• Fallyn said on Oct 14, 2008....

  that's a really interesting question.
  
  my parents religion doesn't believe in symbols.....they think it is next to idolatry. some churches have crosses in front of them, or on them.......but cross jewelry or stuff like that is frowned on....so are wedding rings.
  maybe both of those just stem from the "no jewelry" thing.
  i don't know.
  
  as for me? i don't know yet.
  

• beyondtheveil said on Oct 14, 2008....

  unique- In the US, I'd bet the dollar sign means more than anything. I'm sure corporate people worship it.
  
  One of the symbols that ever really meant anything to me is the Fleur de Lis. I have it occasionally through my house. Our spoon holder on the stove is a Fleur de Lis.
  
  If I was to wear a symbol, it would be the Cross of Lorraine.
  
  Both because of Joan of Arc.
  

• uniquely-ironic said on Oct 14, 2008....

  Fallyn - the religion I was raised in also forbade (or deeply discouraged) jewelry in all forms, so a wedding ring was a big step for me.
   
  BTV - interesting.  Isn't the fluer de lis a symbol for royalty as well?  I didn't know you had a special attachment to Joan of Arc. 

• diabolicdame said on Oct 14, 2008....

  I'm hindu so there are lots of symbols I have seen around me since I was a kid and that I believe in or understand. Lots and lots. The swastika, Om, mangalsutra which is a black beaded necklace for married women, the shivlinga which represents god shiva, the flute which represents god krishna, and many other symbols for goddesses.. it will take days for me to list down all of them.
   
  I find it easy to relate to symbols having grown up with them. Even some trees are symbols for some stuff for us. I wear a sapphire in gold around my neck. It is an astrology symbol and it stands for protecting me from ill effects of the cosmos.

• winterslight said on Oct 14, 2008....

  when i had surgery i took with me a rosemarry. i held on to it cause i was worried. but i had it  cause it reminds me of my great granny. she was a very strong woman so full of faith and i wanted a bit of it to give me that calming thing. and it worked i went in to it calm and i made it with no problems.

• uniquely-ironic said on Oct 14, 2008....

  dd - I'm familiar with some of the symbols you listed, but not the black beads.  What does that symbolize?  Do you think your life is richer for having symbols in abundance?
   
  winterslight - While I wasn't raised with rosaries I do occaisionally pick them up in stores.  The older ones kind of feel like they carry the energy of it's former users.  I like that feeling, and I bet you do too.

• beyondtheveil said on Oct 14, 2008....

  unique- She's extra special. I have marble busts, statues, movies, a large bronze with her on a horse and about 150 books on her, among other things. 

• uniquely-ironic said on Oct 14, 2008....

  BTV - Wow!  I've always admired her courage and conviction I dare say I don't really think of her more than once of twice a year.  What may I ask, is your reason for this connection?

• silver_phoenix said on Oct 14, 2008....

  beyond- whoa! thats awesome! Joan of Arc sounds like your personal hero.  :-)
  
  hey u-i: well since my family is not all that religious i've not really felt a spiritual connection to religious symbols. i've worn a cross as a fashion statement and as an extra little boost that maybe might help me get through the day. now i wear the heart locket with my grandparents (in heaven) pictures. of course, the heart stands for love. i, of course, have worn the peace sign because it's really a state of mind i'd like to see the world in. plus, it's rather hopeful.
  

• uniquely-ironic said on Oct 14, 2008....

  silver - very well thought out!  Yes, the heart shape does remind us of both our physical hearts as well as the people who we love.

• wombat said on Oct 14, 2008....

  I don't suppose it qualifies as a good answer, but I would say the shape of a butterfly for freedom and hope. (what it feels like to me, anyway)   I used to have a heavy silver butterfly necklace that I wore constantly---where did it go I wonder? 

• uniquely-ironic said on Oct 14, 2008....

  wombie - I think a butterfly is a wonderful symbol for freedom.  What could feel more carefree than the irratic, wind tossed flight of a butterfly?  Definately for hope, since a butterfly starts it's life as a plan looking caterpillar before it transforms into a colorful glorious creature.

• wombat said on Oct 14, 2008....

  Thanks....didn't know if I was off target for the subject.  I don't have a tattoo, and probably won't get one, either.  But if I did, it would be a butterfly.

