A. Venefica’s Weblog: Symbolic Meanings

The symbolic meaning of the rose is known by almost everyone on some level - otherwise it wouldn’t be the most popularly sent flower on Valentine’s Day (I know, I’m 2 weeks too late here).

The rose is associated with Aphrodite (Greek) goddess of love who was often depicted adorned with roses around her head, feet and or neck.  In myth we track down this association when we discover that a rose bush grew within the pool of blood spilled from Aphrodite’s slain lover (Adonis).  We can interpret the symbolism here several ways.  The most common interpretation is that the rose symbolizes an immortal love or a union that will never fade - even through time or death. 

Similarly in Christian lore, a rose bush was said to have grown at the site of Christ’s death.  His blood serving as the association with a red rose, combined with its thorns is thus symbolized the ultimate sacrifice. 

In addition to being a symbol of love, the rose is also representative of secrets or tacit understanding.  The term “sub rosa” means under the rose and comes from the practice of Romans hanging roses above meeting tables.  Here it was understood that anything said at this table, beneath the hanging roses, was forbidden to be repeated elsewhere. 

Seeking symbolic meaning of the rose from an esoteric perspective, we can look at the Tarot,  in which the rose is considered a symbol of balance.  Here the beauty of the rose expresses promise, new beginnings, hope.  This beauty is contrasted with its thorns which represents defense, physicality, loss, thoughtlessness.  The rose is seen in the major arcana as: Magician, Strength, Death and Fool cards.  All of these cards hold strong meanings of balance and equilibrium.

The color of the rose is symbolic as well: (flower color meanings can be found here in flower meanings in general can be found here ).

• Yellow Rose: Joy, Protection against envious lovers, Mature love
• White Rose:  Purity, Sanctity, Secret admirer, Mysticism
• Red Rose: Sacrifice, Immortal love, Health, Memorial, Passion
• Pink Rose: First love, Innocence, Healing 

Click here for more symbolic meaning of the rose, and other flowers

Now that we know a little history and symbolism of the rose, our giving of them to the ones we love can be more profound and rich in meaning.

One of my readers asked the question: “What does a dreaming of God mean?”  The following is my response:

Dear Divinity Dreamer:

I could never presume to know.  Each of us has a different and special relationship with God.  Indeed, each of us has a different understanding & interpretation of the concept of God.

And so, dreaming of God can mean many things to many different people.  Ultimately your own heart determines the meaning in your mind.

However, a some symbolic meanings when we dream of God include:

• Wanting a closer connection with the divine
• Feeling confident in a situation
• Seeking answers in your life
• Seeking deeper spiritual connection
• Wanting to discover the meaning behind a secret
• Wanting a burden to be removed in your life
• Wanting to feel lighter, more carefree
• Wanting to be understood
• Wanting to feel more powerful

These are just some general directions.  I would encourage you to meditate (think/focus/concentrate) on the dream and its details.  This will provide you with more clarity.  Write down your thoughts and experiences.  The more you contemplate the dream, the more understanding will come.

Again, ultimately your own heart and soul can tell you the true meaning of this dream.

I received an email from a gentleman who was experiencing the phenomenon of 37 reoccurring in both his and his girlfriend’s life on a consistent basis.  This is a fascinating phenomenon in which two people consistently experience the same number sequence over and over.  Below is my response to the symbolic meaning of numbers repeating: 

Dear Ephemerally Numeralized,

Numbers offer us so many messages and endless ways for us to interpret.

You can look the numbers separately, together, combine them, add them, divide them…even interpret them visually.  Numbers are crazy-fun to play with in the world of symbolism.

Furthermore, each number carries with it a vibration.  In the realm of energy, each vibration will attract a similar one.  Essentially, you and your girlfriend are vibrating at the same frequency as the energy in number 37 and vice versa.

That said, I would encourage you both to do a personal study on numbers and their meanings.  Then play with this number sequence of yours and begin to see how its various meanings weave meaning/insight into your lives.

Individually, your number expresses creativity and perfection.  It’s a charming number with promise of new ideas, new projects, and creative ventures with the promise of stability ahead.

Learning or education may be required in order to launch these creative endeavors…but that’s okay, because you both will enjoy the process.

This is also a very grounding number…again promising stability.  It’s also a happy number and the vibration is very high.

In numerology a common practice is to “reduce” a number sequence.  In this case: 3+7=10  Ten’s are all about completion, satisfaction, and coming full circle….this leads us back to the assurance that creative endeavors will come full circle, and will “land” you into more a more satisfactory state.  Interestingly, 10 indicates the Wheel of Fortune card in the Tarot.

