Symbolica

The star is a symbol that will help guide you through the dark times in your life.

Linger a while, rather than racing towards the light of the sun, using your star-light to help you search for the wisdom to be found in the darkness.

The star, in one form or another, is a very common symbol and most children are familiar with it very early on, through books, songs, and otherworldly paraphernalia: like faerie wands, wizard costumes, wishing stars etc. and later on, gazing at the night sky.

The star is the LIGHT that wondrously lights up the dark night sky, like the guiding lights in the night of the unconscious. The image of the star symbolises a sense of HOPE- (shining through the darkness).

The celestial nature of the luminous star also denotes the Heavens and they become symbols of Spirit and Otherworldliness.

There are many different types of representations and meanings attached to the star symbol. Some of which I will explore in following posts:

• The six pointed star:- Seal of Solomon and Star of David
• The ancient Egyptian five pointed star
• The five pointed pentagram
• The Blazing star of the Masons

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky!

When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.

Then the traveller in the dark,
Thanks you for your tiny spark,
He could not see which way to go,
If you did not twinkle so.

In the dark blue sky you keep,
And often through my curtains peep,
For you never shut your eye,
Till the sun is in the sky.

As your bright and tiny spark,
Lights the traveller in the dark,—
Though I know not what you are,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.

Jane Taylor,

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,

1806

All the different symbols of the center: combine to suggest a mythical point where the center of the Cosmos and the center of Man’s life is one and the same.

Tom Chetwynd, Dictionary of Symbols

To remain centered in today’s chaotic world is quite a worthwhile achievement. If you are centred you are still, calm, focussed and aware, no matter what is going on around you.

Many people successfully use meditation in combination with symbols to connect to their center.

One symbol that is great to use to access your center is the Tree. The Tree of Life is an ancient and universal symbol and is synonymous with the world axis.

The Tree unifies the ‘three worlds of the cosmos’ – The Underworld, through its roots burrowing deep into the soil; The Mundane/Earthly world, represented by its trunk and lower branches; and the Heavens, with its upper branches reaching up into the sky. These three world aspects in turn are a perfect model for the human psyche. The subconscious mind, the place for all our thoughts and stored memories, (the Underworld); the conscious self, that surface part of ourselves that is most visible in the world (the mundane/Earthly); and the Higher Consciousness, the wise, all-knowing self that connects us to the rest of the universe, (the Heavenly aspect)

You may be feeling fragmented within or perhaps unbalanced (focussed on one aspect of your life and neglectful of other aspects) This is a good time to reconnect with your center by practicing a guided meditation with the Tree as a focal point.

In my travels, whilst looking for a good quote or poem dedicated to trees, I found this site which is a database or portal dedicated to the Lore, Myths, Magick, Facts, Folklore, Legends, Esoterica & Superstitions regarding trees. In helpful place, especially if you are trying to find out particular information about specific types of trees.

The poem quoted below by American poet Robert Frost, is from this site dedicated to the poetry of famous poets. Another great resource for me! I love discovering new poems to add to these posts.

Tree At My Window by Robert Frost

Tree at my window, window tree,
My sash is lowered when night comes on;
But let there never be curtain drawn
Between you and me.
Vague dream-head lifted out of the ground,
And thing next most diffuse to cloud,
Not all your light tongues talking aloud
Could be profound.
But tree, I have seen you taken and tossed,
And if you have seen me when I slept,
You have seen me when I was taken and swept
And all but lost.
That day she put our heads together,
Fate had her imagination about her,
Your head so much concerned with outer,
Mine with inner, weather.

Other symbols used to represent centredness are:

Maze- The journey to the centre

Onion- peeling away the layers to reveal the centre

Spinal column- In body symbolism the center is the Spinal column, with its centers of consciousness, the chakras

navel- contemplative centre

The hub of a wheel- The fixed in contrast with the volatile

Below are some symbols for feeling connected:

TREE-connection between heaven [sky] , earth and underworld. A common symbol to work with if you wish to explore or honour different aspects of your nature.

RAINBOW – the meeting of Heaven and Earth. The bridge or boundary between this world and paradise.

The rainbow is the perfect celestial bridge to walk upon in order to connect to the sky (the Heavens), the energy of the sun or the greater universe. Don’t forget it may even connect you to a pot of gold!

STAIRS, LADDER- Stairs and ladders are also often symbols for connecting to the sky (stairway to Heaven)- connecting us to a more masculine, directive, “getting things done” kind of energy.

