Symbolica

I have been driven to work in my studio over the past couple of days. In particular I wanted to make the Egyptian Heart amulet for a friend of mine. So due to lack of time, my writing has had to take a back seat. I have tried to discipline myself to writing a new post every week and completing at least one design for my Cafe Press store. When the desire to go into the workshop gripped me I was worried that I would become too distracted and break my pace. I found though that by deviating off my regular path and doing what I felt a strong desire to do, I have felt truer to my goal of bringing the magical world of symbols and their uses into the modern world. My personal path feels like it is becoming clearer and gaining strength.

If you would like to have an amulet made you are most welcome to contact me via e-mail. (go to the contact page)

I work in many different materials and I love to explore new ones. I also love researching symbols to suit particular requirements. There is no limit really, only time constraints, so for now I do like to keep the amulets quite simple.

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I like the idea of dedicating a day to celebrate death, and honour those who have died. To encourage people out of their private grief through the power of ritual and community support can be of great benefit. The Day of the Dead is a day celebrated within the communities of Mexico, loosely associated with All Saints Day (Hallowe’en).

Imagine sharing one another’s grief and sorrow over the loss of loved ones, but also sharing stories, joy and laughter in the same context.

Imagine familiarising our children with death and dying through the fun of art play and celebration.

Imagine honouring the gifts of life by honouring the dead. If we take time out to contemplate our own deaths we may in turn be prompted to think more deeply of our life path.

Let’s look at some of the symbolic aspects of the Mexican rituals and how might we use them or adapt them for ourselves.

Part of the Mexican tradition involves creating of an altar of offerings to the loved ones who have died.

The altar includes four main elements of nature — earth, wind, water, and fire.
Earth is represented by crop: The Mexicans believe the souls are fed by the aroma of food.

Wind is represented by a moving object: Tissue paper is commonly used to represent wind.

Water is placed in a container for the soul to quench its thirst after the long journey to the altar.

Fire is represented by a wax candle: Each lit candle represents a soul, and an extra one is placed for the forgotten soul.

The above is authored by Mary J. Andrade on her site Day of The Dead ,which is a great site with lots of information and photos of the the celebration across South America.

Ok, so many people in the West wouldn’t dream of creating an altar and may have all kinds of prejudices against the idea of doing so. But if you do feel this way try to think of an altar as a place or area where you might have already gathered some related cherished items. It may be a cabinet at home dedicated to your child’s sporting achievements, or even a scrap book containing mementos of your growing up. Creating an altar isn’t really so different. It is simply the purposeful grouping together of any number of objects in order to facilitate a particular outcome.

Creating an altar is a ritual in itself. It takes thought, reflection, creativity and usually a bit of time. Though how much time is up to you.

You could incorporate the altar idea into a decorated banquet table. The food on the table representing the Earth. Tissue paper decorations or even simply paper napkins, representing the wind. Bowls or jugs of water placed in the centre, and of course candles for fire to symbolise the souls of the deceased. I also suggest the idea of having one spare place set and served to represent all those deceased you are there to honour.

If you do have a separate altar, decorate it with plenty of colourful flowers as well as the offerings to the elements. Invite guests to bring the favourite foods, photos and mementos of their loved ones to lay on the altar, and encourage the telling of stories, the playing of music and anything else that will make your celebration special.

If you encourage the celebration to happen every year on the same day you will find special traditions may grow from small beginnings. Oh and I guess the best time to celebrate is at the same time as the Mexican celebrations, which are the first two days of November or the last day of October when Hallowe’en is celebrated around some parts of the world.

Another fun part of the Mexican rituals I like is the making and distributing of the personalised candy skulls so that the person may ‘eat their own death’.

The Heart symbol was an important aspect of the soul to the Ancient Egyptians. It was regarded as the seat of the power of life as well as the source of both good and evil thoughts.

The most important of rituals upon death was the afterlife judgement of weighing of the Heart against the feather of truth (Maat).

The shape of the ancient Heart symbol, being more realistic than our modern depiction of the heart, is reminiscent of a container or vessel, (and was often employed as such).Rather than representing love, it represents the ‘holding’ of a person’s life. Therefore it was very important for the Heart to be well protected in life and death, just as it is today.If you use a Heart amulet, look after it. Regard it seriously and do not give it away. You may request to be buried with it or if it is of sufficient size it could be the used as the urn for your ashes!Use it as a vessel to speak your life dreams and desires to, you could even write these down and place them inside (better if the inside is hollow) . When seeking answers of life direction and purpose, use your heart amulet.

Make sure though that you do not fill your Heart with misery or bad thoughts about yourself or others. This is not the place. It is the place for words of prayer and love spoken with care.

The Ka was thought to be the LIFE FORCE or SPIRIT aspect of the soul. It existed independently from the bodily self.

The Ancient Egyptians referred to ‘returning to one’s Ka’ or ‘travelling in the company of one’s Ka’ upon death.