Visually, this number beckons you maintain balance.  You have the erratic curves of the three juxtaposed the very strict & staunch looking seven. This is a warning that you must not let one aspect (creativity) outweigh another (structure/order).

This gives you and your girlfriend a start, the rest is up to you both to explore.  Have fun with your continued experience with the number 37. 

The more you play with these numbers and research their meanings as applicable to your lives, the more rewarding and meaningful your number journey will be.

This post is part of a synchroblogging project orchestrated by Mahud, the author of a fantastic mythology blog, Between Old and New Moons.

I didn’t know what synchroblogging was (still don’t really), but I gather from Mahud’s post here that participants of this project are to write on the same topic within the context of their niche. 

The topic of our collaborative project: Landscapes.

No-brainer for me.  I love the creation myths connected with the symbolic landscapes of the Norse.  

Below is my perspective on the Icelandic tale of the creation of its fabulous landscape and inception of life (a summarized version, of course): 

Prior to the birth of the cosmos, the tip of time marked a fine line between fire and ice.  

This division between the realm of fire and ice pinned the definition of duality in place, as no two counterparts could be more different that these.

Separate, they embody dynamic characteristics and appropriately, they house equally dynamic overlords.

Muspell, the realm of fire, was governed by the lava lord Surt, a massive giant and fierce ruler.  His heat grew with the passage of time and slight drifts of warmth began to eek into the edges of Niflheim, the ice realm. 

As the warmth of Muspell continued to gently wave over the cold lands, the ice of Niflheim began to melt.  Over the ages, Ymir, the ice giant lord of Niflheim, was uncovered from his silent, icy catacomb.

As one might imagine, Ymir was a foul-tempered giant (who wouldn’t be after spending an eternity on ice).  His ways were bitter, and his driving force was to wreak havoc for Odin, foremost of the Norse gods.

In the end, Ymir’s plot to destroy the gods failed as the gods Vili, Ve and Odin valiantly fought the formidable ice giant and killed him. 

Ymir’s death became the legacy of the land. 

From his flesh the earth was formed.  His blood surged forth and carved mighty rivers througout the newly formed land.  Wherever his blood settled and pooled, these became oceans, lakes, and ponds.  Rocks, boulders and craggy domains were products of the giant’s teeth and nails. 

Lastly, together the gods raised Ymir’s skull and formed it into the chamber of sky, and his brains became the clouds…forever drifting thoughts of his own passing.

Now that’s composting at its best.

That’s my bit of participation.  Click on the links below to access all the other entries in this mythological synchroblogging extravaganza:

• Between Old and New Moons: Chanting the Landscape (Navajo)
• Aquila Ka Hecate’s Post: The King and the Land are One
• Paleothea - Sing, Goddess: Ge, Gaia, Gaie, Earth 
• Mythprint Blog: The Legend of Atlantis 
• Quaker Pagan Reflections: An Online Journal
• Dance of Elements: Landscapes and Mythology
• Pitch 313: Transcendental Experience Out of Doors, a Gateway to Magic
• Executive Pagan: Nature and Me
• Druid’s Apprentice: Landscape Synchroblogging Post
• The Druid Journal: Meet A Guide
• Manzanita, Redwoods and Laurel: Importance of Local Landscapes
• The Dance of the Elements: Landscape and Mythology

Post Script: Thanks to Nick Russill for the use of the photo of a fragmented ice cap in Iceland.  Click on the image or his name to see his other photos on Flickr.com

I received an email from an individual who was told his birthdate held a numeric value of eight, and his name ended in eight.   He was told this was an ill-omen in regards to finance and business. 

Although it is true that eights correspond with matters relating to wealth and success, having your name and birth-date corresponding with eights is by no means a sign of doomed fortune.

I took this opportunity to express the importance of our own interpretations of signs and symbols.  In other words, we are not slaves to our symbols.  On the contrary, symbols are merely tools for our success.  What follows is (what I hope) was a push in a more positive direction for this individual.

Dear Crazy Eights:

Have you contemplated the numeric value of your whole name?  Here is a link describing the process of determining your name in numbers.

Click here for another link I’ve written about the symbolic meanings of the number eight

To be straightforward with you - I believe we make our OWN destiny.

Furthermore, if you notice in all my writings, I rarely allude to a negative aspect of a symbolic meaning.

It’s not that there isn’t one…every symbol (number, omen, sign, etc.) has an opposite - it’s natural law.  But I think we have the privilege of choosing what we want to believe.