• uniquely-ironic said on Oct 14, 2008....

  wombie - I've seen some beautiful examples of tattoos, but they're not for everyone. ;)

• queenparanoia said on Oct 14, 2008....

  yeah i believe in symbols... i guess its a part of me since i'm catholic... but recently the symbol that has a big impact to me was the rosary... you see back when i was working i lost it... i got frustrated after that...kinda made more depress and i feel lost... that rosary was special to me cuz my aunt bought it from egypt... anyway, when i lost my job i found it! it's just inside my bag... just to show that God was always there... i just didnt find him hard enough... well that's what i think... ;-)

• uniquely-ironic said on Oct 14, 2008....

  queenie - very interesting that when you misplaced it that it affected your peace of mind.  I would imagine finding it after losing your job finding it was very welcomed and comforting.

• queenparanoia said on Oct 14, 2008....

  uniquely: yeah it was very comforting when i found it... ;-)

• ZsuzsiO said on Oct 14, 2008....

  As Jewish as can be I must say, symbols are an active part of my life, and I am glad they are. I do believe that symbols are to tell us and the world around us who we are, where we belong and what we stand for - but some times they are holding the power of our faith.

  Let me explain.

  When the pharao declined to release the Jews from Egypt, God punished the Egyptians over and over. The last time was the death of the first borns. Moses was told that God does not want the Jews to be punished, so all the Jews must mark their doors with red paint, so when the night falls and the angel of death comes, all the Jewish homes would be untouched. Also, it is written in the Torah that we must have the word of God on our doors (forehead and arm too, but that is done when praying only). So a good Jewish home has something called the MEZUZA on the doors, which is a little rectangle shaped box with a very specific blessing in it. The blessing must be hand written, and it is highly important to place it in a way our tradition teaches us.  This is, for example, much more than just a symbol. People actually believe that the blessing in it is so important that when things go wrong in a family's life, and they go for an advise to the rabbi, the first thing he would say is to check all the Mezuza's of the home, and replace them if needed.

  After my divorce I was also told to get rid of my wedding ring, and if possible all jewerly that connects me to my ex. Selling it did not make sense, since the money I'd get for it would still conect me to the past, so I exchanged them all for other jewerly. Of course I did not get the price they have really worth, but all that did not matter. I must say, I am sooooooooo over my ex and the bad feelings he used to be able to cause me! I am no longer at urge to argue with him, and I am at peace about my divorce and my relationship with my ex. Does it have anything to do with the jewerly? I don't know. But even if it was a psychological action to get over things and let my past behind, the fact that I could assosiate a subject with the connection between my ex and I helped me to get a closeour.

  I wear a Star of David around my neck ever since I was a teenager. It represents who I am, where I belong to, and what I believe in. I would have a very hard time to hang a cross on me, even just as a fasion statement.

  I hang a "CHAMSA" on my bag and on my walls, because it is said to protect from evel eyes. A chamsa is a shape of a human hand with the five fingers held together creating a shield. Chamsa (or hamsa - the ch represents that throat sound only arabic languages have) actually means five in Arabic, and of course it represents the five fingers.

  All of our holidays are filled with symbolic foods and elements that all are there to simply remind us of the teachings of our past, and the teachings of the Book.  We do not worship these symbols as "gods", but understand that if one can assosiate a symbol with an element, than it can help us, humans to connect with it's importance.

  For example, honey us a natural sweetener that is created by nature (and by that I mean bees). We use honey every time we want to highlight the importantce of something good to come: the Jewish new year cannot happen without apple deeped in honey, and all kinds of foods with honey in them to represent the sweet year we are hoping for; children get a taste of honey when they first start to study the Torah and the Hebrew language to understand that it is something sweet, something good.

  Food just by it's taste can symbolize feelings, which is well know by the Jewish religion.

  It is forbiden for us to have tatoos or damage our bodies in any other way. If a Jew dies and has a tatoo on his body, it is actually cut out of the skin before the body is being burried, so it is given back as pure as it was received. However, most people I know have a tattoo or two, including myself. I don't know if it means anything to me, I just like the looks. I think it shows some kind of a personality.

  Not to mention jail tattoos, right?

  Should I have to decide on one single symbol that represents who I am - I would have to say, that I'd rather have something less common, something that represents me as an individual. I don't know what that would be though

  This reminds me, in pre-school in Hungary chldren have their own lockers where they can store their personal belongings for their daily needs. Since children cannot read at that age, the day cares/ pre-schools have a symbol system to help them recognise their lockers.  My sign was a baby stroller, but uthers had things like apple, ball, lollypop and other simple and child friendly subjects. I am a mother today, yet I can still clearly see the symbol assigned to me.

