Category: Symbols

Article by Rebecca
Image by Will Hobbs (www.sirwilliamwesley.com)

Milk does the body good, it’s not just an ad campaign. It provides the primary source of nutrition for newborns before they are able to digest other types of food. Breast milk carries the mother’s antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many diseases for them. It’s true that humans are the only mammals that continue to consume milk after we can eat solid foods, but come on, a liquid this rich with symbolism…and calcium….is hard to resist!

Just about every human culture has viewed milk as a symbol of fertility. It makes a lot of sense, it’s the substance that helps new life grow. There was an ancient Irish tradition of immersing a child into milk. This was based on the belief that its spirit was formed through being breastfed. Why do you think all those goddess associated with fertility have such large breasts, or in some cases more than two breasts? It’s not just sex appeal, it’s milk production!

Seriously, I’m beginning to think breakfast, with it’s penchant for using eggs and milk, might not only be the most important, but also the most fertile meal of the day!

Seriously, does anybody read The Magical Buffet? I mean besides you. Again, another organization could have been spared my wrath if they had just taken two minutes to read my article about the swastika.

On August 11, 2008 TMZ ran a photo of Jamie Foxx holding a surf board with the title of “Did Jamie Foxx “Not See” the Swastika?” The surf board in question is covered with hearts, peace signs, a hexagram (Star of David, perhaps?), and yes, a swastika. They say, “It’s (the surf board) almost as offensive as his swim cap.” Guess what? The board is not offensive, the swim cap, maybe.

So, just like I did with Zara, I’d like to direct TMZ’s attention to my article “It’s OK we’re taking it back: The Swastika”. I was happy to see that some people who commented on the TMZ post knew that Foxx wasn’t a secret Nazi.

When a swastika is surrounded by hippy scribbles, it’s doubtful it’s being used as a Nazi symbol. I’m just sayin’…..

Article by Rebecca
Image by Will Hobbs (www.sirwilliamwesley.com)

If our modern keyboard serves as a guide, the only less used letter than X would be Z. The letter X serves many purposes for being one of the least used letters in our alphabet. Yet, for all its apparent uselessness in our normal language, in the language of symbols it’s rife with meanings.


How many times have you ended an affectionate note with XX? You know, kisses? In countries where the Roman alphabet was used, illiterate people would put their mark, an X, on legal documents in lieu of their name. To prove their sincerity, the person who made the X would kiss it. In fact, the use of an X (a mark) to denote locations on maps gave us the phrase, “X marks the spot.”

In mathematics, an X means multiply. In algebra, it shows a variable in function, an unknown quantity. It was just a small leap from unknown mathematical quantity, to unknown in general, anonymity. Hence, the use of phrases like Mr. X or the X factor.

So here’s a question, how do we get from the anonymity of Mr. X to one of the biggest names in the religious world? Yep, X. We’re talking about the phrase Xmas. A long held belief by many is that Xmas is a result of the commercialization or for lack of a better phrase de-Christifying of Christmas. Which many find offensive, fortunately, that belief is just not true.

At least a thousand years back one can find Christ abbreviated as an X and P. The X and P came about as an abbreviation of the ancient spelling of Christ, Χριστος. This is still found in some Eastern Orthodox icons. This even evovled into the use of the letter X in ancient Christian art and the use of X as an abbreviation of Christos can be seen in ancient copies of the New Testament. Despite the common belief that Xmas is trying to X out the Christ from Christmas, Xmas is in fact a perfectly respectful way to abbreviate the holiday.

Hopefully this helps you appreciate the woefully underused letter X!

Article by Rebecca
Image by Will Hobbs (www.sirwilliamwesley.com)

What is the deal with our hair? Everyday we’re assaulted by advertising for products to help give us more hair, curlier hair, straighter hair, different colored hair, stronger hair, well, you get the idea. Like most women, I’m guessing, I spend too much time daydreaming about having different hair, better hair. Unfortunately, for me, vanity has a lot to do with that, but for just about all cultures from every era, hair is a big deal.


Wear it long. If you’re like me, one of the iconic images of long hair is found in the Hippie movement. Their long hair, particularly when worn by men, showed that they were free of the conservative confines of past generations. However, a look back in history shows that the Gauls and many of the Celtic peoples wore long hair as a symbol of liberty and independence. Therefore, although the Hippie movement can be credited for many things, they did not invent the concept of long hair symbolizing freedom. For many past cultures long hair was a signifier of royalty. One wonders if this stems from the fact that long hair can represent holiness, and for many past rulers appearing to be chosen by God or the Gods was a handy bit of PR. The Khalsa community of Sikhs let their hair and beards grow because they believe it is a symbol of God’s love.

Feel the power! Yep, hair has long been a symbol of strength, power, and virility. I’m guessing it’s why the Rogaine folks make so much money. Let’s face it, left to its own devices; hair will just grow and grow. It’s unstoppable. Death doesn’t even beat it. That’s pretty tough, that’s awfully powerful. We all know the story of Samson, whose strength came from his hair. His power faded when Delilah cut his it.

