If we take this one step further, the use of a white wine to symbolize blood would not clear the test of nature and common sense. Red represents blood as that is the color of blood outside of the body. Whereas, white usual signifies wisdom due to the whitening of humans hair as they age and thus, supposedly become wiser.

In our culture, you may chose to believe that red means ‘go’ and ‘green’ means stop. However, after your first traffic accident received from going through a red light (or stopping at a green light), you may see the folly of your choice of symbolism, which was in opposition to common sense and acceptable cultural truth.

One of the keys to symbolism is that it must meet the criteria of natural truth. Japanese Shingon Esoteric Buddhists use the symbolism of a lotus with eight petals. The eight petals represent the four veins and the four arteries of our actual physical heart—a natural truth.

One of the purposes of shamanic/spiritual/religious symbology is to reveal inner relative/absolute truths/mysteries through the use of relative/absolute external truths and mysteries—‘the kingdom is within you and outside you.’  With a pictorial, as well as an oral/written, symbolic representation, the mysteries are sealed as tight as a tomb, of life not death, only speaking to the ones that can unseal this truth.

And if the ones that orally spread their seeds of symbolic truth, pass-over without revealing their watering jug that nurtured and fed the seeds, what, I may ask, is to be had? Even my term passing-over symbolically reveals a different meaning and teaching than dying or passing-away! Words have great power.

As related in the Old Testament, Moses raises the bronze serpent in the desert to heal his people. Some translations will identify the serpent as brass not bronze, which would totally change the symbolic meaning of this teaching passage.  Bronze is an amalgam of copper and tin. These two metals symbolically represent the polarities: positive for tin and negative for copper… another layer reveals that tin is related to Jupiter and copper to Venus. From this knowledge, what do you make of this teaching passage within the Old Testament?

I believe that symbolism is extremely important in our journey towards Feathered-Serpenthood or Divinehood (enlightenment). And I am ever amazed at the seemly lack of symbolic knowledge by many that identify themselves as being on a spiritual path. But then, only the ones with eyes and ears will know.

Divine Humanity

My vision occurred in the pre-dawn when I saw a star shining brighter than any other and the voice from heaven said: This Star is You; You are this Star…. Divine (divine spark/light) Humanity (unique intrinsic identity) is encoded within these words: This Star is You—this is my divine essence; You are this Star—this is my unique intrinsic identity as the Morning Star.

Encoded within the Old Testament is another event that portrays Divine Humanity: Moses vision of the Burning Bush—this was the bush that was not consumed by fire: Burning (divine spark/light) Bush (unique intrinsic identity). Moses vision was not of a flame suspended in mid-air—this would have just portrayed divineness. And his vision was not of an ordinary bush. It was of both together as One—an interpenetrating Oneness of the sacred and the mundane; of the finite and the infinite.

Another important symbolic representation is the removing of his sandals. With his bare feet on the sacred earth, there was no separation between him and the sacredness of the earth. What does this act tell you?