Category: Symbols

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

As we’ve been learning, sometimes the seemly simple symbols can have the most diverse and profound meanings. When Jim asked me what I was writing about his month and I told him the dot, well, he gave me that look that says, “Oh really?” Well, yes, yes I am.


The dot, with its insanely simple design plays host to a myriad of interpretations. It can be viewed as a seed, not yet taken to budding. In this way you can view the dot as a symbol of new life, hope, or the promise of the future.

Obviously a dot can represent the end of things; ala the period at the end of a sentence, but with the end comes the assumption of a new beginning, such as the next sentence. Even more thought provoking is that the dot in the form of dots in a line (…) is a sign that something was left out or is going unsaid. Not only that, but divination and games that started with the use of stones, nuts, or seeds, eventually transformed into dots on dice and dominoes.

The dot can also be viewed as the center. The center of our eye is the pupil and the navel is the middle of our body. In the yantra, the point where the two triangles representing Shiva and Shakti meet form the bindu. The bindu, which is Sanskrit for drop, is the dot that is often seen worn or painted onto the faces of some Hindus and Buddhists. The bindu is worn in the position of the third eye. It represents the point at which creation begins and the point at which the unity becomes the many. It is also said to be the sacred symbol of the cosmos in its unmanifested state. It is the center at which all experience is compacted into the total concentration before imploding back to its origin. Got that? Good, now will someone explain all that to me?

No matter how you approach it, the dot is much more than, well, a dot. Not only is it all of that stuff, but it’s also a wonderful pattern on clothing. No one can talk about dots without mentioning, however briefly, the song “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” as performed by Brian Hyland. Now that I’ve mentioned that, I can call this column complete.

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

It’s big. It’s yellow. It can do neat stuff. It makes you smile. No, I’m not talking about Big Bird, although he is pretty cool. I’m talking about the sunflower.
What is the big, stinking deal with the sunflower? Lots. Physically it’s far more complex than it appears. What we normally consider the flower is actually a bunch of flowers crowded together. The outer flowers are traditionally yellow or orange. The flowers inside of that mature into what we call sunflower seeds, but in actuality, they are a fruit of the plant. The real seed is incased in an inedible shell.

Sunflowers are big, and round, and typically a shade of yellow. Can you figure out why it’s called a sunflower? In addition, it has this neat knack of turning to follow the sun. Can you guess why it’s most frequently considered a symbol for the sun? The sunflower was an attribute of Mithras, or at least some people think that’s the case. Mithras has a tricky and piecemeal history, that’s what happens when your followers worship you in secret.

In China, the sunflower is considered a magical flower. Its seeds are said to promote longevity. Since I want all of my readers to be around for a long time to enjoy The Magical Buffet, here:

Sunflower Seed Cookies

2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp butter
1 cup shortening
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 cup coconut
1 cup roasted sunflower seeds

Cream first six ingredients. Stir in remaining ingredients. Roll into balls and flatten onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.

This recipe is from www.yumyum.com.

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

“Why are there so many songs about rainbows?” Well Kermit, it’s because there is a ton of associations with rainbows. Rainbows are featured in more myth, more legend, and more symbolism than you can shake a Muppet at!


Anyone that watched the television show “Mr. Wizard’s World” can tell you that rainbows are merely the result of the sun’s light shining through drops of moisture in the air (generally rain drops or mist). This forms the familiar arc of multicolored light that we recognize as a rainbow. The colors generally being identified as Roy G. Biv, in other words, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. (People also use the phrase “Richard of York gave battle in vain” to remember them.) However, this is The Magical Buffet, you know that we ain’t talkin’ science here!

The rainbow is an important “geographic” location in the form of the rainbow bridge. In the Norse cosmology, Bifrost is the rainbow bridge that connects Asgard, the land of the gods, to Midgard, the earthly realm. Japanese creation myth says that Izanagi and Izanami stand on the Floating Bridge of Heaven to create the land; the bridge is believed to be a rainbow. The Navajo believe that the rainbow is the bridge between the spirit and human worlds. The Hindu god of war, Indra, shoots arrows from a bow that is a rainbow. In parts of India the rainbow is referred to as “Indra’s Bow.” In the Bible, the rainbow is a symbol of the covenant between God and man. It is a symbol of God’s promise after the Flood to not destroy humankind again. In addition, Christ is sometimes shown enthroned on a rainbow at the Last Judgment. The rainbow demonstrates His heavenly power and mercy. There is also Iris, who is the personification of the rainbow and messenger of the Gods in Greek mythology.

