However it is interpreted, the jagged shape of the
zig-zag carries with it the idea of heat, energy, vitality, and
movement, the archetypal sign for lightning or electricity. The double
zig-zag that makes the astrological glyph for Aquarius could be water or
it could be the life-force itself. The serpent that spirals up the
Caduceus is a soft-ened zig-zag shape. There is an inherent danger in
the zig-zag, and the deities that carry it in their hands do so as a
sign of their own authority and power.
DIAGONAL
The square can be divided into two diagonal
triangles. Because the length of these shapes has no simple relationship
to its sides, the Greeks concluded that the diagonal must be a symbol
of the irrational. Therefore, the diagonal, or oblique, has come to be
associated with the incomprehensible, occult world. In J. K. Rowling’s
Harry Potter books, Diagon Alley is the hidden part of London that is a
magical high street full of occult devices.
TRIANGLE
The triangle shares all the
symbolic significance of the number 3, as a shape, and therefore
represents the many things that come in groups of three, from the Holy
Trinity to the triple aspect of the Goddess. Triangles appear in lots of
different signs and symbols. In ancient times, the triangle was
considered synonymous with light, and the meanings of the triangle vary
according to which way up it is. When it sits firmly on its base, then
it is a masculine, virile symbol, representing fire. The other way up it
becomes the water element, a chalice shape, emblematic of the feminine
powers. Balanced on its point in this way the triangle also represents
the yoni, further underpinning the Goddess aspect. The equilateral
triangle is a harmonious form, used to indicate the Higher Powers, providing a framework, for example, for the All Seeing Eye of God.
LOZENGE
A diamond shape often with rounded rather than
pointed ends, the lozenge is often overlooked, but is actually a
representation of the female genitalia. As such, its most popular
appearance is probably as the vesica piscis, the sacred doorway through
which spirit enters the world of matter. In heraldry, for example, the
lozenge is used in place of the masculine shield, to denote a coat of
arms belonging to a woman or a noncombative male, such as a member of
the clergy.
SQUARE
Said to be the first shape invented by Man, the
square represents the created Universe as opposed to the spiritual
dimensions depicted by the circle.
The square represents the Earth and the four elements. Plato described
the square, like the circle, as being “absolutely beautiful in itself.”
Like the cross, the square is associated with the number 4. A square
has four corners; to speak of the “four corners of the Earth” is
something of an anomaly since the Earth is round, without corners. All
the symbolism of the number 4 is encompassed within the square, and it
is interesting to note that, just as the square represents the created
Universe, in the Hebrew faith the Holy Name of the Creator is comprised
of four letters.
CROSS
Here, the vertical and horizontal lines come
together to create a new symbol—the cross. There are of course countless
different types of cross, a few of which are covered in this section of
the book. Despite any embellishments or devices, however, the basic
meaning of the cross stays the same.
HORIZONTAL LINE
The opposite of the vertical line, the horizontal line represents matter, and the forward and backward movement of time. This line also signifies the skyline or horizon and man’s place on the Earth.
VERTICAL LINE
Man, alone in the animal
kingdom, stands upright, so the vertical line represents the physical
symbol of the number One, man striving toward spirit. This simple line
is the basic shape of the World Tree or Axis Mundi
that connects the Heavens, the Earth and the lower regions. It is not
only a basic phallic symbol but also signifies the soul that strives for
union with the Divine.
ARC
Perhaps the most prominent arc of the natural world
appears in the elusive form of the rainbow, which primitive man saw as a
bridge between the Heavens and the Earth.
As a part of a circle, the arc symbolizes potential
spirit. The position of the arc is important. Upright, shaped like a cup
or chalice, it implies the feminine principle, something that can
contain the spirit. If the arc is inverted, then the opposite is true
and it becomes a triumphal, victorious, masculine symbol. As such, the
arc can take the form of an archway. The vaulted or arched shape of many
holy buildings, from a great variety of different faiths, represents
the vault of the Heavens. The arc shape often appears in planetary
symbols.