Investigate the beauty in the symmetry of the number eight.  Tip it on its side and recognize it is the lemniscate (symbol for infinity - here’s a link to a post about it) - what does that say to you?  That’s a pretty powerful message to me - it speaks of limitless potential.

We can look at our numbers, symbols and signs from endless angles.  Find the angle that works best for you.  You are the one with divine potential - I would encourage you to disallow something outside of yourself to diminish that divinity.

Symbolic meaning of the crab deals with:

• cycles
• regeneration
• protection

These creatures are lunar symbols, as indicated in the Tarot where a crab (or sometimes a lobster or crayfish) is indicated on the Moon card and enhances the overall symbolism this card represents.

Crabs cast off their shells for new ones, and this is where the rebirth/cycling association plays its part.

The protective symbolism is evident in the hard, spiny exo-skeleton found with these creatures.

When the crab crawls into our consciousness we’re reminded of the cyclical nature in our lives and what protection we may need for the path on which we embark.

The Crab signifies prosperity, success and high status in Chinese symbolism because the Chinese word referring to its shell is a pun on the term used for the highest score a candidate can make on the Chinese Imperial Examinations (first, or jia). Two crabs represent the first and second scores of the Examinations.

Symbolism shows itself everywhere.  Even candle flames hold their own messages.  Here are a few symbolic portents and symbolism’s of candle flame based on Appalachian lore as well as other esoteric parables:

• Accidentally tipping over a candle (aside from being alarmingly dangerous) is a sign of a wedding or partnership to come
• Flame curling or looping at the tip is a portent that someone is talking about you (are your ears burning too?)
• Blinking or sputtering flames are a plea to take a break, be patient otherwise you may be disappointed
• A flame moving or swaying from side to side is a portent for travel opportunities on their way to you
• Travelers will be coming to you if the flame is burning straight and tall
• Predominance of blue within the flame indicates a frost is coming and/or you are being paid a visit from a non-local energy
• Not being able to light a candle supposedly foretells a storm will blow over

Information on familial indicators such as symbols for twins, symbols for mother or sisters are common requests.  I’ve yet to publish a page on symbols for brothers.  Here is a quick-reference on a few common symbols for brothers:

• Double thunderbolt (German)
• Handshake (Western)
• Bears (Native American)
• Crossed broadswords (Celtic)
• Copper (Alchemy)
• Two torches diagonally crossed (Roman)

This post has moved here.

This Chinese new year is the year of the rat.  Meanings dealing with this animal of the Chinese zodiac include:

• Industriousness
• Ingenuity
• Necessity
• Resourceful
• Production
• Foresight
• Luck

Rats cycle an appearance every 12 years.  Rats also occur on even-numbered years (1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, etc.). 

To begin interpreting the meaning or portents of this year within the context of its identification with the rat, we could begin by combining the above listed Chinese attributions with its numerological associations.

 For example even-numbered years are symbolic of :

• Balance
• Duality
• Compensation
• Partnerships
• Judgement
• Choice
• Planning
• Joining

 This year is about structure, and completion only for us to turn around and see something new pop out and surprise us.

This is the year to finish long term projects that have been hanging over our heads for far too long (years long even).  Whatever loose ends we have been slack in tying will be snipped this year if we don’t tend to their completions once and for all.

The message of this year is preparation.  The more prepared we are, the more able we are to roll with the flow this lunar year.  If you’ve had control issues, anxiety issues or a need for dominance, begin to slip out of these behavioral patterns as pedestal-toppling is likely this year.

 This is also evident in the leap year which we are now currently experiencing.  It’s only one extra day, but it’s vastly significant in the churn mill of consistent energy.  In other words, leap years are a bit like wild-cards. 

Leap years take place every 28 years. 

In numerology, we practice reduction of numbers to bring down a sequence to a single numeral (making it easier to handle). 

When we reduce the 28 year leap year cycle - 28 is reduced to number 1.  Similarly, 2008 is also reduced to a number 1.  This number is symbolic of new beginnings, and can be further interpreted from the Magician card in the Tarot deck.

What does this mean?  Just as we work to tie up those loose ends, something new is going to fall right into our laps.  The sky certainly isn’t falling chicken little - but there is a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on. 

Of course, that’s just my view - ultimately you are the only observer & therefor the only accurate interpreter. 

Do some research on the Chinese culture and how they interpret various symbols.  Do some reading on their concept of time, and their perspective on cycles. 

Meditate on the year, does it have a feeling to it?  Look at all the variables and subtle differences this subject presents - bring them all together and draw your own well-informed conclusion.