That was fun, but you know what’s more fun? Talking about gender and sexuality! In some folklore, such as that of the Albanians, Serbians, Hungarians, and the French, the rainbow is associated with sex change. In the Chinese culture, when a secondary rainbow appears (which is caused by a double reflection inside the rain drops) the brighter one is male and the darker one is female. Then, there is gay pride. The rainbow is used as a symbol of pride within the homosexual community. Why? Well, in 1978 Gilbert Baker designed a rainbow flag to symbolize gay pride and diversity at the San Francisco’s Gay Freedom Celebration. The colors and the meanings of them, for the original pride flag were hot pink (sexuality), red (life), orange (healing), yellow (sunlight), green (nature), turquoise (magic), blue (serenity), and violet (spirit). These days the flag generally has only six stripes, but it is still recognized nearly universally as a symbol of homosexual pride and of support for the community.

Just so you do not think that homosexuals and their supporters are the only ones to ever use a rainbow in a flag format, Italy used a rainbow flag as symbol of peace. It became very popular in 2002 as a sign of protest over the impending war in Iraq. A rainbow flag is also used in Peru and Ecuador to mark Inca territory. The International Co-Operative Alliance used to have a rainbow flag as well, but after concern of it getting confused with the gay pride flag they changed to a new design that still prominently features the rainbow.

It’s not all divinity and gay pride though. Ancient Peruvians claimed if a rainbow were to enter a person’s body they would become ill. In Malaysia, there is a belief that walking under a rainbow causes a fatal fever. Folklore in Hungary suggests that if you point at a rainbow, the pointing finger will wither. African mythology talks of Nkongolo, the Rainbow King, as a cruel tyrant. Perhaps that’s why in some parts of Africa it is dangerous to point at rainbows.

As you can see, the rainbow plays an important role in many myths, legends, and religions all around the world. Most of the time, the rainbow is a positive symbol, one of unity, diversity, peace, and divinity. Of course, it sometimes is associated with illness and disease. This can make the rainbow a thing to be feared. I think that Jack Tresidder hit the nail on the head when he entitled his entry about the rainbow, in his book “Symbols and Their Meanings”, “The Ambivalent Symbolism of the Rainbow.”

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

In “Symbols and Their Meanings” Jack Tressidder says this of cauldrons, “The cauldron’s ancient links with magic probably originated with its capacity to produce surprising quantities of food and to turn everyday nourishing materials into gastronomic marvels.” Anyone who has had stew made from leftovers knows that “gastronomic marvels” may be an exaggeration, but in this modern era, it’s easy to forget that this now seemingly magical tool was once a cook’s beast of burden.

So, in the beginning there was a big ole’ pot. Boy, who would have known where it would end up! The cauldron has turned up in the tales of the Greeks (where under the advisement of Medea, King Pelias’ daughters chopped him up and put him in a cauldron in an attempt to rejuvenate him) and the Celts (for instance Undry, the life-giving cauldron and prized possession of Dagda). Also, who hasn’t heard “Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble. Fire burn and cauldron bubble”? It’s various cameo and starring roles in all these tales lent a certain mythology to the once simple pot.

The cauldron can represent plenty, transformation, and rebirth. With the stories of saints boiling in cauldrons, it can also be viewed as a tool of torture. Thus, the cauldron can also symbolize punishment, trial, and initiation. Perhaps it’s these symbolic seeds that have helped the cauldron blossom into it’s best known modern day association…Wicca and witchcraft.

Cauldrons are a common tool/ritual item for Wiccans and other magic practitioners. This once huge metal pot, is now much smaller in size. It’s size is better suited for the modern user, who wants a cauldron for its symbolism and capability for brewing small quantities of potions. You know, we all have crock pots for stew these days!

The cauldron is viewed as the womb of the Goddess and many times takes a central symbolic place amongst a circle of Wiccans or Goddess worshippers. For the knowledgeable magic practitioner the cauldron can be a scrying tool when filled with water. It holds and burns incense or candles. Many burn requests in their cauldrons as well.

Here’s Rebecca’s cauldron, forlorn and dusty from neglect.

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

Behold my friends, the power of three. For some reason it always comes down to three. Bad things supposedly come in threes; for me it’s more like tens. Wiccans observe the rule of three, mind the threefold law ye should, three times bad and three times good. The influence of three can even be felt in the symbolic life of the lily. Welcome to The Magical Buffet, the fleur-de-lys.



