Every religion has their own symbol to represent them and every symbol has their own meaning. In this paper I will be taking about three different symbols. Those symbols are the Pentagram, the Star of David and the Jain Emblem
The pentagram originated around 3500 BC; it was found on broken pottery with some of the earliest findings of language (Wolf). Many different types of people have used this symbol including Mesopotamians, Hebrews, Egyptians, Christians, and Gnostics (Wolf). The Mesopotamians used in art in royal inscriptions as a symbol of imperial power. For the Egyptians it was a symbol of the underground womb and had a symbolic relationship to the concept of the pyramids. The Christians connected it with the five wounds of Christ; but after some time it was later transformed it in reaction to the neo-pagan use of it (Wolf).
The pentagram symbol is from the Wiccan religion is also called witchcraft. Wicca is a diverse and decentralized religion, and is a part of the nature movements (Legge). For a very long time the ones who practiced this religion were persecuted. They see that everything has a divine spirit meaning it is a polytheistic religion. Wiccan’s honor the elements of nature; earth, air, fire, water, and spirit and their associated directions north, east, south, and west (Legge). This information ties into the meaning of the symbol.
The pentagram’s top point is associated with the divine figures in the religion (Sabrina 67-81). The lower four points connect with the four important elements; fire, water, air, and earth. These elements are important because they are the four ties with nature and to maintain life (Sabrina 67-81). Understanding these elements is very important in the teaching of the Wic...
... middle of paper ...
... Symbol").
Works Cited
"Jain Symbol." jainworld.com. N.p.. Web. 19 Feb 2014. .
"Jain Symbols." ejainism.com. N.p.. Web. 19 Feb 2014. .
"Judaism." Canada and the World Backgrounder 12 1999: 53-9. ProQuest. 17 Feb. 2014 .
Legge, Gordon. "What is Wicca." Calgary Herald [Alberta] 16 11 1991, Sunday Final Edituib A1. Print.
Sabrina, Lady. Exploring Wicca: The Beliefs, Rites, and Rituals of the Wiccan Religion. New Page Books, 2001. 67-81. eBook.
Silberberg, Naftali . "What Is the Mystical Significance of the Star of David?." Chabad.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb 2014. .
Wolf, Spring. N.p.. Web. 18 Feb 2014. .
Yardley, Meg. "Social Work Practice With Pagans, Witches, And Wiccans: Guidelines For Practice With Children And Youths." Social Work 53.4 (2008): 329-336. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
There are tons of ideas for the meaning of The Star of David. Some Kabbalists believe that the six points represent God’s power over all six directions: north, south, east, west, up, and down. Some even think the two triangles represent humanity’s dual nature; good and evil.
Rehder, John B. "Folk Remedies and Belief Systems." Appalachian Folkways. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 2004. 224-43. Print.
Liz, Kelly. “Moving in the Shadows: Violence in the Lives of Minority Women and Children” 10. Stonehocker, Kolbie“Witches, Wiccans and Pagans” Rita Morgan: Daily Life, Not Religion 2012 www.cityweekly.net 11. Annemaire de Waal Malefijt, “Religion and Culture: An Introduction to Anthropology of Religion” The United States of America 1989.
Wilborn, Bruce K.. Witches' craft: a multidenominational Wicca bible. New York: Skyhorse Pub., 2011. Print.
Guiley, Rosemary Ellen. “Wicca.” The Encyclopedia of Witches, Witchcraft & Wicca. 3rd ed. 2012. Print.
The lined up pairing of bulls and heifers on register 1-3 is echoed on a seal (26), and the pairing of bulls is seen on two other cylinder seals (27, 24). All three of these seals have buildings that have calves emerging from inside, each building has a pole in the center of the building and two of the seals (26, 27) have three poles with six rings on the buildings. The pole with six rings is again seen on a fourth seal (45) which contains what is clearly a temple, this leads to the conclusion that the buildings seen on the seal with the paired bulls and heifers are also temples, and that the paired bulls and heifers on the Warka Vase may be invoking images or practices carried out in the temples.
The Wiccan religion is one of the fastest growing religions in the United States as well one of the most misunderstood due to the controversies surrounding its history and mystery shrouding its beliefs and doctrines. Due to a series of popular TV series that have shown Witchcraft in a positive light, such as Sabrina, the Teen-aged Witch and Charmed, the popularity of Wicca has grown, especially amongst teenagers; but sadly this popularity has not been partnered with a growth in understanding and respect (Kaminer). Although Wicca offers a nature-oriented, egalitarian belief system with a rich collection of customs and rituals, ignorance and historically-rooted misconceptions still dominate public opinion.
...tianity, to what makes sense in comparison with the teachings of Pagan religions; I searched for my own answers, and found them in Wicca.
Holland, Eileen, and Raymond Buckland. The Wicca Handbook. San Francisco, CA: Red Wheel/Weiser, LCC, 2008.
- - - . Native Religions of North America: The Power of Visions and Fertility. New York: Harper & Row, 1987.
Jung believed that essential to the meaning of a symbol is the “ability to express more than could be put into words” (Christ 136). Religious symbols are probably the most powerful of all symbols. According to Jung ...
Religious symbols are aspects of all different religions that strengthen faith, promote certain beliefs, and represent the fundamentals of that specific religion. According to Furst’s article on the use of physical religious symbols, “As beings that are both body and spirit, humans use symbols in order to perceive and to grasp realities that are not empirical. As social beings, humans use symbols to communicate with others,” (p 2). But, there are many issues that arise when these symbols are involved and existing in the media, the state, our government, and the public. Mainly this is because symbols are truly powerful and represent controversies that come along with different religions. Furst also states that, “symbols play a powerful role in the transmission of the culture of human society,” (p 2). If religious symbols transmit culture into society, then people in our society are going to pay very close attention to what symbols are present...
Lehmann A. C. & Myers J. E. Magic, Witchcraft and Religion – An anthropological Study of the Supernatural (Fourth Edition) (Mayfield Publishing Company, 1997)
III. Smithson, Jayne. “Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion.” Class lectures. Anthropology 120. Diablo Valley College, San Ramon 2004.