Symbolically yours


This thing and that thing and some of the other

This started a few years ago with me, with the whole brouhaha about the pentagram on the gravestones of Wiccan veterans. Now granted, it's been a long time since I called myself Wiccan, and even then I would tell people that I wasn't a "traditional" Wiccan.

Whatever the heck that is.

My personal beliefs don't share much with Wicca, other than some of the techniques and being an "earth-centered" faith. But Wicca was a convenient label, even if it was inaccurated. As time passed, I began to understand how a Jew might feel when they were lumped into the Jewish-Christian heritage thing.

There was stuff that I shared, but it wasn't necessarily because there was a formal meeting and a treaty was signed saying that pages 23 through 500 were shared, but anything else was off-limits. No, what I shared was because someone came along and appropriated something for their own use without consulting anyone else. Much like certain Christians did do to the Jewish faith, come to think about it.

But then we got into a discussion about the symbols used by the Department of Veteran Affairs for Wicca servicemen. And suddenly, Wicca = All Pagans.

Now for me personally, the pentagram is the wrong symbol for most things. Given a choice, I would prefer a triquetra (before it's appropriation by the Charmed television show) or a triskelion. These days I would still avoid the triquetra because it just takes too much to explain.

But this goes further. Given a choice, I wouldn't want a sign on my grave marker because I wouldn't want a grave marker. I want to be cremated and my ashes spread over many places.

One-size-fits-all doesn't work with symbols.

My preferred personal symbol is still the wheel cross. Unfortunately that has some associations with the White Power movement that I am not comfortable with. So usually I stick to a worldtree, or better yet a worldtree in a circle. A spiral works well too, but I can't deny that for me there is a strong sexual component to that particular symbol. Still different ways of looking at the same thing, just with a different emphasis.

Even something as simple as a circle can have different meanings based on context and who is using it.

Did you know that in a traditional Diné sandpainting, there is always a flaw to let the "spirits" in and out? But it's not really "spirits," it's really the Elder People. And some other things that you won't find defined in a book. The "real" sandpaintings aren't meant to be kept, they are transitory and powerful things. They aren't intended to hang on someone's wall as an example of Native American art.

Sex and religion is still one of the things that gets me into trouble. Not that I use sex these days in my rites (you really need someone who shares some of your beliefs to do that), but because I believe in the progenitive power of some symbols in context and occasionally certain fluids. Failing that, a little blood mixed here and there does the same thing. "Blood, sweat and tears" as my family still says. But you are in trouble if you show even symbols of a penis or vagina. There are some really clever pendents these days, pull a little chain and the phallus is erect. But that isn't something you can wear in a "family" crowd.

But stylized torture and crucifixion is okay.

Among some Pagans, there is the "goodness and light" crowd. These folks will tell you that ALL gods are really manifestations of our higher selves and that we aren't supposed to harm anyone. Or anything.

But I still like hamburgers. Circle of life and all that. Gods, that's another circle popping up, isn't it?

It's a mistake to say that a symbol always means x, yet there are people in every faith who will tell you that it does.

Posted: Sat - August 8, 2009 at 01:48 PM
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