Stairs and ladders can also take us down into the underworld/Mother earth connecting us to the feminine, healing, restorative and nurturing kind of energy.

BRIDGE, ROAD, PATH- connection between places or worlds. A tool or means for moving forward.

COLUMN/PILLAR (archictectual) -though usually meaning stability can be used to help us connect to our centre.

SMELL-connecting us to our past. Reminding us of a particular event through our senses.

SPIDER’S WEB & WEAVING- Invoke the web when you need to connect with your community. Feeling that we are all connected via a giant web can be reassuring, allowing us to branch out and ‘do our own thing’ whilst still feeling the presence of others.
A weaving can also be a symbol of the rich fabric of the individual strands of our lives or personalities woven together to create a whole.

HOLDING HANDS, EMBRACE, JEWELLERY CLASP & LINK- physical connection and support.

AURAS- resonance, spiritual connection.

RIVER- flowing from the mountain (the interior) to the sea (the exterior) the river can be a symbol for bringing internal the thoughts and feelings of the subconscious into the conscious mind.

DOORWAY/ GATEWAY/ HOLE- The point of connection between one state and another. From the known to the unknown, from light to dark. Invitation into the world beyond. An excellent image to use when requiring a shift out of the ordinary waking state for healing work, for instance hypnosis and trance states.

FOSSIL, AMBER-Connection to nature’s past.

ROPE- The connection between planes of existence.

TELEPHONE, COMPUTER, WORLD WIDE WEB- modern forms of connection with friends and the wider community.

The images for this post all came from a wonderful site called FlickrCC, a site which searches the Flickr site for free, creative commons licensed images, which is great for people like me who are always looking for images to brighten up their posts. I don’t have the time to search and check all the licenses and ask for permission for every picture. I am eternally grateful to Peter Shanks- author of FlickrCC, and all those people out there like him who are not only clever enough to create the software to fulfill a need but then go on to share it with the rest of us!

I hope I have fulfilled the CC attribution requirements properly- If you hover your mouse over the pic you should get the relevant attribution details. Alternatively you can cntrl click(Mac) and scroll down to Properties for all the info.

During my recent symbol therapy work (see previous posts) I received a little red magic car as a healing symbol to assist me with a particular social fear. I was delighted to receive my little red car. It reminded me of a car I loved in a book from my childhood. In the book, the car was magical and could fly, just like my new one. It would take it’s owners to magical lands, where of course they would get up to all sorts of adventures.

If you have done any dream work, you would be familiar with the concept that cars and other vehicles are often symbols for how we move through our lives, psychologically. There are many aspects to consider when trying to work out the meaning of the relationship between the dreamer and the symbol, for instance whether the dreamer was driving the vehicle or not, whether they felt in control or whether perhaps the journey was stressful and ‘out of control’

If you are using a vehicle as a symbol for healing work it would be used in a similar way you would use a real vehicle- to get you from one place to another. If you stuck, afraid, or lacking in confidence, use a metaphorical vehicle to get you moving. Of course the beauty of working symbolically is that you’re not limited by a budget. Stretch your imagination and create the most wonderful vehicle you can think of. It could be a magic carpet, a whale, a horse, an aeroplane or whatever your limitless imagination conjures up.

The color of your vehicle is also significant. Red, evoking for me: life, blood, the heart, passion, and energy, all of which are very encouraging symbols to help me move forward, face my fears and meet with some new adventures.

Below is an extract from a philosophical poem written in 1913 by Percy Shelley. I found the work whilst trying to find reference to the original red car story of my childhood. I became quite carried away by the whole poem during the course of writing this article and can’t resist the temptation to include just a snippet.

Shelley’s poem begins with Ianthe, a sleeping maiden, who is transported by Fairy Queen Mab’s in her chariot (car of magic) on an imaginative flight across space and time:

The chains of earth’s immurement
Fell from Ianthe’s spirit;
They shrank and brake like bandages of straw
Beneath a wakened giant’s strength.
She knew her glorious change,
And felt in apprehension uncontrolled
New raptures opening round;
Each day-dream of her mortal life,
Each frenzied vision of the slumbers
That closed each well-spent day,
Seemed now to meet reality.
The Fairy and the Soul proceeded;
The silver clouds disparted;
And as the car of magic they ascended,
Again the speechless music swelled,
Again the coursers of the air
Unfurled their azure pennons, and the Queen,
Shaking the beamy reins,
Bade them pursue their way.

extract from Percy Shelley’s

Queen Mab

You appear in perfection on the horizon of Heaven,
A living disk, the origin of Life!
From the moment that You rise in the eastern skies You fill all beauty with Your beauty;
You are abundance, You are great and shining, rising above the land.