The lily flower itself can symbolize many things: fertility and erotic love (because of it’s scent and phallic pistil), purity, innocence, and Christian piety. In alchemy the lily symbolized the female principle and it has also symbolized the fertility of the Earth Goddess. The white lily is said to have come from the milk of the goddess Hera, and the fertility implied by this caused it to be a popular decorative motif in Greece, the Middle East, and Egypt. Once you reached Byzantium, the lily symbolized prosperity and royalty. Some say this is where the fleur-de-lys (flower of the lily) gained its nobility. For others, it is ordained by God.

The fleur-de-lys, a stylized lily, traditionally represents the kings of France. There is the legend of Clovis, the Merovingian king of the Franks. Clovis converted to Christianity, and once he did an angel gave him a golden lily as a symbol of his purification. This legend is helped by the fact that for many, the three “petals” of the fleur-de-lys represent the Holy Trinity or the Virgin Mary.

Others attribute the symbol to Clovis, but instead of a divine origin they say it became Clovis’s adopted emblem after he was able to spot a part of the river Rhine that he could ford and it was spotted by him due to the water lilies there. Of course, this led to his victory in battle. Later Louis VII used it on his shield and by then the fleur-de-lys’s connection to French royalty was secured. English kings would have the symbol on their coat of arms to signify their claims to the French throne.

Oddly, despite the strong female and fertility associations with the physical flower, the fleur-de-lys is linked to masculine, martial power due to its resemblance to a spearhead.

The fleur-de-lys has become a decorative symbol found anywhere from ancient shields to modern interior design. It’s got the power of three on its side. Here’s just a few threes:

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Mankind’s body, mind, and soul
God, the creation, and royalty
Scout’s Promise: duty to God (and/or my country), to help others, to obey the Scout Laws

The fleur-de-lys has a rich history that I have barely touched on here. For a good starting point to learn more, start here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleur-de-lis.

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

Yes, it is true; the swastika is going to be forever etched in most people’s minds as a symbol of the Nazi movement. It is a true tragedy considering how much this symbol has to offer humanity. Before the swastika was hijacked by Hitler to become the Hakenkreuz (hooked cross) it was living a peaceful life providing luck and good fortune to millions of people. This may seem awkward to say, but join me in opening your hearts to the swastika.

The swastika is a simple shape. It’s an equilateral cross, with the arms bent at right angles in either a left-facing or right-facing direction. Some people espouse the belief that a left-facing swastika is a sign of evil. Perhaps that’s true, the power a symbol has is only what is given to it by its viewer, but as far as I’ve uncovered, there is no historical precedent to confirm such a belief. Traditionally the swastika is oriented so that the main line is horizontal, but you will sometimes see it rotated slightly.

The swastika has a long history, and as any long lived thing, it has amassed a significant number of names associated with it. As mentioned before, the swastika lived a part of its life as the hooked cross of the Nazi movement. It is also known as the gammadion due to it being created out of four of the Greek characters gamma. In medieval times it was referred to as the fylfot, which was due to its use in stained glass windows where the swastika was used to fill the “foot” or bottom of the decorative pieces. When discussing heraldry, the swastika is known as the cross cramponne because each arm resembles a crampon or angle-iron. There are dozens more names that the swastika is known by, but must important is when we’re talking about the original….the swastika.

The swastika is a sacred symbol in Buddhism and Hinduism. For the Hindu the swastika represents the two forms of the god Brahma. Brahma is a creation deity, so the left-facing form represents the evolution of the universe and the right-facing signifies the involution of the universe. As if that wasn’t enough, on its own the swastika is a holy symbol and you will find it as decoration on all kinds of things throughout the Hindu world and culture. For Buddhists, the swastika represents eternality. As such you will find it on the chests and feet of some Buddhist statuary. Right-facing represents the balance of opposites, Dharma, and universal harmony. Left-facing represents intelligence and strength. Of course, thanks to good ole’ hooked cross swastika you will be hard pressed to find a right facing swastika at a Buddhist temple outside of India. In China you will find a swastika on maps to denote the location of temples and frequently on Chinese food packaging to signify that the product is vegetarian.

The swastika has a place in Native American traditions as well. To the Navajo it was (and perhaps still is) a sacred image used in rituals. Due to its frequent associations with the sun, the swastika has a place in Germanic and Slavic history, folklore, and art.

At one point or another, the swastika has been associated with or believed to symbolize good luck, well-being, the sun, the pole and the stars, the four seasons, the wheel of life, the four quarters of the moon, the creative forces, cyclic regeneration, the solstices and equinoxes, four elements, and I’m sure much, much more.