Hair sends the sexual signal. Boy howdy does it. Single, married, courtesan, chaste? There is a symbolic hairstyle just waiting for you! Long, loose hair used to symbolize youth and virginity, while braided or bound hair would be a symbol of marriage or that the woman was a courtesan. Christian art shows the redeemed St. Mary of Magdalene with very long loose hair to symbolize her chastity. In Russia, a single braid would signify a maiden, where as two braids indicates marriage. Letting down hair is viewed as a sexual signal, you know, like when Rapunzel lets down her hair so that a prince can climb her tower…I don’t need to spell that one out for you, do I?

Time for a haircut! Monks and nuns of many traditions, primarily Buddhist and Christian, will shave their heads. This is symbolic of submission to God or a rejection of the material world. With hair being such a potent symbol, it comes as no surprise that there is a long tradition of locks of hair being exchanged between loved ones, particularly ones who have to cope with separation. This act symbolizes a surrender to love. In China’s past, a shaved head was the equivalent of castration (and Samson thought he had it bad). There is also one step past a shave…scalping. In many Native American cultures, scalping was believed to remove an enemy’s power. Many warriors would shave their heads, save for a small bit of hair that they left to taunt their enemies.

What about style? Hairstyles have a long tradition of symbolizing an individual’s social status or religious practices. Rastafarians have dreadlocks. Hassidic Jews wear ringlets. Hindus and Buddhists frequently wear a top not, which is believed to cover the spot where the divine spirit enters the body at birth and departs at death. Red hair once had demonic associations. Golden hair would symbolize solar or royal power. Black hair stood for terrestrial authority.

We all have hair, and it is safe to say our relationships with our hair are as varied as all the different things hair can symbolize.

Article by Rebecca

I’m about to correct an ongoing error here at The Magical Buffet. As most of our readers realize, each month we discuss a creature, a mythology, and a symbol. Well, a creature is fairly easily defined as a creature, and in our second issue I discussed religion and myth with regards to our Magical Buffet Mythology section in the letter from the Publisher, but symbols, well there is where the ball has been dropped.

I’m proud at the diverse symbols we’ve discussed, some surprising like the peach, some enlightening like the swastika. From the jaguar in our first issue up to hex signs in last month’s, we’ve covered a wide gambit of symbolism. Of course, at no point have I ever discussed what a symbol is. Why is a jaguar a symbol for some and an animal for others? Why do two intersected lines create a powerful Christian symbol? Obviously answers to these questions are detailed and complex, there are many that have devoted their lives to understanding the nature of symbols. As you may have guessed, I have not. Regardless, let’s take a brief moment to talk not about a specific symbol, but the whole idea of symbols.

According to the American Heritage Dictionary a symbol is:

* Something that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention, especially a material object used to represent something invisible.
* A printed or written sign used to represent an operation, element, quantity, quality, or relation, as in mathematics or music.
* Psychology An object or image that an individual unconsciously uses to represent repressed thoughts, feelings, or impulses.

This gives us an idea, but what do these definitions mean to us? Jack Tresidder in “Symbols and Their Meanings”, one of my favorite books, discusses these definitions in an easily digestible way. He tells us that symbols work like signs by being a visual short hand, but unlike signs, we react to symbols on an emotional level. For instance, the red octagon of the stop sign tells us to stop, but doesn’t generally effect us on a deeper level. Whereas a Cross, or perhaps your home nation’s flag, inspire within us with a deeper feeling. In fact, fundamental ideas represented by symbols occur similarly in so many far ranging societies, it encouraged Carl Jung to explore the idea of “archetypes”.

Essentially, as Tresidder explains, “Graphic images are symbols when they stand for an idea or abstract quality, and ritual actions can symbolize a shared emotional or spiritual experience.” So, a sign tells us something, but a symbol makes us feel something more than just the image it is.

Article by Rebecca
Image by Will Hobbs (www.sirwilliamwesley.com)

We have all heard different things referred to as a “dying art form”. What is worse is an art form that isn’t dying, yet no one is sure what it means because no one cared until it was too late. That was the impression I was left with after visiting the Berks County area in Pennsylvania to learn about hex signs.

Hex signs, at their most basic, can be defined as geometric folk art associated with the Pennsylvania Dutch. Driving around the Berks area you will see these giant disks decorating barns. Sure, they are colorful and decorative, but what does it mean?

You see, there are several schools of thought in regards to the hex sign. They’re all very interesting, and if you want to learn more I would suggest “Hex Signs” by Don Yoder and Thomas E. Graves, or better yet, to visit the area. Now that we’ve established that there is a lot of potential information and speculation attached to these symbols, you can forgive me for hitting the high points.

One approach is to view the hex signs as Dutch folk art, which regardless of what else these signs may be, they are most definitely art. Hex signs appear on important documents and are incorporated into furniture dating back to the 1800s. Scholars say there were/are eight basic designs that are the root of all hex signs: rosette, four-point star, five-point star, six-point star, eight-point star, twelve-point star, swirling swastika, and wheel-of-fortune (or barn wheel). These were put on barns as decoration and to establish an ethnic identity.