The Great Hymn to Aton,

The Living Wisdom of Ancient Egypt
Christian Jacq

Invite some warmth into your life with the aid of the sun. If you are feeling depressed, melancholic, or dark- the light, warmth and vibrancy that the symbol of the sun invokes will be an extremely helpful tonic. Employ this symbol when kicking off a new project or idea or perhaps when a relationship requires a fresh approach (remember your last holiday in the sun?) It is especially helpful when action is required as the sun is usually associated with new growth, energy and vitality. The sun is nourishing and life supporting- without it most living things would not survive.

I was recently given the symbol of the Sun to use in my Symbol Therapy work (see previous two posts) and found it of immense value to cut through some of my oldest, saddest and darkest thoughts. For me, carrying the image of a particularly magical sunrise in my mind, and recalling the warmth of the sun shining through my window on a cold winters’ day, then breathing these elements through my body and mind daily, was just the trick to get some old stuff moving.

If you are creating magic through ritual, you may like to enhance your sun symbol with other symbols or elements which are connected in some way, either traditionally or personally- for instance you may wish to use the symbol of a LION (Sun rules the astrological sign of LEO) or these natural substances were believed by the ancient magicians to be ruled by the sun- amber, hyacinth, topaz & chrysolite.

In ancient Egypt the Menet bird was a swallow Martin or swift. It appeared to be a ‘day greeting bird’ which announced the dawn and the sun’s approach- Some species of the birds built their nests in holes in the cliffs bordering the Nile- they emerge at dawn and return at sunset. You could use a similar approach if you didn’t wish to be too literal with your depiction of the sun, or if you wish to add more meaning to your sun symbol ie: depicting a bird with a sun disk behind it.

There are a huge array of symbols that have been used to depict the sun, from the ancient planetary sign of the sun , to eagles, winged or plumed serpents, the dragon of China. There are some lovely old glyphs from many different cultures. Go to Symbols.com if you are interested in taking a look. It’s a wonderful site full of so many signs, glyphs and symbols.

The sun has been worshiped and revered as ‘The heart of the Universe’ and ‘Destroyer of darkness’.

In many cultures the sun is associated with masculine energy, the complimentary other to the feminine qualities of the moon – The Yang to the moon’s Yin. Though in the Japanese tradition, for instance, the sun is a lady and a snake divinity Amaterasu’ she who possesses the great sun’.

The Egyptian sun god, Ra or Re was considered the creator of the world. God of birth and rebirth because he was reborn with the birth of each new day.

There is no visible thing, in the world, more worthy to serve as a symbol of God than the sun,
which illuminates with visible life, first itself,
then all the celestial and mundane bodies.- DANTE

For the past two weeks I have been practicing a form of Transpersonal therapy called Symbol Therapy (see my previous post).

I am working on two of my more complex and long term problems- the first, relating to a particular relationship and the second is related to career and life path.

Over the next few weeks I will report on some of my personal experiences with this therapy, including any tips that occur to me and any pitfalls I may have encountered. This feedback is particularly directed at people who are interested in trying symbol therapy for themselves but is also quite relevant for other forms of transpersonal therapy.

Daily practice-(If you have trouble concentrating on your symbol for two minutes- like I do):

• Make yourself comfortable but not too comfortable. Remember you want your body relaxed and your mind alert, not asleep.
• Draw your healing symbol (concentrating on the colour) and have it with you whilst doing your practice.
• Carry your symbol with you at other times, especially if you may be confronted with the issue you are trying to improve.
• Don’t be too hard on yourself. If you’ve ever learnt the art of meditation you’ll realise that it takes quite a lot of practice and patience to concentrate exclusively on one thing for more that a few seconds. It is quite astounding the amount of stuff that can flow through an undisciplined mind!
• Create a space where you can get some peace & quiet for the few minutes required and perhaps use an induction (any conscious act that will help you move into the different space), ie; lighting a candle.
• Try to do your practice when you are not too tired and not too stressed

General points:

• Make sure you devote quite a good deal of time and energy defining your problem and the associated feelings you experience, when embarking on this kind of therapy. It’s a good idea to keep playing back your words and checking how you feel about them. If your problem sounds too vague or your feelings are too general your results will be minimal or you will find it more difficult to commit yourself to your daily practice.
• It is important to have a reliable measure for your suffering, especially so that you can measure your progress. I found the wording provided in the ‘table to measure your suffering’ in chapter five didn’t seem relevant to my particular issues. I ended up using my problem symbols as guides alone. I will formulate my own table in the future though, as I think this type of guide has a valuable place alongside the symbol work to help measure progress.