Imagine today the Ka being present as an ally. The Spirit guide that stands by your side, connecting you to the source of life and remaining by your side upon death.

A comforting thought when contemplating our own death or the death of a loved one.

This symbol is a most powerful symbol to include in our funeral rites.

To hide death in the background is bad for man.

Text of the Pyramids,1439

When death comes, it embraces the old like a child in the arms of its mother.

Papyrus of Ani

What can we do in modern western society to help improve our inevitable experiences with DEATH?

Can we better prepare ourselves by enriching the experience through art and/or ritual?

Why is death so hard for most of us to accept when it is the one certainty of a life’s journey?

I’m speaking from a non-religious Western cultural perspective because that’s where I come from, but I am aware that people from different religions and cultures do have some practices in place that make their relationship to death more palatable.

I’d like to explore some ideas, continuing on with the Ancient Egyptian theme of the soul, over the next coming weeks and I invite anyone out there to share their death dealing stories or recipes.

Below are some quick links I found related to Death and dying:

Death Online is a general information site from the museum of Australia on the facts of death.

A Natural death site from the UK with all types of information about more ecological funerals and burials. Even though a lot of the information is UK specific, there are relevant links for people in other countries as well.

Life Art, a company based in Australia who make eco-coffins which can be painted.

Ecopods are some of the coolest looking coffins I’ve seen. Again they are biodegradable. The company is based in the UK.

The deathclock site is funny though a bit spooky and coud be a good wake up call for some.

I also found this really great article by Celebrant, Pamela Gray about her thoughts and ideas on how to create a funeral personal and special.

To the Ancient Egyptians, the Ba, (often depicted as a hawk with a human head), represented the individual’s soul and specific personality. It takes flight from the body upon death, but would also revisit the body and reanimate it and converse with it . It was regarded as eternal and yet could slip into decay if not properly nourished ie : offerings from the living.

It was as important to the ancient Egyptians to care for their Ba as it is for us today to nurture all aspects of ourselves. The way we care for ourselves has a bearing on how we feel and how we are perceived within our communities. If you believe in any kind of life after this one then to feed your Ba with love and wisdom today may benefit your existence beyond death.

Take this image and idea and make it your own. Make your own Ba. Create a version of the symbol that represents ‘You’. An ally who knows you completely because it is the essence of you. It represents the part of you that people think of when you are not physically in their presence. It represents the part of you that’s imbued in the things that you create and the part of you that lives on after you die. Feed it well. Look after it. Be familiar with it. Send it out into the world as your ambassador. It is one of the most powerful symbols you can have on your side.

Your Faculty of movement or Ba will live forever,
Like Orion set in the navel of the Goddess of Heaven.
You will become as gold,
You will shine brilliantly.
In the constellations of the stars you will fulfil a royal function.
Your name will be great in the West.

Ritual of Embalming

The above text is taken from The Living Wisdom of Ancient Egypt

I’ve uploaded a simple black and white version of the above design to my Cafepress store.

I’m currently in the process of setting up my own Symbolica shop at Cafe Press to sell some of my art work and generate some income. For the sake of simplicity I’m starting with ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs and symbols (my favourite era by far). I am choosing glyphs that look interesting as well as say something appealing or have a symbolic purpose.

As well as t-shirts there are lots of other items you can buy through Cafe Press. I just love the simplicity of the concept of having someone else provide the products and service to the customer whilst I concentrate on my art work and design. What I also love is that anyone can use this type of service to create their own products, for themselves or for gifts for friends.

I realise that many people out there have been aware of this concept for a long time. I am a bit slow, but I am ready to embrace the process heartily because one of the major stumbling blocks for me as an artist and craftsperson has been the amount of money I’ve needed to outlay in order to make a living, especially as a jeweller.

With regards to my jewellery, I also discovered Ponoko . The concept is basically the same, you set up a shop and upload your designs but instead of having them printed on t-shirts your designs are laser cut into timber of acrylic. People can order your product and buy directly from the Ponoko site as well.

I read an article on Ponoko’s Blog – (small excerpt below) about ‘Generation C’ (which means Content created digitally) that really inspired me to get moving down this path.

I think the Make-It-Yourself movement is very much linked with other shifts towards sustainable design and consumption, a return to crafts and appreciation for uniqueness and individualization, and filling the needs of many long-tail consumers. I think this trend will most definitely prevail beyond 2008 and become a major part of the status quo.

I will work on setting up shop on Ponoko next once my shop at Cafe Press is up and running smoothly. I’ll keep you all posted with both.

My first Cafe Press design is actually one I illustrated a number of years ago for a t-shirt for my friend’s child. The illustration was influenced by a photo I took when I was in Egypt in ’82. The character carved into the huge stone block lying on the ground before me was incredibly striking and very different to anything I had seen before.

