A. Venefica’s Weblog: Symbolic Meanings

My friend Göran was curious about the sword symbolism as he begins pondering his next creative sculpted jewelry piece (click here to see his amazing sculpted jewelry art).

He’s done a lot of his own contemplation on the symbolic meaning of swords for his art work, and I thought I’d add to his thoughts by making this post.

Sword symbolism speaks of:

• Solidarity
• Defense
• Clarity
• Power
• Honor
• Force

Most perceptible is the symbolism of protection, honor and justice embodied in the blade of the sword. 

Metaphysically speaking the sword is symbolic of the penetrating power of the mind, and encourages the wielding of trained intellect to bring about the results we seek. 

The making of a sword incorporates all the elements: Earth, Fire, Air, Water.  This is a powerful point as it confirms the energetic pattern of the sword presents wholeness, balance, totality, and the unification of all resource to form a tightly focused beam of force (energy).

As an alchemical symbol aspects of the sword are representative of purification through the process of life and death.

Furthermore, Buddhism recognizes the sword as a metaphor in that the sword cuts through ignorance to reach to the truth in all things….“cutting through” wrong thought.

In Japan the sword is a symbol of courage and strength.  Here the sword is created by smithys in religious rituals.  Their swords are highly valued and serve as symbols of the warrior archetype.

As a Celtic symbol, the sword is connected to gain, wealth, honor, and establishment of hierarchy.  Often swords we be consider markers of familial ties, and indicate victories won for the purpose of insuring the survival of blood lineage.  Interestingly, swords were thought to be given as offerings by releasing them into the depths of the oceans.  I’ve written more about this and the sword’s connection with Nuada, here.

Mayans symbolism indicates the sword as the giver of life.  These people were intimate with the thin veil between physical life and spiritual life.  The sword serves as a gateway (when slain in battle or sacrifice) into spiritual life as the physical body passes and the spirit lifts into celestial unfolding.

As dream symbols, the sword is considered to hold meanings of intellect, seeking power, aggression, decision and action.  When we dream of swords our psyche is surfacing a message that it may be time for us to gain clarity about our position in life circumstances, take a stand and take action in a clear, discriminatory fashion. 

It may also hearken to our chivalrous archetypal nature.  Meaning, we may have an inclination to rescue someone (or ourselves).  Swords in dreams may also confirm our internal strength, that we are not prisoners of our circumstance, but we may cut away these limiting ties that bind us.

The symbolic meaning of the sword plays a large role in the language of the Tarot.  In  this esoteric light, a whole new realm of meaning about swords opens up to us.  I have written about the symbolic sword of the Tarot in depth here.

I’ve also written more in-depth thoughts on sword symbolism (including cultural perspectives) here.

The following is an excerpt from an interview I conducted with Swedish artist,  Göran Jönsson.  my intent with this interview is to share the special wealth of wisdom Göran has to offer, and to illustrate how symbolism can effectively serve as muse, inspiration, and artistic expression in all our lives.

WYS: How important is symbolism in your sculpted jewelry & artwork?

G: It’s a big part of the language I have inside me, which is the base of everything I make. On my website I make this statement: “Slate – Silver: For centuries, man has been using these materials to make beautiful things. The objective has been to honor or influence the powers that one believed in. Amulets were worn so as to receive some of their protective powers. These pieces of sculpted jewelry are a continuation of this long tradition.”

WYS: Which system of symbols (i.e., Greek, Hindu, nature, pop culture, Native American) do you find yourself drawn to the most?

G: I can’t tell you any specific culture, because I don’t have enough knowledge of all the different symbols in all cultures to make any kind of final judgment. This is one of the reasons why I appreciate the information on www.Whats-Your-Sign.com, there is an amazing amount knowledge on symbolism here.

What I can say is that many of the old native cultures appeal to me. These are indigenous peoples who lived very close with nature, and intimately understood the connection between humanity and earth. Some examples of these closely connected cultures are:

• Indians of North America
• Eskimos
• Sami (Lappish) people
• African Native people
• Aboriginals

WYS: Why do these cultures & symbol collections appeal to you the most?