Some people claim that the swastika is such a simple geometric design that all these different cultures were bound to use it at one point or another. Others think that the prevalence of the swastika is due to something more along the lines of Carl Jung’s collective unconscious. To me, why it’s everywhere is irrelevant. What matters to me is that there is so much more to the swastika than Nazism. Like your mom would tell you, “You should never judge a book by its cover.” But in this particular instance, I’m more inclined to Chuck D of the rap group Public Enemy, “Don’t believe the hype!”

Want to learn more? You should, because there is a WHOLE LOT out there on this topic! Try http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika to start!

Wanna reclaim the swastika? Visit these guys: http://www.reclaimtheswastika.com/

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

Ah, the peach, so many people lay claim to this sumptuous fruit. South Carolina has it as its state fruit, yet Georgia calls itself the “Peach State.” The peach is native to China, but it also has a history in Iran. It also happens to be the name of an adult entertainment empire! What is the deal with the peach? Surprisingly, it comes down to symbolism.

Let’s talk about China. The United States may produce peaches to eat, but China produces a lot of lore about the fruit! The peach may be one of the most potent symbols for the Chinese, although there is some definite sharing with Japan in regards to this. The peach tree’s fruit, blossoms, and wood are all linked to longevity, fertility, immortality, protective magic, marriage, youth, and spring. Peach wood was once widely used to create bows, talismans, and idols. Peach trees blossom early, which is why they are considered so fertile, and one assumes why peaches are linked to fertility. Of course in Chinese legend the peach tree tended by Xi Wang Mu, the Queen of Heaven, only bears fruit every three thousands years. That would be why many believe it to symbolize longevity. In addition, to Buddhists the peach is one of the three blessed fruits, along with the citrus and the pomegranate.

In the Western world, the peach can symbolize truthfulness. Check this out. In Renaissance art a peach with a leaf attached represented truthfulness. Why? This is too cool, the peach was representative of the human heart, and the leaf was the tongue. Therefore, a peach with a leaf on it showed a direct link between the heart and tongue, thus you were speaking directly from the heart.

Look at all this stuff! It boggles the mind how one little fruit can be associated with so many things! At the end of the day, here is my favorite aspect of peach symbolism from one of my favorite websites!

Peach Crisp
Ingredients:
6 cups peeled, sliced fresh peaches
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
½ cup butter, softened

Instructions:
Place peaches in a lightly greased 8-inch square baking dish; set aside.
Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium mixing bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Sprinkle mixture evenly over peaches in prepared dish.
Bake at 375 deg F for 45 minutes or until golden brown.
(recipe from www.yumyum.com)

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

The Beginning and End of Things is a Number.

Numbers matter. Let’s face it; numbers make the world go, whether in time, in money, or in the highly sophisticated equations that make the simple day-to-day possible. The ancient mathematical philosophers believed that the study of numbers could reveal the laws of space and time and the principles of creation. Let’s all take a moment to go; those guys knew what they were talking about! In Greece, even numbers were feminine and passive, and odd numbers were masculine and active. For China, odd numbers were yang, and even numbers were yin. Numbers have a fascinating history, because you know, they’re everywhere. If we were to pick a number to discuss in one of our columns where would you start? Yep, at zero.

Zero is the number of potential. I mean, it’s before all other numbers. If you know, counting wasn’t enough for you; zero can represent the womb, an egg, or a seed due to its shape. All of those things reveal to us possibilities, thus reinforcing the idea of zero equaling potential.

The last digit added to most numerical systems was the zero. It represents an absence of values and is used as a placeholder in place value systems. Due to its numeric value, or lack thereof, zero can symbolize nothingness, death, void, and mystery. Thus making zero something that may symbolize beginnings and endings. It’s almost like a circle. Hey, wait a second! Maybe that is why the zero can also represent eternity. In Mayan glyphs, the cosmic spiral represented the zero.

When dealing with numbers, bigger is generally better. That is unless we’re discussing money owed, or the number of days until vacation. Nevertheless, in the mystical world of symbolism and numerology, bigger numbers represent more complex and intriguing things. At least that’s what all my books tell me. However, in my mind, a number that is all encompassing, one that is the beginning and the end, or even eternal, well in my mind, that is number that deserves to go before all others.

For someone who is horrible at math, I have to admit that I find numbers and the history of mathematics very interesting. Find that idea difficult to grasp, try starting at Wikipedia and see what you think. Here is Wikipedia’s number zero entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/0_%28number%29.