  Yes, I think if I'd have to have one thing as a personal symbol, I would have to go with the baby stroller. Just because no matter how old I am getting, deep inside I am still that little girl who naively wondered to the world. I think that my understanding, my experience and my actions might have created the woman I am today, but my whole being was given at that very age, when I got identified as the baby stroller. Funny, but I still have a picture of me from that time hanging on my MIRROR, because I just love that little girl who is smiling back at me.

• CayenneMan said on Oct 14, 2008....

     I carry around many symbols on my body that often relate a story without requiring an explanation with words, most speak for themselves they're called battle scars. As a kid growing up I hung around with the older crowd and learned alot the hard way and did it fast. If you sat off on the sidelines and watched me grow you knew right away I was'nt about to waste anytime in life obtaining those goals and accomplishments I seeked out to achieve usually at any cost regardless of any pain and suffering I may endure. Thank God I slowed down at fifteen or I may have met my demise.
       I've never felt the need to wear material property on my body to reflect any of my religous beliefs other then a wedding band that I often remove when I go out by myself .  .  .  I never said I was an angel.  ;0)   I do wear a self inflicted symbol on my right deltoid that can never be removed , not a tattoo but a brand of the sun. I don't know what I was thinking at the time nor why I put it there in the first place. But it is cool looking and I still recieve alot of compliments about it.
      Uniquely-ironic I like you, I like the way you think you always impress me with your blogging themes. Maybe if you ever get a chance you could write about triangles ?    ;0)      Have a nice night uniquely-ironic.

• secretlife said on Oct 14, 2008....

  i'm catholic-  i have a small statue of st joseph and a cross in my bedroom.  i've worn a necklace with a cross on it at various times in my life.  currently i don't wear anything but my wedding ring and a watch, but those religious symbols have been a part of my life for many years, and each year on palm sunday i replace a palm cross on the wooden cross and burn the old palm.
   
  the statue of st joseph was given to me when i was selling my old house 10 years ago-  the superstition my sister said, (she gave me the statue) goes that if you plant (yes bury) the statue next to your front door, your house will sell.
   
  after the house sold, i unburied st joseph, and took him with me.  he's just sitting on my dresser now...LOL

• Lucytorial said on Oct 14, 2008....

  Yes, my husband even has one tatoo'd on his chest.  Its something he created himself, we both talk of it often.
   
  Another such symbol for me is also based on my scottish heritage - I have a heather broach thats been passed down through 6 generations, it represents to us many things but essentially it is our roots.  Where the heather grows..

• diabolicdame said on Oct 15, 2008....

  u-i: I don't know if it richer as such.. because I have nothing to compare it to.. this is the only way I've ever experienced life.. ofcource I have friends from other reliegions and went to a christian convent school so I'm extremely familiar with other religions but I don't know what its like ot live them. But I do enjoy the symbols.. I think they are a means of expressing yourself..  their meaning being understood and related to by everyone, they are also a bonding factor.

• uniquely-ironic said on Oct 15, 2008....

  Zsuzsio - thank you for sharing your religious symbols.  I can see how they would enrich your life.  I also learned something new :)
   
  CM - I've never considered a scar as a symbol, but rather a "badge of honor" that you wore to show the world where you had been.  I was struck by how many 3s I saw in my symbol research, so I may very well have a triangle blog in me!
   
  SL - I don't think I've ever seen a statue of Joseph.  I commonly see them of Mary and baby Jesus.  Interesting supersition, and in your case it worked.
   
  Lucy - the brooch is definately a symbol of tradition and continuance in your family.  What inspired your husband to create a symbol specifically for him?  If it's not too personal, what does the symbol stand for?
   
  dd - I guess it would be tough NOT know if living in a symbol rich environment is all you've known.  Did you find the symbols of christian faith foreign?

• starchini said on Oct 15, 2008....

