Friday, October 11, 2013

Symbolism

Symbolism has been around for as long as anyone knows.  Symbols are used all around us and for various reasons.  Depending on their image, they can instill happiness, caution or fear.  For the sake of this blog, I intend to discuss a few very recognizable symbols and their meanings.  After that, I will reveal a few of my favorite symbols.


Made you flinch, didn't I?  This is the ever-recognizable biohazard symbol.  It has been used in hospitals and labs for years to caution people to the presence of substances that cause a threat to one's health.  Recently it has been used as a symbol to warn of a zombie apocalypse. 


Ooh, this one caught your attention, didn't it?  Unfortunately, this symbol has become representative of racism and "white supremacy."  The dark period of the Holocaust used this symbol to breed hate and fear.  However, the swastika happens to be an ancient symbol of peace. 



This is an elaborate, Gothic ankh (AKA: the key of life).  I have this symbol tattooed on my right thigh.  Normally there wouldn't be any points and the symbol would be gold.  It is an ancient Egyptian symbol for eternal life.

Another ancient Egyptian symbol, the Eye of Horus (AKA: Eye of Ra) is symbolic of protection, royal power and good health.  I love the beauty of this one!
 
 
Are there any symbols that you fear?  What are your favorite symbols?
 

6 comments:

  1. I didn't know that the Nazi symbol was stolen, not a surprise.
    Very interesting stuff!

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    Replies
    1. Yes, it was a symbol before Hitler got a hold of it and turned it into something evil. Symbolism is some pretty power stuff!

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  2. Great blog. My daughter has an infinity sign tattooed on her wrist and on the other the word life. I thought it was really cool.

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  3. What's also sad about the Nazi symbol is that backwards, it's a Buddhist symbol. Pretty shocking when you visit Thailand, a country 95% Buddhist and see it all over the place.

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