CIRCLE
The next logical magical symbol
is the circle. Effectively an expansion of the dot, the circle
represents the spirit and the cosmos. Further, the circle itself is
constructed from “some thing” (the unbroken line) and “no thing” (the
space inside and outside this line). Therefore, the circle unifies
spirit and matter. The structure itself has great strength—think of the
cylindrical shape of a lighthouse, built that way in order to withstand the fiercest attack by a stormy sea.
DOT
A dot might seem to be an unassuming little thing, the first mark on the pristine sheet of paper. In this case, the dot is a beginning. But see what just happened there? The dot, an essential component in the structure of the sentence, closed it, making it a symbol of ending. Therefore, the dot is both an origination and a conclusion, encompassing all the possibilities of the Universe within it, a seed full of potential and a symbol of the Supreme Being. The dot is the point of creation, for example the place where the arms of the cross intersect.
SPACE
The elements of a symbol are defined only by the
space that is a part of its construction. Like the wind, the effect of
space is gauged by its effect on the things within it or surrounding it.
The concept of space, the void, is a profound part of our experience.
To reach a state of “emptiness” is, for many, the ultimate spiritual
experience and a way of connecting to the Absolute. When John Lennon
wrote “Imagine,” whose lyrics gradually strip away the trappings of the
material world, it was this idea that inspired him.
To be aware of the possibility of space within a flat,
two-dimensional representation is to give that shape substance and a
new kind of reality that lifts it off the page and makes it real. Space
is not flat and cannot be confined by lines on a piece of paper. The
page and the shape on it do not exist in isolation, but are a part of a
greater cosmos. This book and you, the reader, are a part of this
equation.
The concept of zero is a space. Indeed, the
realization that “nothing” can be “something” marked a profound leap
forward in man’s development. All creation myths begin with a Void,
symbolic of potential.
Although attempts to explain the
concept of space are inevitably faulty, it might help to think of a
blank page. Before a mark is made upon the paper,
the potential for what might appear there is so vast as to be
unimaginable, a consideration which causes consternation for some
artists and writers. Without this space, there is no arena for anything
else to exist. This absence of any thing means that no thing is the most
important symbol in the World.
FIRST SIGNS: THE BASIC SHAPES OF SYMBOLS
There are certain elemental structures that occur
repeatedly, not only as component parts of more elaborate symbols, but
also with rich meanings of their own. In fact, it’s probably true to say
that the simpler the symbol, the more scope there is for
interpretation; ergo, the more meaningful it is and, paradoxically, the
more complex it becomes. These primary shapes transcend barriers of
time, geography, and cultural context, part of a universal language that
goes before, and beyond, words. Don’t be fooled into thinking that
these basic shapes are as self-explanatory as to need no analysis. A
true understanding of what they represent can only add to the
comprehension of the more elaborate shapes and symbols like
NO BEGINNING, NO END: ANATOMY OF A SIMPLE SYMBOL
Rodin said, “Man never invented anything new, only
discovered things.”
While it’s true to say that some symbols have been
man-made for a specific purpose, it’s equally accurate to argue that
everything is inspired in some way by the natural world around us, by
the forms of nature, plants, animals, the elements. Even a reaction
against the fluid forms of nature is generally inspired by a desire to
provide an alternative. Sometimes the revelation of a natural symbol is
immediate; other such discoveries are the result of years of painstaking
observation.
One of our simplest symbols has elaborate and arcane origins.
Here is a
picture, not of a manmade or computer-generated pattern, but of the
shape made in the sky by the Planet Venus. Venus is the only planet
whose dance around the Sun in the depths of space describes such a
definite and distinctive form, and we can only imagine the sense of
wonder that must have been felt by the ancient Akkadians who first
charted the design. They also realized that the Morning Star and the
Evening Star, previously considered to be two separate celestial bodies,
were one and the same. This discovery had a profound effect, which has cast such a
long shadow over the archeology of symbols that we are still governed by
it today. Here’s why.
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