myths symbols sandplay

Water Symbolism

 

 

 

 

 

Water is a universal symbol of the unconscious mind and is linked to the moon, femininity, and irrationality. Oceans are equated with chaos as they are boundless and ungovernable. The conscious mind is more closely linked to the lake or pond. The ancient belief that the earth was created from primordial waters is a psychological metaphor for the birth of ideas in the unconscious mind.

Water: primordial substance of Goddess Mother; one of the four elements; all four elemental symbols are found in the hands of Kali, the pre-Vedic Great Mother; in Sanskrit "Va" is one of the primary mantras the brought the universe into being; the glyph for water is a circle with a horizontal line, like the sea horizon, called a diameter, which literally means "Goddess Mother"; the primordial Ocean of Blood, the Generative Womb of All, the Deep

Cup: medieval universal symbol of water, the mother element; represents the water of the sea womb which gave birth to the earth and all that lived on it

Fountain: the fons vitae, or fount of life, was the source of the life force, the primordial "nether upsurge" of blood/water from the womb of Mother Earth

Lapis Lazuli: traditionally symbolized water as the primordial element of creation

Lotus: Hindu womb of nature; symbol of the four elements, water being the surrounding support for the stalk of the lotus blossum

Ocean: equated with the Tao as the primordial and the inexhaustible

Pearl: created from the union of male (fire) and female (water); the merging of water and moonlight

River: symbol of purification, death and rebirth; dwelling place of gods, goddesses, water-spirits, nymphs, and naiads (in Greek mythology a type of female spirit)

Sea: the eternal deep; Egyptian name for the sea is Temu; symbol of birth and rebirth; holy baptismal waters; in Scandinavia called "the Mother’s Womb"; associated with ancient goddesses the world over; global universality of the sea goddess

Streams: sacred, life-giving water; curative; restorative

Well: the feminine principle; womb of the Great Mother; sacred portal to the "other world"

Autumn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Autumn.

Leaves turning.

Crisp blustery winds blowing.

My garden is getting ready to rest.

Autumn is symbolic of change, balance, mystery, preservation, protection, comfort, and letting go.

The Tarot

The origin and history of Tarot cards is unclear and surrounded by mystery. The many theories are different and unrelated. The earliest decks that have been discovered come from Egypt or Europe. Some say the Tarot originated from ancient Egypt as twenty-two pictures from the Major Arcana are depicted on an ancient Egyptian initiation chamber located in the Sphinx. Another theory states that the origin is India because of similarities in numbers and types of symbols. Some have linked the Kabala, with its system of numbers and letters, to the Tarot.

Sallie Nichols, a Jungian psychologist, wrote up the Tarot as having deep psychological and archetypal significance, even encoding the entire process of Jungian individuation into the tarot cards. (Sallie Nichols. Jung and Tarot: An Archetypal Journey. San Francisco: Weiser Books, 1980.)

Tarot uses a system of ancient visual symbols to gain insight to spiritual development and personality. The cards are rich with psychic imagery and mythical portraiture (Arrien, 1988). The structure of the deck consists of the Major and Minor Arcanas. The Major Arcana relates to "the internal stages of the development of consciousness" (Gerulskis-Estes, 1981). The Minor Arcana, made up of suits: Cups; Wands; Pentacles or Disks; and Swords, depicts "the Divine Forces in action on each sphere and level of nature" (Gerulskis-Estes). Both Arcanas contain cards related to love, happiness, and wealth.

Here are a few details for a small selection of cards relating to love, happiness, wealth. From the Major Arcana, the card named The Lovers represents unification, relationships, the marriage of opposites, and emotional balance. The card Strength stands for passion, awareness, aliveness, and creative expression.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 In the Minor Arcana, the Ace of Cups represents love with wisdom and emotional balance. The Two of Cups symbolizes love that is mutually fulfilling. The Nine of Cups stands for happiness, which comes from emotional fulfillment. The Prince of Cups represents emotional passion and desire. In the suit of Disks or Pentacles, the Ten of Pentacles symbolizes both internal and external wealth through the gifts of communication and healing. The Knight of Swords stands for passionate thinking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arrien, A. (1988) The Tarot Handbook. Sonoma: Arcus Publishing Company.

Gerulskis-Estes, S. (1981) The Book of Tarot. New York: Morgan & Morgan.

Symbols Of Good Fortune

Carp – eastern symbol of good fortune; Japanese symbol of the gracious acceptance of fate

Cloud – In China, clouds represent the transformation that humans must undergo to attain spiritual enlightenment; the Chinese word for cloud is the homonym for fortune; as such clouds are a symbol of good luck

Cricket – auspicious symbol of good fortune

Dragon – Chinese symbol of good luck

Elephant – Indian and African symbol of good luck

Four-leaf clover – symbol of good luck either because of its rarity or the arrangement of its four leaves representing the Maltese cross symbol of divine or heavenly illumination

The number 5 – In China, two (yin) and three (yang) equals five (wu) which brings good luck

Fox – as rain spirit, a black fox is the Japanese symbol of good luck

Horseshoe – in the Greek alphabet, the shape of Omega meaning ”Great Om"; the omega shaped horseshoe is often hung in doorways for good luck; symbol of the magic sign known as the Dragon's Head and the Dragon's Tail depending if it is hung with the open end up or down

Lizard – Egyptian and Greek symbol of wisdom and good fortune, sacred to Serapis and Hermes

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mandrake – images carved from the poisonous mandrake root were thought to bring good luck

 

The color red – Chinese color of good luck

Shell – positive feminine symbol of good luck

Stork – good luck symbol

Swallow – a swallow’s nest in the eaves of the house brings good luck

White rat – Roman animal who foretold of good fortune

Mandrake image from http://www.thepoisonreview.com

Fortune & Good Luck Deities

Allat – Nabataean mother goddess of fate; depicted with a cornucopia and a turreted crown

Fortuna – Roman goddess of good fortune; she personified luck and spoke through oracles; as Fortuna Redux, the goddess of the fortune that leads back, commemorating the return of Augustus in 19 B.C.

 

 

 

 

from http://religion.wikia.com/wiki/Fortuna

Ganesha – the gentle Hindu elephant-headed god of good fortune; son of Parvati and Shiva; worshipers invoke him before a journey or beginning an enterprisHo-Ho – Chinese luck twins who attend the god of wealth, Tsai Shen; each twin carries a jar planted with a lotus, the symbol of purity and perfection

Lady Luck – modern version of the ancient goddess of fate and good fortune

Lakshmi – lotus goddess of beauty and good fortune; wife of Vishnu; depicted wearing garlands of lotus blossoms and usually standing on a lotus flower

Meni – Assyrian mother goddess of fate; a lunar deity

Ngolimeno – mother of the spirit people; the Ewe people of Toga, West Africa believed the soul of each unborn child must first visit Ngolimeno who will grant them a happy life if they please her

Seimia – Syrian goddess of fate

Spider Woman – Native American weaver of the web of fate

The Shichi Fukujin – in Japan, the Seven Gods of Luck: Bishamon, Daikoku, Ebisu, Fukurokuju, Hotei, Jorojin, and Benten (the one goddess among the seven); Benten is often depicted riding an ox, the symbol of good fortune; she wears a jeweled diadem, carries a musical instrument, and is associated with geishas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Benten from https://www.kusuyama.jp/blog/culture/shichi-fukujin-seven-gods-of-luck-and-good-fortune 

 

Tyche – Greek deification of the element of risk; source a good or ill luck; often depicted with wings