Cross. Now called the Early SubGenius Cross, the Church used it in its early years to better blend in with mainstream American Christianity. It is similar to, but slightly predates, the Symbol of Chaos or Chaos Star "invented" by Michael Moorcock using racial memory in very early 1960.
Description[]
The cross is a mixture of a Christian cross, the '8' of Wands in Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot deck (8 being infinity turned on its side), chaos, energy, the sun eclipsing the moon, and the shape of a prairie squid. It may also have been inspired by the Troika Cross used by The Order of the Friars of Helena of Troika.
The ends of the eight lines have also been compared to the Picklehaube German helmet, a Russian helmet, the Napoleonic Cuirassiers helmet, or a helmet used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by both the United States Army and the US Marine Corps. Some claim it represents heads on pikes.
Critics have compared it to a vagina with eight condom-wearing penises.
It is rarely used by the Modern Church of the SubGenius, having been largely replaced by the SubGenius Star Cross in the late 1960s to 1970s, and by the new "Bob" Order Icon.
Original cross design was by Early Church members JoX the Bobtist and Toyalla.