He was the God Bes and was regarded by the Egyptians as protector of families, especially women and children. I’ve always loved his playful, if somewhat menacing figure. I like the idea of him protecting me and my family from any lurking evil spirits out there, and as I say in the blurb next to the t-shirts for sale- If your kids wear this symbol they’re sure to frighten off any bullies in the sandpit or playground!

If anyone has a symbol design or product request please let me know and I will do my best to oblige.

Oh wise, industrious little Honey Bee,
Buzzing away in your studio of creation.
Will you energise us with your song and nourish us with your honey?

The bee is a perfect symbol for artists of all kinds. It’s dual nature symbolises not only the material but also the spiritual aspect of life.

Working with the symbol of the bee can be especially helpful for someone who is feeling listless or uninspired creatively. Contemplating the bee can encourage us to let go of our egos in order to return to the flow of creative activity.

The bee symbol is a good reminder that our works of art can nourish and sustain our community as well as ourselves.

Because of the major role of the queen bee and the thousands of female ‘workers’, the bee has long been associated with the feminine aspects of nature. Therefore she can be used to develop the creative feminine aspects within us all.

Historically the bee has been employed by many cultures. The ancient Egyptians used the bee symbol within their hieroglyphs to depict royalty. Incidentally in my research I found that the honey bee would also be a good symbol for any women out there called Melissa, as the name has a Greek origin meaning ‘honey bee’.

What sets the honey bee apart from insects like the equally industrious ant, is it’s ability to fly, it’s very important flower pollinating duties, and the act of distilling honey from the nectar of flowers.

The bee is equally revered for it’s collective work within the hive as well as it’s individual qualities.
As an individual she has been used to symbolise the vital principle, and is an incarnate of the soul.

“Busy as a Bee”
“Working bee”
“A bee in your bonnet”
These relatively modern uses of the word ‘bee’ all invoke focussed and busy activity. Either working collectively or individually.

The use of candles, oil burners and even good soft lighting can be powerful tools for transforming a person’s mood. By lighting candles in a conscious manner, we enhance the likelihood of moving from an agitated or unfocussed state to one of relaxation and focus.

Imagine the flame of the candle as a symbol for your soul. When you stare at the flame for a while, what thoughts go through your mind? Do you find yourself more connected to the sacred in life? Do you feel your daily life’s concerns slipping from your thoughts? Can this simple act become a part of your day?

It is the fifth day of Hanukkah -the Jewish Festival of Lights, and I thought I’d briefly look at the symbolism of the candle lighting in this festival.

One main aspect of the celebration is the lighting of a new candle every day for eight days, which relates back to a conflict between the Jewish people and the Greco-Romans in the second century B.C. As a consequence of the conflict, the sacred oil in the Jewish Temple of Jerusalem was defiled by the enemy. The eternal flame had only enough oil left to burn for one day but miraculously remained burning for eight days- just enough time in which to have some more sacred oil brought in.

An article written by Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh which not only explains the origin of Hanukkah in depth but also goes on to discuss his views on Judaism and Science, which relates to the origins of the celebration of Hanukkah.

Have you been stuck in a behavioural pattern for a long time that’s making you unhappy?

Do you find yourself blaming the people around you, your environment, your lack of money etc. for your misery?

You might find an ally in the symbol of the LOTUS flower. The lotus is also very connected to the feminine qualities of nature and the ancient Egyptians referred to the Lotus as being the one of the first life forms to emerge from the abyss, who they referred to as NUN

If you are ready for a change follow me on a little journey towards a new beginning.

Whilst you’re blindly wallowing around in the murky depths of your life, imagine reaching out for something that feels like a thick soft stem. Yes that’s it! It’s beginning to move, pulling you upwards. Now hold on tight with all your might. Soon is will be dawn. Up you will swim through the black mud, towards the light above the surface. You break free and gasp for breath. Stop! I know you are excited but don’t swim for shore just yet, take another breath, a longer, deeper one this time.

Observe that attached to the life line that you still cling to is a ball of soft petals. She is unfurling to reveal her true inner beauty. You expected her to be covered in shit but no, she is magnificent in her pure white naked self. She turns away from you and tenderly stretches up to greet her lover, the sun, basking in his warmth.

What do you feel? Is this jealousy ? Is it sorrow or fear? Bowing your head, you begin to sink back to your place of stinking comfort.

But wait! What is this? As you sink you catch a glimpse of yourself.

Your hand is not a hand, your body is not your body. You are made of the same fabric as the flower. You are one and the same, magnificent and yet devoid of ego. You are now aware that you will return to the depths again, as sure as the sun will set. But now that you have witnessed your true nature you feel more resilient against the influence of the mud below.

The beauty of the Lotus flower remains intact untouched by the often putrid waters from which it emerges.

Remaining whole and centred despite the condition of our environment.

Life goes on….

The Egyptian white Lotus flower rises above the surface of the water each day at dawn to greet the sun, it returns to the murky depths below the surface at dusk.

Moving gracefully through the cycles of life- Birth, death & rebirth.

These are the qualities I think of when asked about the symbol of the Lotus.