Symbols of the Supernatural

Symbols

  • The complexity of human communication is made possible through the ability of humans to create and use symbols

  • Symbols permit people to discuss abstract topics and to talk about things in the past, future or in a supernatural world

  • The world of religion is a symbolic world

What is a symbol?

  • A shared understanding about the meaning of certain words, attributes, or objects

  • Something that stands for something else

  • Language is a system of symbols

    • The symbols are sounds

  • Most have no direct connection with the thing they are referring to

  • As long as there is agreement within our community as to the meaning of the symbol, we can communicate with one another using symbols rather than real objects

  • Symbols can represent:

    • Emotions

    • Complex philosophical concepts

    • Physical objects

  • Openness: When we discover a new thing, we can create a new symbol, such as a name, to refer to it

  • Often arbitrary

The Qualities of Symbols

  • Displacement

    • The ability to use symbols to refer to things and activities that are remote from the user

  • Symbols can create a supernatural worlds or create myths about the past

Religious symbols

  • Religious rituals center on symbols and the manipulation of symbols

  • Symbols may be:

    • Words and sounds

    • Elements of music and dance

    • Elements of time and space

  • Religious rituals center on symbols and the manipulation of symbols

  • Not all symbols are physical things or artistic representations

  • Words, both written and spoken, are critical elements in religious behavior

  • The swastika: an example of a symbol that can stand for very complex ideas and can carry great emotional resonance

    • A religious symbol that is found in a great many religious systems and occurs in many versions

    • Symbols can be destroyed by the people who use them and the definitions they give them

  • Christian symbols: The cross is the symbol most clearly associated with Christianity

    • Types of cross symbols and variation between different religions

    • Fish symbol: Most important early Christian symbol because the letters for the Greek word fish, icthus, creates an acrostic (Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior)

  • The Pentagram: also called a pentacle

  • Meanings of some symbols are misunderstood due to their various associations

Sacred Art

  • Artistic representations

  • Illustrate and supplement religious texts

  • For many people this may be their primary place of interaction with the sacred myths of their community

  • Basic artistic representations of religious symbols can be used as elements in more complex settings or works of art

  • Artistic representations are often used to illustrate and supplement religious texts

  • The Sarcophagus of Lord Pakal

    • An archeological example from the ancient Maya

      • Visual representation of the Mayan cosmos

      • Symbolic representations can be used to create a virtual supernatural world

      • Psychoduct: A pipe made of brick along the side of the staircase leading to his tomb, through which Pakal’s spirit moves from the tomb into the temple sanctuary during rituals

  • Meaning of Color

    • Colors have cultural meanings

    • Color terminology: English has 11 basic color terms, such as blue

    • Symbols, including color terminology, are arbitrary and learned; they are parts of cultural traditions

    • Yorba Color Terminology

      • Funfun, pupa, and dudu

      • Colors association with particular temperatures and temperaments

    • Color terminology is learned and varies from culture to culture

    • The meaning of colors varies in different cultural contexts

Sacred Time and Space

The Meaning of Time

  • Symbols are also used to create sacred realities: supernatural worlds, sacred spaces, and sacred divisions of time

  • Time is made up of recurring units that are based on observable physical events, which can also be divided into phases

  • Humans also create units of time that are not based on real astronomical events such as the rotation of the earth

  • Time is an important element in religious rituals and often has important symbolic meaning

  • The Mayan View of Time

    • The passage of time had a deep religious significance for the ancient Maya of southern Mexico and Central America

    • Two calendar systems ran simultaneously

    • Important events, especially those surrounding the ruler, were scheduled to fall on days that were considered to be particularly auspicious

Rituals and Calendars in Modern World Religions

  • Periodic Rituals: Rituals that are performed according to a temporal cycle

    • Often commemorate the anniversary of important events in the history of the religion