• If you are working on a complex problem remember to start off addressing the whole issue in the first two weeks then move onto deeper levels later on. For example:
  By the end of the two weeks the problem symbol for my relationship issue had grown from a petrified walnut to an entire petrified tree plus walnut! ! Funnily enough I wasn’t surprised or too disappointed. My feedback was not that my problem had worsened but that the larger scale of my problem was shown to me. It felt simply that my original definition of the problem was addressing only a small aspect of the whole problem and I needed to go back to the broader issue.
  

• Remember to be open to changes and improvement in the situation that may not occur the way you expect or even originally hoped for. For example:
  Relating to my relationship issue, in the back of my mind I expected (and secretly desired) all tensions and difficulties with that person to simply melt away. Instead I found an irresistible urge to speak up for myself and confront the person over an issue that had arisen during the first week. I had been avoiding confrontation with the person for a long time and all of a sudden I was compelled to voice my anger to them. Why? Because that was what I really needed to do to kick off on the road to healing.
• Another point I noticed was that the feelings that my problem symbol brought up for me helped to inform me when redefining my problem the second time around. For example:
  In the first two weeks I was addressing feelings of irritability and annoyance and I noted in my journal that my problem symbol felt very hostile towards me. When I did my two week assessment and my problem symbol changed, I noted upon drawing the tree that it evoked feelings of sadness and desolation. So I have changed my wording to address these feelings first. There is no doubt that I experience more angry feelings with regards to this issue but I believe that the sadness came first and is more closely related to the whole aspect of the problem.
• Keep a journal with drawings of your symbols and notes on anything that comes to you (as a small but worthwhile side track go here for some great inspiring video tips on creating your own art journal). As well as assisting you in remembering your thoughts and feelings it will help you open up to the subtle changes you experience or the chance encounters or the little sign posts directing you towards a solution.

• The colour of the symbol really is important.
  I found that the colour of the symbol was like the vehicle that carried the symbol through my body. For instance I was given a silver stone for my healing symbol related to my career issue. When I breathed the bright silver through my body I felt light and bright and far less serious, which was very healing.

Recently I discovered a book called Symbol Therapy by Ulli Springett and have been exploring this particular therapy for myself.

I will keep you posted on how my own personal practice is going with this method, including some tips and pitfalls I have found along the way. I have to say that so far it has been easy to fit into my daily life and even before the two weeks are up I have noticed some changes occurring (though not as I expected! – more on that in the next post)

Eight years ago I completed a diploma in Transpersonal Counselling through the IKON Institute (Ikon’s courses now delivered by the Phoenix institute here in Melbourne), and found Transpersonal Psychology a perfect modality for me to practice in the field of healing. This approach and the effect it had on my life is largely what led me to my passion for symbol work.

Ulli’s approach is quite different to the way I work with symbols on this site, and yet I think it is quite complimentary. My usual approach is to research a suitable symbol, based on historical uses, in order to assist with a person’s problem or need. The symbol is then taken away to be worked with in a way that suits the client.

With Symbol Therapy once you have defined your problem you ask your HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS for a healing symbol which you then go on to work with. The difference being that the client does the work to find their own symbol by accessing their HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS rather than finding a healing symbol using their, or my, ‘ordinary waking state’ (OWS) or ‘conscious mind’.

Symbol therapy takes us into the realm of the HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS first so that we are given just the right symbol for our unique and individual problem. Our Higher Consciousness is not influenced by trends, aesthetics or belief systems that don’t completely match our own.

Some people may not be familiar or comfortable with the notion of HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS. Symbol Therapy is based on a model of the human mind which basically has three parts: The conscious mind (everyday mind, personal mind, ordinary waking state), The unconscious mind (contains a lot more than our conscious mind, like our complete store room of experiences including lots of things we may not be aware of), and our Higher Consciousness (the universal unlimited part of ourselves that we share with every being in the universe)

You may wish to replace this term or idea with, for instance: God, Buddha, Great Spirit or whatever suits you. The most important thing you need to be able to embrace is the concept that there is a great wisdom and love out there, in us and all around us that we all have access to, every single one of us (I will continue to use the term HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS in this article because that’s what I’m most comfortable with).

