TT #62: symbols

Thirteen symbols I like After two weeks absence from TT I'm glad I'm back into the swing of it! This time I decided to share some symbols with you that are special to me. pentagram & pentacle (a pentagram enclosed within a circle is known as a pentacle) - the five points of the star represent spirit, earth, air, fire and water (or love, wisdom, knowledge, law and power). The pentagram faces point upward to symbolize the triumph of spirit over matter. For a more detailed look at the history and meaning of this symbol: The Pentagram. Chalice Well - This image graces the cover of the Chalice Well at Glastonbury, designed in the nineteenth century by archaeologist Bligh Bond. Crafted of wrought iron and wood, it depicts the Vesica Pisces, a symbol of the divine feminine, and Excalibur, the sword of the legendary King Arthur, who is believed by some to be buried at Glastonbury. For me it also stands for "as above so below" and the two worlds (spirit world and our world) intertwining. Ankh - The ancient Egyptian staff sign or god staff ankh, which was also the hieroglyph used to symbolize reproduction and sexual union. According to other sources it meant life and zest for life. Hathor, who was both the goddess of life and the goddess of death, carried it and gave life with it. This combination of male and female symbols (the cross and circle, see next item) in the ankh suggest fertility and creative power. The top loop also symbolises the sun on the horizon, and suggests reincarnation and rebirth. female & male - also stand for the planets Venus & Mars, or the moon's daughter & the sun's son. The female symbol has been described as representing the mirror of the goddess and femininity, but is most likely a variation of the ankh. Alchemically, the male symbol is also the symbol of iron, the metal used to fashion implements of war. Virgo - My zodiac sign is Virgo, the virgin. It heralds the end of summer and nearing of the harvest. Virgo has always been a symbol of fertility and a representation of the production of crops. Even in prehistoric times, this zodiac sign was perceived as both a mother and a virgin. According to some astrological sources, Virgo's original symbol was the Sphinx, mythological poser of riddles. Horus eye - Designed to resemble the eye of a falcon, this symbol is called the Eye of Ra or Eye of Horus and represents the eye of the Egyptian Falcon God Horus or Sun God Ra. It is believed to have healing and protective power, and was used as a protective amulet and as a medical measuring device (using the mathematical proportions of the eye to determine the proportions of ingredients in medical preparations) to prepare medications. heart - The heart does not appear in any established sign system. It is an anarchistic graph that has yet to find a place in any conventional sign system. Nonetheless it is well known throughout the Western world as a sign for togetherness or love, especially sexual love, making love, affection and so on. The arrowed heart is a modern sign for sexual love in general and for being in love, hurt by the arrow of Amor, without any negative meaning. Goddess & God - The Goddess is represented by the triple moon, the three aspects of the moon (waxing, waning, and full) and womankind (mother, maiden, crone), as well as the Lady, the feminine polarity of the universe. The God symbol is a stylized representation of the Horned God, who in Wicca represents the masculine polarity of the universe. The horned god is the archetypal horned Shaman, related to the ancient Gods of vegetation and the hunt: Greek Pan, the Celtic Cernunnos, and the Egyptian Ammon. YinYang - The yin yang is the easily recognized Taoist symbol of the interplay of forces in the universe. In Chinese philosophy, yin and yang represent the two primal cosmic forces in the universe. Yin (moon) is the receptive, passive, cold female force. Yang (sun) is masculine- force, movement, heat. The YinYang symbol represents the idealized harmony of these forces; equilibrium in the universe. In ancient Taoist texts, white and black represent enlightenment and ignorance, respectively. Celtic Tree - To the Celts, the tree was a source of basic sustenance- a bearer of food, a provider of shelter and fuel for cooking and warmth. Without trees, life would have been extraordinarily difficult. Trees were also a connection to the world of the spirits and the ancestors, living entities, and doorways into other worlds. lemniscate - the symbol for infinity. In the tarot, it represents the balance of forces and is often associated with the magician card. As far as time is concerned the most common similar medieval symbol is the snake biting its own tail, or the empty circle. It is as if the lemniscate represents a double endlessness or eternity. spiral - The spiral is probably the oldest symbol of human spirituality. It has been found scratched into rocks from thousands of years ago, on every continent in the world. In modern times, the spiral is still spiritually significant. It is the symbol of spirit and an emblem of the Goddess. septagram - the sevenpointed star, a continuously drawn figure having seven points. It is a sacred symbol to Wiccans who follow the Faery tradition, where it is called the Elven or Fairy Star. The septagram is also important in Western kabbalah, where it symbolizes the sphere of Netzach, the seven planets, the seven alchemical metals, and the seven days of the week. sources: Symbols.com and About.com ~*~*~*~ Links to other Thursday Thirteens! ~*~ Nap Warden ~*~ Sandee ~*~ Yuriko ~*~ Holly ~*~ busy91 ~*~ Janet ~*~ Chelle Y. ~*~ Nicholas ~*~ Sandy Carlson ~*~ Susan Helene ~*~ Joely Sue ~*~ Joyismygoal ~*~ Lori ~*~ Judy ~*~ Lara Angelina ~*~ Candy Minx ~*~ SJ Reidhead ~*~ grace ~*~ rae ~*~ Yen ~*~ bloggers ~*~ Xakara ~*~ raggedy ~*~ Maria ~*~ Tempest Knight ~*~ Darla ~*~ Mo ~*~ Claudia ~*~ julia ~*~ Lisa ~*~ Sue ~*~ Gattina ~*~ Mitchypoo ~*~ Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! 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