Magical Symbols

A paper recently presented on October 25, 2006, by independent researcher Judy Kay King at the Second International Congress for Young Egyptologists in Lisbon, Portugal, is now available at www.isisthesis.com/papers.htm.Selected by the Congress’ scientific commissions, King’s paper and approximately 55 other scientific papers, including those by prominent members of the International Scientific Commission, such as Professor Erik Hornung of the University of Basel, Professor Rosalie David of the University of Manchester, and Professor Ian Shaw of the University of Liverpool, introduced research related to the theme “Erotica,Erotism and Sexuality in Ancient Egypt.”Entitled “Biosemiotics in Ancient Egyptian Texts: The Key Unlocking the Universal Secret of Sexuality and the Birth of the Limitless,” King’s paper explains the reproductive mystery that has been manipulated by biopower from ancient Egypt to the modern era. This secret is commonly understood by 21st century scientists as viral sex, that is, horizontal gene transfer (HGT) mediated by a virus or the exchange of DNA between two different species—human and viral.

The difference between modern scientific knowledge and Egyptian science is that the ancient texts claim HGT and transformation happens after a human dies. Accordingly, when biological elements escape the human body at death, Egyptian hieroglyphs and art support HGT is a potential evolutionary option, if one understands the signs.King said the texts advise the Deceased to merge with the Sun-god or the Light, the initial sign for HGT mediated by a virus called bacteriophage Lambda. The virus’ lifestyles mirror religious themes such as the dying/rising god, virgin birth, the brother rivalry, the great flood and so on, pointing to viral genetics as the origin of religious ideas. King summarized three points: “First, the Egyptian afterlife is the quantum world of particles; second, the Sun-god Osiris is a complex virus with two lifestyles mirroring historical religious themes; and third, other Egyptian deities are signs for viral and bacterial genes and proteins.” Biosemiotics is all levels of biological sign processes. This transdisciplinary science holds that biology is the basis of all signs and sign interpretation, as Egyptian texts support. Ancient religious signss......

This is not only the Witches principal working tool, but also a symbolic representation of their magical power. A Witch may have none of the other Magical tools, but they will always have a knife set aside for magical use, regardless of what material it is made out of.The term 'Athame' probably originated in Ceremonial Magick (see The Witches Way/The Witches Bible) from the word 'Arthana'. In Ritual Magick their are two knives; the black handled knife used for ritual within the circle and the white handled knife for actual cutting.It is from here that Gardner took the idea of the two knives which we find in Wicca today. Quite simply, they are imports from Ritual Magick, although the roots of the knife in Paganmagical practice are far older. The knife as a magical tool can be traced back to the dawn of mankind.

A bladed weapon was the first purpose made tool, initially by the knapping of flint and later as early technology developed, made in metals such as bronze and iron. It was an important tool, and still is, in a setting where survival was dependant on being able to cut and scrape materials from your immediate environment. It is not surprising that the knife came to magically represent an individuals control of the elements when you look at it from this perspective. The knife therefore became an important symbolic tool in magical ritual. For the above reasons the element of Fire is traditionally attributed to the Athame. Principally because of the use of Will in controlling the elements, but also because it was forged by the Smith (amagical profession) in the furnace. Event the original flint knaped blade can be associated with this element - flint being an important tool in the production of fire. Of course, not all Witches use metal Athames nowadays, and there has been a fashion in recent years for ones made of sacred woods (in which case an association with the element of Air is probably more fitting). If you work with certain energies you may want to choose a knife made of an appropriate material. It is said, for instance, that 'iron scares away the fairy folk'. So, obviously, if you intend to work with 'Fairy energies' you may be better off with one made of wood or if your budget can stretch to it, one of bronze or silver. We should point our that a wooden Athame is used more like a wand, and is not an instrument of 'command' in the same way that a metal Athame is. You may not find itas effective......

A great deal of mythology exists in regard to the turtle. In the Far East, the shell was a symbol of heaven, and the square underside was a symbol of earth. The turtle was an animal whose magic united heaven and earth.The turtle is a creation of nature that carries its round shell over the ground, like heaven, and has a flat bottom, like earth. With a profile resembling a mountain and the turning motion of its toes, it seemed to be a depiction of heaven and earth changing constantly through the seasons.In the West, early Christians didn't like turtles, and they viewed them as symbolizing evil forces during war. In Greece, turtles were once believed to be citizens of hell. But like the Chinese, Indians have alegend that "the world is supported by four elephants standing on a giant turtle." After hearing a Western scientist clearly give a scientific explanation for the formation of the world, one old Indian woman said that he was wholly mistaken, that the world was being supported by a giant turtle. When the scientist asked what was under the turtle, she said, "Of course there is an endless pile of turtles, one on top of another." Turtles seem to possess an enviable and god-like resistance to aging, and so they came to symbolize longevity.

Their link to heaven and earth made them a natural for use in divination. Turtles are also symbols of immortality and are considered temporary dwelling places for souls making their way through a series of lives on the path to Nirvana. The turtle is considered to be the second incarnation of thepowerful god Vishnu in the Hindu religion. After a great flood, which occurs every four billion years and dissolves the earth, Vishnu transforms himself into a great turtle. On his back, he carries a vessel in which the gods and demons mix the elements necessary to re-create the globe. After a thousand years, when the earth has been reborn, the turtle remains in place, and on his back stands a large elephant, which support the planet. According to some Native American tales, the Earth Diver turtle swam to the bottom of the water that stretched across the world. He surfaced with the mud which the creator used to make the earth. The turtle is a shore creature, using the land and the water. All shore areas are associated with doorways to the Faerie Realm. The turtle is sometimes known as the keeper of the doors. They were often seen as signs of fairy contact and the promise of......

The elemental cross is a little-used (or little-referenced) symbol in popular Pagan literature. One usually finds the pentacle in use—for devotion, quarter-calls, altar equipage, magic, and decoration—at the cost of any other symbol.Thus it was with surprise that I first heard the idea that the elemental cross might fulfill a sacred purpose in Pagan practice. In Essential Wicca, authors Paul Tuitéan and Estelle Daniels suggest the elemental cross might replace the invoking and banishing pentagrams in quarter-call use, with each spoke representing a different element. The symbolism made sense; I liked it.I was also reminded of a favorite book in which the elemental cross wasfeatured prominently.

In Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising, the elemental cross is a “sign of power.” Why, I now ask, would she choose this shape? Certainly it is more accessible to the general public than is the pentacle, and perhaps there is mythological significance that I have forgotten, but could the reason be more intrinsic to the shape? Perhaps its elementary structure gives it universal appeal, or its layered yet flexible meanings make it so common cross-culture. Whether out of love for Cooper’s story or for some other reason, the elemental cross remained a powerful symbol in my memory. Drawn to it as others are to certain deities, I selected it as my personal sacred symbol.

The Symbol This sign is composed of an equal-armed cross, arms terminated by the surroundingcircle; thus it resembles a wheel with four spokes. The circle and cross are often two of the first symbols drawn by children of all cultures. The circle is perhaps our most basic symbol, representative of the sun and the eternal nature of life. Circles unite thoughts on paper and people in ceremony. The equal-armed cross represents four seasons, four directions, four archangels, four winds, and four quarters to many neo-Pagans. Many things come in fours, and the equal-armed cross is very naturally a significant symbol. The combined symbol, too, is very natural. It appeared in rock carvings and in the earliest systems of writing—including those used by the Egyptians, Etruscans, Hittites, and more. It today symbolizes both the planet Earth and the element earth. Often is also represents the Sun. Other meanings, past and present, include thunder, power, energy,head,......