Omphalo is a term used in philosophy and theology to refer to the center of the universe, its essence and source. It is of Greek origin and means "womb". In ancient Greek mythology, omphalo was the name of a stone that was located at the center of the Earth and was the source of all life on the planet. In some mystical traditions, omphalo can also be seen as a symbol of the unity of opposites, such as masculine and feminine, light and dark, etc.
Omphalo appears in various cultures and religions of the world as a metaphor for harmony, balance, unity and ambiguity of existence. For example, in Buddhism, omphalo symbolizes the absolute state. Among the Pythagoreans, omphalo was a symbol of the harmony of the cosmos, thanks to which universal balance is maintained.
In Kabbalism, omphalo is closely connected with mesomsa (mother of wisdom), which is one of the central images of Kabbalah. The snake coiling around the womb and emerging from it symbolizes enlightenment, wisdom and knowledge born from the unity of reality. These qualities turn out to be a symbolic representation of the connection between the strength of spirit and spirituality of a person with the property of omphalo, connecting with the Absolute.
Omphalo can also be a term to define the central, fundamental part of any system or object, for example, the central nervous system of the body, the center of the cosmic gate, the connecting link in the cause-and-effect relationship of phenomena, the concentration of positive energy, or even the origin.
However, omphalo also has a negative meaning in esotericism, when it speaks of the loss of the nature of one’s own omphalo. This means that a person loses connection with nature and his inner source, becoming part of the outside world.
Thus, omphalo is an important concept in many world cultures and religious traditions, based on the idea of harmony and balance of the spiritual and material, masculine and feminine, the unity of the world and its individual parts.