Our HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS has only the best of intentions for us and is most willing to direct us on our life paths if we are able to listen. Our HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS is what connects us to all other beings and it is from this assumption that we can begin to achieve our own healing.

Below is a basic outline of what the book covers and how the process works:

• Define your problem and the associated feelings you experience.
• Measure your suffering- a scale is provided in the book which will help you measure your progress at the end of the two week period of your practice.
• Relaxation- learn and practice an induction that will enable you to reach a place where your body is completely relaxed but your mind is completely alert.
• Explore your life path- find out where you are on your LIFE PATH when you are suffering from the feelings related to your particular problem.
• Ask for a Healing symbol- This symbol should be pleasing to you and be a vibrant colour (the colour is most important). You will go on to breath through your body for two minutes at a time, twice a day for two weeks after your first session.
• Breath your healing symbol-starting with a loving declaration for yourself in your suffering from the feelings related to your particular problem.
• Ask for your problem symbol- This symbol is very useful for also measuring your progress at the end of the two weeks. This symbol should not be so pleasing to you but should become more so after two weeks if healing is occurring.
• After two weeks check in with your problem symbol to note the changes. Also have a look at the scale of suffering. Your suffering should feel less.

There are many other aspects to this therapy covered in the book, such as:

• What happens after the two weeks?
• Working on many different problems at once.
• Working on different aspects of deep problems.
• What happens if the process doesn’t seem to be working etc.?

I only provided an outline for people to get an idea on whether they would like to learn more. If you would, I highly recommend purchasing the book or seeking out a Transpersonal Counsellor who can guide you in this process. If you have any questions regarding the therapy that I haven’t covered please contact me and I will do my best to answer you.

Please forgive the lack of image today but I am working on a borrowed computer (my hard drive died last week) and I don’t have access to my usual tools and images. :)

I am posting this article to amend some of my previous article about the Day of the Dead to make it more relevant to those of us who live in the Southern Hemisphere and also to acknowledge more deeply it’s Celtic origins.

I participated in a SWEAT LODGE ceremony the other night, facilitated by SOTEMS, a wonderful community dedicated to healing practices in Australia, of which I am a member of. This particular ceremony was a seasonal sweat held to celebrate the Celtic festival of SAMHAIN. (Celtic literal meaning: end of Summer & pronounced SOW-an or SOW-in)

The festivals of Halloween, All Hallows day and All Saints Day originate from the festival of Samhain. The festival falls nearest to the midpoint between the Autumnal EQUINOX and the Winter SOLSTICE, which in the Northern hemisphere falls around the evening of October 31, and in the Southern hemisphere falls around the evening of April 30- May 1. (though if you want to be absolutely accurate it’s good to visit this site to get a grasp of the natural fluctuating dates of the equinoxes, soltices & midway points.)

Samhain is a festival of the harvest and a festival of the dead. A place was often set at the feast table for the dead and tales of the ancestors were told on that night. It marked the time to take stock of one’s supplies in order to get through the winter months.

An important aspect of the Samhain festival once was the central druid bonfire. The people of the village would solemnly light their own hearths from the bonfire, symbolising their connection and bonds to one another.

The Samhain and the Day of the Dead ceremonies are really seasonal specific. Their meaning is strongly linked to nature and should be celebrated at the correct time according to which hemisphere you live in.

So if you are under the Southern skies in 2008, according to this calendar you should be celebrating Samhain, contacting your dear departed or having your Day of the Dead feasts on May 1

The symbolism of the wind could be appropriate to use for feelings of boredom, being stuck, fear of change, or transitions in relationships or life paths.

How can we represent something that isn’t visible?

In the past the wind has sometimes been represented by wings or even a fan. A kite would also be a good choice to use, as flying a kite is an excellent way to ‘enjoy’ the experience of the wind. You could also meditate using a visualisation like mine below or create your own.

Picture the wind picking you up and carrying you on it’s back.

Transporting you from a place of stillness to a place of action.

Perhaps you have felt stuck, unable to move forward.

Perhaps you have been in a place of contemplation, a place of vision,

and now it’s time to act on that vision.

The wind is coming from the East, the place of the sunrise, the place of beginnings.

It whispers in your ear.

It begins to blow, filling your head, your entire body.

It may cause you to feel slightly agitated but it also invigorates you.

You feel some of your heaviness starting to fall away as the wind strips away the parts of yourself that no longer serve you.

It animates you, like an invisible magic carpet, and carries you into the North.