G: Because these cultures respect and coexist with nature. Their way of living fills me with admiration and sometimes gives me hope for mankind. We could learn so much from them about how to live our own lives as well as how to respect life itself.

Click here for the full interview on Whats-Your-Sign.com.

To learn more about Göran Jönsson and his sculpted jewelry, visit his website at www.SculptedJewelry.se

I’ve gotten a few questions surrounding the symbolic meaning of the penny, specifically the symbolic meaning of finding pennies on our paths.  I respond thusly:

Dear Heads or Tails:

Consider the penny as a symbol of beginnings as it holds the vibration of number One. 

The meaning of One primarily deals with strong will, positivity, pure energy.  The number One reflects new beginnings, and purity. The symbolic meaning of the penny (number One) is further clarified when we understand that One represents both kinds of action, physical and mental.

This combined with the One’s urgency for new beginnings, we intuit number One to mean it is time to exert our natural forces, take action, and start a new venture. Numeral One gives us encouragement that our actions will be rewarded in kind.

Appropriate to the theme of new beginnings, we see Abraham Lincoln depicted on this currency.  This is symbolic of founding fathers concept, and deals with foundational thoughts & constructs.  Pulled more deeply in the meaning, we can say that seeing pennies (particularly heads-up) is a message for us to re-evaluate our founding beliefs.  We may ask ourselves what core beliefs do we have, and are they serving us appropriately?

Copper also holds a symbolic resonance (at least when they were primarily made of copper prior to 1982) with the astrological signs of Sagittarius and Taurus - you can investigate the attributes of these signs for further symbolism here.

Copper is also considered a solar emblem, and corresponds with the radiant features of the sun.  This combined with a myriad of other meanings, the symbolic meaning of the penny deals with bright ideas, fresh perspectives, and incorporating these new thoughts with our existing framework.  By combining the old with the new we find our lives expanded and new directions to our path.

Prime symbolism of silver deals with the moon and as such it is an attribute of feminine energy.

Chaldeans referenced silver by the female name of Nanna.

Rosicrucian alchemists attributed silver to the goddesses Artemis (Greek).

Renaissance alchemists divined with silver using Diana’s (Roman) personification.

Arabic alchemists invoked the feminine name of Manat when working with silver as an alchemical symbol.

Some quick symbolic meanings of silver:

• Purity
• Clarity
• Awareness
• Focus
• Single-ness of Purpose
• Femininity
• Persistence
• Vision
• Strength

Silver is symbolic of such attributes as awareness, clarity, and vision because of its bright/clear appearance. 

Silver is a symbol for strength because this metal withstands abuse, weathering, and even heat.  Nevertheless, it can still be molded into desired forms. 

This is symbolic of a subtle strength.  The message here is that we ourselves can be flexible enough to be molded into something better - but strong enough to keep our core integrity in tact.

Discover more about symbolism and silver by reading my interview with Göran Jönsson, an artist of sculpted jewelry made of primarily silver and slate.

Recently a reader asked me about the symbolic meanings of palladium.  She was designing a wedding ring with this metal, and wanted to delve into the symbolic properties this material represents.  To which I responded:

Dear Metal Monger: 

Palladium is in the Platinum family, and as such it shares many of its attributes:

• Strength
• Awareness
• Clarity
• Courage
• Hope
• Integrity
• Stability

Palladium is unique because of its relationship to hydrogen (it loves the stuff).  This casts a neat shadow on the spiritual properties of Palladium as hygrogen, as you likely know is the lightest element of the universe. Therefore, we can add the following symbolic properties to Palladium:

• Enlightenment
• Light-heartedness
• Ascension
• Progression

Further, Palladium is a moon metal, however hydrogen is a sun gas - this gives you a very yin-yang feel to the metal, and is good for wearers who require more balance in their lives. Furthermore Palladium loves to be worked on in the full moons and in the summer months - these times are at the peak of its vibratory power.

I hope this helps you in your creative processes while working with Palladium.

Regards & blessings to you,

A. Venefica