A World of Wonder

Symbols take us to a place beyond words. The rational mind, favouring linearity and limited by language, grasps part but not all of their meaning. The true power of any symbol rests in an ability to bypass the conscious mind and speak directly to the unconscious. It is here that are contacted the great forces of the universe, deep and primal archetypes with the power to alter states and change the very fabric of existence.

The power of symbols is well known to those in the marketing game, who understand how an effective brand can enter the global currency and work on levels of which the end-targets are often unaware. But these evocative vote-riggers are relative newcomers in the collective wellspring of universal consciousness. There are symbols far deeper, richer and more enduring than the recent creations of the corporate age.

Even more compelling, these ancient and universal symbols are not about manipulation or enslavement but empowerment and liberation. They are free to use, available to all, and can be easily contacted in order for their power to shine across all levels of reality, bringing health, strength and renewed vitality.

Establishing contact is easy. All that is needed is attention.

Chances are you will have already made some connections. Take the title of the website: The Reforged Sword. Those with a passing familiarity may have already made a link, conscious or not, between the motif of the Reforged Sword and kingship restored: a return to vibrant life and harmony following a time of darkness.

Learning the language of symbols establishes an enduring relationship between conscious and unconscious minds, both of which work together to create a healthy individual. We all have an unconscious mind, a wonderfully rich and inventive ‘treasure house of images’ as well as the gateway through which we contact the collective unconscious and deep currents of the universe.

Becoming familiar with symbols helps prime the unconscious and can bring about a new way of perceiving the world, immeasurably enriching the waking life. The universe becomes a place of possibility, of rich and unending wonder, and avenues open up to which we had previously been blind.

Through symbols we step beyond the limitations of language into a realm as deep and beautiful as we can dare to imagine.

The overriding theme in The Reforged Sword is wholeness.

We live in a world of duality – male and female, light and dark, matter and spirit. We each carry these polarities within.

The prime motive behind many endeavours is a move toward wholeness. The symbols of The Reforged Sword are roadmaps on this journey, routes towards unity. All the symbols convey the idea of wholeness, or wholeness riven. Each symbol consists of two aspects - a 'higher' and a 'lower' - divided by a third.

The Qabalistic Tree of Life consists of ten spheres separated into two groups by a gulf known as the Abyss. The three spheres above the Abyss represent the spiritual world, the seven below represent the manifest world. The Abyss is the point of division. It is by bridging the Abyss that the two worlds are brought into union.

In the case of the Caduceus, wings represent the higher aspect, snakes the lower. The point at which the wings and snakes meet corresponds to the Abyss upon the Tree of Life. A number of creation myths tell of an eagle and snake in conflict, often upon a mythical tree, reflecting a dis-union between the two aspects. It is in the completed symbol of the Caduceus that the two are brought into harmony.

The Sword that is broken carries the obvious implication of a dis-union; its subsequent reforging suggests the restoration of unity.

The symbols offer us a way of recognizing the forces involved in our own lives, helping us restore our inner wholeness.

Force and Form are the twin pillars upon which the entire universe is built.

On the Tree of Life, Primal Force is considered masculine: the All Father. Primal Form is considered feminine: the All Mother.

It is from these primary Pairs of Opposites that the Pillars of the Universe spring, between which is woven the web of Manifestation.

Dion Fortune, The Mystical Qabalah

It is common when speaking in symbolic terms to identify a particular phenomenon as having either male or female qualities. This stems from basic biological principles. That which we refer to as the male of the species is the one that produces the motile, active gamete, whereas the female produces the static, receptive gamete. Based on this biological classification, qualities are described as male when they involve force and direction, female when they exhibit form and receptivity.

These are principles not stereotypes. Active and receptive qualities exist within all individuals regardless of gender; bringing the two into harmony is the key to optimum health.

When kingship is mentioned, and described in masculine terms, it refers to a state of being rather than a gender. It describes a state of consciousness. The conscious mind is generally considered masculine as it is the part of the mind that exhibits ‘male’ qualities: linearity, order, control. The unconscious mind is considered feminine as it deals with ‘female’ qualities: whole-system thinking, intuition, direct perception. Efficient use of the conscious mind involves actively directing thought. Efficient use of the unconscious mind involves a different mode of thinking, more in line with the receptive nature of the female principles: stilling the conscious mind to allow deeper wisdom to rise to the surface.

The entire universe is built upon an interplay of ‘male’ and ‘female’ qualities; everything is a combination of archetypal Force and Form.

There are two sides to every story.

Some of the assignments in the above diagram may provoke disagreement. This is natural, as from different perspectives polarities can shift.

Take the allocation of ‘Male’ to the Above; ‘Female’ to the Below. This assignment is reflected in Taoism, where the Heavens are Yang, the Earth Yin. It is also seen in Greek myths, where sky and sun gods are commonly male, earth god(esse)s female. In Egyptian mythology, however, the sky deity is the female Nut while the earth god is her husband Geb.

Generally, the “Lower” is allocated to the material universe and the realm of scientific reasoning, whereas the “Upper” relates to the spiritual realm and heightened states of consciousness reached through divine contemplation.

On the other hand, the “Upper” could relate to the rational mind and hence the objective, scientific viewpoint, while the “Lower” encompasses the realm of the senses and the subjective, spiritual viewpoint.

The red and white dragons of alchemy are often seen to be male and female, but which is which? From one perspective, red is solar, male, while white is lunar, female. Or perhaps white represents the semen of the male, while red is the menstrual blood of the female.

Reason and intuition are often described as male and female respectively. However, some traditions cast intuition as male because it is seen as impulsive, whereas reason is female because it takes in all aspects and adopts a holistic view before coming to a conclusion.

These points bear up well to meditation.

Polarity is said to alternate on each successive plane of existence. In the sexual act, the charge on the physical plane is reversed on the emotional plane. The imagery of the Caduceus reflects this reversal, the twin snakes twisting back and forth from one side to the other.

Symbols can be interpreted in a number of ways. They can convey different meanings to different people, and different meanings at different stages of life. Every person is unique and will have his or her own unique take on the imagery.

There is an aspect of the symbols that eludes reasoning. The rational mind slips over their mercurial quality, unable to fit them into clearly defined boundaries. The true alchemical work takes place in the unconscious realms, where fluidity of meaning becomes part of the blending process as elements and polarities combine and transform in the magical cauldron of the Goddess.

All the stories of The Reforged Sword can be reduced to this one simple thing: after a period of separation, we are entering a phase of reconnection; having broken the world into a myriad of glittering fragments, we are figuring how best to put the pieces together.