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(Originally posted Thursday, August 7, 2008)
Not very distinguished, eh? This is from an earlier version of this same Web site. It is, of
course, nothing more or less than an old symbol, a double spiral, although it was constructed
using pretty modern software - Maple V, I think. (After its creation, it was processed with
PaintShop Pro to produce the result seen above.)
One reason I liked the double spiral was that it has nice symbolism. For an oriental version,
see Key symbols; Celtic Symbols and their meanings has a Celtic interpretation. I'm sure you
can find others.
Another reason I liked this symbol was that it was pagan. Not that I'm a pagan, although
sometimes I'm tempted, because of the absurdity of the so-called "converting" religions (such
as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, among others). Anything that jerks their chain must be
good. See, e.g., Paganism, Pagans and Pagan Customs, One World Religion - Christian or
Pagan, Symbols and their meaning, and many others.
Two things bother me about all of this:
- I believe that all "converting" religions are inherently evil and wrong-headed. Not to
mention just plain silly. Religious experience and feeling must always be inherently
individual. The notion of a collective religious feeling makes no sense; people
experience God and pray individually, even when they stand together to recite a
commonly-known prayer. It's still individual, and can never be collective. It is always
impossible for two religious statements contradict each other, even when made by the
same person, one statement immediately following another. I believe the distinction
between "converting" and "adhering" religions was first made by Arthur Darby Nock,
but I am not sure. If it is his, it would have been done about 1940, maybe 1945.
- We are sure sensitive about symbolism. It seems, for instance, to make a huge
difference in American politics as to who has a flag pin in his lapel or puts his hand
over his heart when reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. The American flag cult is second
to none. All of this is taking symbolism far too seriously. The appearance of some
"pagan" symbols in various places, whether reverently placed on military graves or
painted as pranks by teenagers, is not nearly so serious a matter, one way or the other,
as some people seem to think.
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