  I am very interested in symbolism but have not found the time to dedicate much of my self to studying it.  My Aunt C though, she is very mystical : )  ...  She is into all kinda of thing like tarot cards and tea leaves and talismans.  She knows im interested in it too so she feeds me a lot of info and once in a while gives me nicknacks and things.  She believes i was a dolphin in a past life bc of my obsession with water and my love of swimming.  She once went to a psychic and the psychic described me perfectly.  Saying the is someone special in your life that you share a deep connection with she is blah blah blah type of person and she is in need of luck at this time in her life.  My Aunt C new right away that it was me and decided to buy me a dolphin necklace.  Its a little silver dolphin pendent and i used to wear it all the time but over the years it has been lost in the vastness of my jewelry box.  I should really pull it out.  I do believe that it was lucky, and even if it isnt it was a very special gift.  I also frequently wear my grandmothers crucifix.  And I also wear a St. Christopher pendent.  I dont wear much jewelry lately but now after reading this post.  I think ill make a charm bracelet with all my necklaces.  That oughta reinforce a little luck.  Thanks uni : ) 

• uniquely-ironic said on Oct 15, 2008....

  star - I'd love to sit down with your Aunt C some time and listen to what she has to share.  Most of my research has been through online or books, so I haven't had a lot of interactive conversations.  I think the idea of making a charm bracelet with your necklaces is outstanding!!

• starchini said on Oct 15, 2008....

  Oh she is so much fun.  You walk into her house and it is completly zen.  Crystals in every windows.  Plats hanging al around.  little waterfalls hidden everywhere.  A crystal ball on her coffee table.  She drinks nothing but herbs and does regular cleanses.  Has a personal psychic she goes to monthly.  Performs tarot.  Her entire place is just a shrine to everything mystical.  Shes is a very openminded spiritual woman that believes there is energy good and bad that comes with everythings.  She is from the virgin islands and dresses in moomoo smocks with little frilly things along the bottom, intense patterns and bright colors.  Bangles up to her elbows and hair down to her thighs.  Shes my favorite Aunt and we are very very close.  She has taught me so much.  I love her dearly and miss her so much.  She is a free spirited globe travellor.  I believe she lives in florida as of now.  She was in nebraska for a while bc she was lonely for family.  She says nebraska kills her spirit.  Our winters can be harsh and make her feel trapped.  She thrives on the coast.  I am going to visit her soon, hopefully.  : )  Ud like to meet her i think : ) 

• uniquely-ironic said on Oct 15, 2008....

  star - she sounds interesting and exotic.  I really do think I'd like meeting her, but wonder if on a regular basis it might be a little bit "much" to deal with all of her eccentricities.  I'd be afraid that something I might do would upset her karmic balance.  You know, I have this aunt who's an interior designer, and I love spending time with her too, but in small doses.

• starchini said on Oct 15, 2008....

  lol yea uni, she has a good balance though.  Shes not too preachy.  Mostly she doesnt even talk about it unless someone asks.  Usually when i see her and ask how she is shell tell me about her latest psychic encounter or show me some prize she got for free in italy that brings luck.  But pretty much after shes a normal chic.  We talk about men and life and problems.   I remember one time when i was little and spent the night with her we ate alfredo pizza and watched the secret garden.  She has two really fun dogs too.  She loves her pooches.  idk, shes just fun.  But you are right, she can be quite eccentric.  Shes an RN, a smoker and a drinker and loves to have fun.   She just dips her hands into all sorts of stuff.  I always though it was funny that she is a Registered Nurse and believes a crystal can cure pretty much any ailment : P

• uniquely-ironic said on Oct 15, 2008....

  star - that does take some imagination stretching. (medical science in harmony with energy healing) 

• diabolicdame said on Oct 16, 2008....

  No I don't find the symbols of christian faith foreign.. they are very natural to my environment as well.. even a lot of my hindu friends wear or keep crosses or rosaries.. I'm going to attend a christian wedding soon.. you see the indian culture has such inter-mingled religions that we are familiar with and celebrate all of them. I've participated in carol singing contests and won even! I'm equally familiar with symbols and traditions of the jain faith, the buddist faith, the sikh faith, islam and the parsi (zorashtrian) faith. I live in a very fliexible environment as such..

• uniquely-ironic said on Oct 16, 2008....

  dd - I have no doubt in my mind that you're better for having such wide exposure to so many different faiths.

• FableJHill said on Oct 17, 2008....

  I also have a tattoo that reflects my philosophy and faith. There are a few different symbols contained in my tattoo, but the most powerful one is the star. It evokes so much in me. I reminds me of the universe and eternity and heaven and hope and life and death. . .there is something about how the light of a star that is not even there anymore can still be reaching us now. . .there is something I love about that immortality, and the ability for something so small to shine through the dark. 

• uniquely-ironic said on Oct 18, 2008....

  fable - I've always thought that was neat too about star light.  I bet your tat is a beauty.

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