Other folklore associates the hex sign with an occult element. They argue that the term hex comes from the German word for witch, hexe. Some interviews have revealed that hex signs on barns may have a talismanic purpose, such as being there to promote fertility, protect livestock, provide good luck, etc. With hex signs, being giant disc with radiating designs also provides a possible link to the sun disc symbolism, central to the worship of the sun. There are hexologists who have dedicated years towards trying to discover the underlying meaning of these symbols, and there are modern artists that create their own hex signs based on these principles.

In addition, as some argue with the evidence of swastikas on ancient structures, hex signs are basic designs. Symbols that a farmer could handle and that they were just born out of the inevitable desire for easy embellishment of the family barn.

Unfortunately, the family farm is a dwindling enterprise. With the sale or abandonment of barns, so goes the hex sign. At this point the owners of most barns that display hex signs will tell you that they are there because their father had them on his barn and his father did too, etc. or that they are there to remain true to the architectural design of the era. The fact is, no one concerned themselves with hex signs until there was no one left to definitively explain if they hold a deeper meaning.

In my opinion, it’s personal belief that gives a symbol its power. For example, a cross probably is not a very potent symbol to a Muslim, but obviously for a Christian it symbolizes the very basis of their faith. For some, a hex sign is an impressive folk art legacy, if you chose they could symbolize more.

Article by Rebecca
Image by Will Hobbs (www.sirwilliamwesley.com)

Time. No one can deny its importance. Whether it’s time passing, or perhaps the anticipation of a specific time, no matter who you are you cannot help but feel time’s influence on your life. When dealing with time often you are interacting with a clock. Time is important, and that makes the clock a potent symbol.


Clocks obviously symbolize time. With the passing of time in your life, you become increasingly aware that there is an end. This makes the clock a symbol of the transience of life. In early devotional paintings, an hourglass would indicate the passage of time and as an attribute of Father Time and/or Death personified. In still life art the clock, a modern equivalent of the hourglass, generally is used to express the same ideas. The clock’s relationship to the end of our time is so strong that in many cultures the clock is an important part of death. A common custom is to stop the clocks in the house of a family member that has passed away. To not do so is to risk bad luck or possibly death of another family member. In South America, clocks are placed on graves to symbolize the transition between life and death.

Despite it’s associations with something as primal and natural as death, clocks also symbolize the machine age. As clocks became more accurate and reliable, people began to shift away from being guided by the rhythms of nature. We were no longer ruled by the changing of the seasons as much as the clock.

Jane Austen said, “Oh! Do not attack me with your watch. A watch is always too fast or too slow. I cannot be dictated to by a watch.” We all want more time, time to go by faster, to go back in time. Therefore, like it or not, we are all dictated to by time’s henchman, the clock.

According to Migene Gonzalez-Wippler, in her book “Dreams and What They Mean to You”, a snake in your dream means, “An evil omen predicting danger through enemies, deceit, and general misfortune. If you kill the snakes, you will overcome all obstacles.” Fortunately, I have outgrown the idea of a dream dictionary, and the idea of two dimensional snake symbolisms. The snake has a rich and varied symbolic history, and I would venture to guess that if right now I asked five different people what they thought of when they heard the word “snake” I would quite possibly get five different responses.


Let’s start with evil. The poor serpent. By telling Eve about a certain tree in the Garden of Eden, the snake will always be associated with evil, or Satan. Thanks to that, any animal that beats up a snake seems to be associated with Christ. Both elephants and birds of prey that stomp or claw snakes to their doom are symbolic of Christ triumphing over the Devil, or evil. Yawnsville. Seriously, if this the only symbolism you can come up with for the snake, put down your worn out dream dictionary and read on.

How about sex? Snakes are symbolically sensual. In Renaissance and Baroque art the deadly sin of lust was frequently represented by snakes. They were often depicted feeding on the breasts or genitals of women. Those Renaissance guys had a weird relationship with women! In other purviews, snakes are related to the umbilical cord and penis. From sexuality, it is just a short hop to fertility. The snake is a creator. Earth mother deities are continually associated with snakes. The Cretan Earth Mother holds the snake of death in one hand and rebirth in the other. Aboriginal art depicts the snake, a Dreamtime ancestor, known for abundance, rainfall, fertility, and creating mankind.

Let’s not just be fertile, let’s heal! Snakes, despite some being poisonous, are continually linked to healing and health. There is some debate, or not depending on what you read, but the entwined snakes on Hermes’ staff caduceus and/or the symbol of a tree snake wrapped around a staff ala Asklepian are symbols of healing or the health professions. But to heck with health, how about immortality? The snake’s continuous shedding of skin makes it a perfect symbol of endless renewal. The image of a snake swallowing, or eating, its own tail, sometime called the Ouroboros, often depicts eternity.

It is safe to say that the snake is a primordial symbol. Since the dawn of time the snake has meant many things to many people. The Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Hindu, Christians, Europeans, and just about every other culture and religion that has ever been or will be on this planet has had an opinion of the snake. It is a wonderfully complex symbol and once you start learning about its history, it becomes easy to see why there have always been people that worship it. Let’s face it, when even the cartoon “The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy” have a cult devoted to worshipping snakes, you know you’ve made it to the big time.