Showing 131 articles

The Symbolism of Renewal

Author: Jean Grunfeld

May 11, 2023

As we approach the Vernal or Spring Equinox (First Day of Spring) once more, human beings today and over millennia have found various ways to note and celebrate the renewal of Nature’s cycle. The Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere takes place every year on or around 21 March. In 2023, the Spring Equinox will [...]

The Symbolism of Football

Author: Jim Pang

January 26, 2023

As the year ends with Argentina crowned as being the World Cup winners, it brings the 21st World Cup to a close. One that will be remembered for many firsts: the first time the tournament has been hosted in the Arab world, the first time it has been held in a Muslim country, the first [...]

Language of Symbols

Author: Sabine Leitner

January 26, 2023

The ‘Language of Symbols’ – a topic that is not only fascinating but is somehow also related to the causes of our current situation. Most of our problems today are the result of human action. Every action reflects our thinking, our worldview, the ‘story’ we tell ourselves why we do what we do. Our modern [...]

Heraldic Symbols of Famous Cities

Author: Istvan Orban

January 26, 2023

Heraldry, nowadays an auxiliary science of history, was once connected to armoury and the art of war. The name derives from the heralds, the officers of arms, who were originally messengers of the monarchs (ancestors of the modern diplomats), as well as the organizers of tournaments. This title still exists, even today. Heralds also have [...]

Heroic Symbols of the Feminine: The Myth of Eros and Psyche

Author:

January 26, 2023

In this article I will look at the archetypal hero’s journey with particular reference to its feminine aspect and symbolism. Symbols resonate on all levels of nature, meaning that feminine does not refer only to gender or biology (although there might be some relevant keys) but rather the understanding that the feminine is a principle [...]

Symbolic Imagination and Magical Memory in the Philosophy of Giordano Bruno

Author: Julian Scott

January 26, 2023

Imagination is the faculty that allows us to form or see images in our minds. Using elements from the physical world, imagination allows us to transcend it and build ‘castles in the air’. But there is more to imagination than mere fantasy. It also allows us to perceive images which are the reflections of ideas. [...]

The Journey of Individuation and the Power of Symbols

Author: Nataliya Petlevych

January 26, 2023

A whole new fascinating world to explore opened up when the notion of the unconscious was discovered. The human being turned out to be not such a straightforward mechanism as had been thought before. And a major role in understanding the importance of the unconscious and its role in shaping human personality and life was [...]

Nature, Symbols, and Numbers

Author: Florimond Krins

January 26, 2023

It is no surprise to anyone in our modern world that mathematics is a powerful tool to describe and even predict certain natural phenomena. From the simple cooking recipe to the launch of a rocket into space, mathematics and numbers are used and help us achieve our goals. As far back as antiquity, mathematical equations [...]

The Adventures of Pinocchio – an Alchemical Tale of Self-Transformation

Author: Agostino Dominici

January 26, 2023

I am sure that many people will be familiar with the Italian children’s story, The Adventures of Pinocchio, a 19th century novel written by Carlo Lorenzini (pseudonym C. Collodi), which became the most translated Italian book ever (it has been translated into as many as 260 languages worldwide!). The novel tells the story of a [...]

SACRED GEOMETRY: In conversation with Adam Williamson

Author: Manjula Nanavati

January 10, 2023

Adam Williamson is an award-winning calligrapher and sculptor whose permanent public works can be viewed around the U.K. He is drawn to particular shapes and patterns that embody universal principles found in nature, made visible through the hands of craftsmen. Adam has been commissioned by many prestigious clients including Oxford University, Shakespeare’s Globe London, Westminster [...]

The Feathered Serpent

Author: Nataliya Petlevych

July 6, 2022

Stories of ancient civilizations appear and evolve in the flow of time. The symbols they contain are multivalent and complex and the pursuit of meaning is never a simple task. Ancient Mexican legends tell of great cycles of construction and deconstruction of the world. There was a new dawn, a new age was about to [...]

Rethinking Contemporary Art in the Anthropocene – Planetary Aesthetics

Author: Siobhan Farrar

July 6, 2022

‘Anthropocene’ is the term given to our post-industrial epoch, whereby human activity has irrevocably altered the planet and its environment. The ascent of the anthropocene poses challenges across all areas of life, leading to species loss and looming existential crisis for humanity. For artists, being less tangibly involved in solutions compared to other sciences, it [...]