The North is the place of action, the place of strength, courage and determination.

The wind veers you away from your old well-worn path onto a new unfamiliar one.

You may feel irritated, fearful, vulnerable.

You sneeze.

As you whirl around down this new path you notice nature all around you,

joining you on your windy ride.

You are not alone. You have companions.

Many new tools are presented to you.

They may come to you in many guises.

They may be thoughts, ideas, realisations, visual signposts or bodily sensations.

The new path that you travel is beginning to excite you.

You may feel refreshed, cleansed, energised.

You realise that you now can move of your own accord.

You run or walk freely along the new path.

You are lighter for the things no longer needed you have left behind.

You are ready for change.

When I get caught up in the daily grind, or are feeling down I love to be reminded of the simple wonder of existence. Living in the city, we can more easily forget our connection to the Earth. We often appear to live oblivious to the fact that we are still creatures of nature and that the natural world is still all around us. If we take time to contemplate the elements around us we can find that are daily troubles are given a better perspective.

My husband bought me a beautiful amber pendant for my birthday and I love it. I have always had a secret desire to own and work with a piece of amber, but felt that the time and circumstance had to be right. It was an interesting adventure when we went out shopping to find the right piece. I nearly succumbed to bracelets of beads or earrings because I thought they looked nice as jewellery. The picture in my mind though was of a single piece, one that I could develop a relationship with and use as an ally in my symbol work. The jewellery I’d seen so far just didn’t speak to me in the right way. Then I spotted a large irregular oval pendant and it was love at first site (though I dithered about the price).

Amber is beautiful (personal taste I realise- but I’m certainly not alone in thinking so), light, warm and natural. Each piece is interesting in it’s flawed state, whether it has insect inclusions or not. If you rub your amber until it is quite warm you should detect the faint aroma of pine. This act is a powerful way to connect you to the ancient pine forest from whence the amber originated, rather like listening to the sound of the sea in a shell.

Amber is the resin from coniferous trees dating back from between 60 to 90 million years ago!

If you contemplate the length of time your amber has existed on this earth, and how that makes you feel, you may begin to connect with the overwhelming longevity and power of earth itself. (which is considered by geologists today to be about 4.54 billion years old)

When rubbed amber becomes charged with static electricity and our modern word ‘electricity’ comes from the Greek name for yellow amber ‘electron’. It symbolises the psychic line between individual and cosmic energy.

Therefore it is excellent to use as an aide for any psychic work and connecting to the spirit world. Amber is very popular with people who work in the field of witchcraft.

Over history, many different cultures have had a variety of uses and associations for amber. Here is a link to a Andzia’s Amber Jewellery- quick facts about amber page, which contains lots more interesting cross cultural tidbits regarding amber. The most popular uses appear to be as amulets for protection, preservation and youthfulness. It has been closely associated with the sun, in fact it has been considered to be made of ’solidified sunbeams’ . It has also been employed for all kinds of medicinal purposes.

One of my favourite tidbits, which comes from The Dictionary of Symbolism, regarding amber is that the Chinese word for amber (hu-po) means ‘Tiger’s soul’ as it was believed that tigers sank into the earth upon death and transformed into amber.

Richard Busch has written an informative page with some good tips for detecting fake amber (which appears to be quite prevalent.)

So what might be a relevant reason to employ amber today?

• Spiritual work/psychic work/meditation- an aide to connection between yourself and Spirit/the cosmos/or God.
• Connection to the Earth (particularly the past)- through sensory perception.
• Connection to the sun and it’s energetic qualities- new beginnings/sunrise, warmth.
• A need for preservation- perhaps there is something in our lives that needs preserving. It could be a physical thing or it could be a memory. A good example could be using amber in a wedding ceremony.
• Desire for youthfulness- perhaps here rather than fighting the forces of nature and resisting the ageing process, we could link back to the energy of the sun. We could look at our internal youth, focussing on qualities like- play, silliness, laughter, joy, innocence. It could be a good amulet to give a youth as an acknowledgement of approaching adulthood, accompanied by the encouragement of maintaining some of their youthful qualities.
• Protection- I like to think of this as an ally or support in times that we may feel vulnerable or afraid. We all experience these times and to have something or someone familiar to you on hand when you need them is of great importance. To work with an object that has been employed by many in the past for the same purpose will add to its power and effectiveness.
• If you are a lover of the tiger as I am then you could use you amber to evoke the power of all those tiger spirits out there. Goodness knows what you could achieve with a power like that- just keep it friendly!