The Sacred Chao is the official symbol of the Discordian Society, pictorially symbolizing The Working of The Forces of the Universe.
Utilizing the symbolism of the Taoist Yin and Yang The Sacred Chao is divided into The Hodge and The Podge; only instead of a Podge spot in The Hodge there is a pentagon, to represent The Eristesque Principle; and instead of a Hodge spot in The Podge there is The Golden Apple of Discord, to represent The Eristic Principle.
The Eristesque Principle Essentially that everything that claims to be ordered is in fact only superficially ordered, and imperfect at that. In other words, even the greatest orderers of all humanity, The Scientists, find that every time they get some kind of good scheme going some damn thing or another doesn't fit and every word of the "knowledge" of science must be prefaced with the understanding that it might all be scrapped if the wrong evidence pops up tomorrow. Furthermore science spends the bulk of its time trying to figure out just what to do with all the bits of information it already has that even now don't fit the current scheme. Anyway, it is all well and good because the order isn't really there in the first place. It is we that give birth to order, imposed on chaos, so that we may utilize our environment to Lead a Good Life. That is, ordering is essentially a human thing and is essential to humans.
The Eristic Principle Pure bald discord, the antithesis of order, in it's unadultered state. This principle too is necessary for life--for without it something or another would happen that must be terrible, but we humans lack The Understanding to appreciate what that might be. If you don't believe that such a thing might exist: LOOK ABOUT YOU! Oh yes, Discord is an inherent Principle of The Universe. Really, it is.
The pentagon and The Apple of Discord were chosen to represent The Eristesque and The Eristic principles for a number of reasons. The five-sided figure of the Pentagon correlates with The Law of Fives, discovered by the great Lord Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst, H.C., that everything happens in fives or is divisible into five parts. As one of the five Apostles of Eris put it: "The truth is Five, but we have only one name for it." (If you must know, that particular Apostle was Krishna Argumentium.) Furthermore, one of finest examples of Superficial Order resting on a foundation of Chaos may be observed in the United States Military Headquarters, The Pentagon Building. On the other half, The Golden Apple of Discord was chosen to symbolize the Eristic Principle and refers to the extant myth of the Greek Goddess of Strife and Discord, ERIS.
The official colors of The Discordia Society are blue, red, green, chartruese, puse, heliotope, tutti-fruitti, green, vermilion, navy, black, polka dot, and yellow. However The Sacred Chao is commonly rendered as silver-bordered, with golden pentagon and apple, all on a black background, because that way it is sort of pretty.