The Art of Interpreting Symbolic Language: The Pinecone Courtyard of the Vatican
I chose the Pinecone Courtyard of the Vatican to demonstrate how to interpret symbolic language not only because it includes several different disciplines, but because the process it provides instruction for is profound in the spiritual sense. This interpretation is not based on religion, per se, but on the universal science out of which all religions have their origin. This is purely an interpretation of all images and symbols used in forming a larger, overall idea, which in this case involves the principles used for connecting the lower mind with the higher mind as the means of transcending our physical body and personal reality, while still an essential part of it. All higher knowledge used to be communicated through art, architecture, and ceremonial practices, where every person formed their own interpretation as a means of understanding the universal laws involved which, once understood, provided the individual with the methods necessary for utilizing them in their daily life as a means of facilitating their own ascension.
People tend to only see and notice in any situation what they’ve been taught to notice and usually form an interpretation based on how they’ve been taught to think about it through the opinion of others. As a result, they’ll pull out one or two main ideas while virtually ignoring the rest, or because they don’t know how to put it all together in painting a larger picture. Others get hung up on whether the symbols are pagan, Christian, Occult, Hindu, Buddhist, Esoteric, and so on, which imposes significant limitations on their ability to grasp the secret knowledge being communicated all around them through living symbols that form the foundation for art, science, and architecture. Symbols are considered the universal language because they’re an inherent part of our unconscious mind, which we all share in common, and they represent the laws and principles that make up the very fabric of reality and are considered the only true form of spiritual knowledge.
What’s commonly referred to as ‘secret knowledge’ is secret primarily because it’s communicated in signs, symbols and metaphors placed right in front of us that we’ve lost the ability to understand in terms of what they represent. The ‘Language of the Cosmos’ is the language of archetypes, metaphor, and mythology, which describe how the inner constitution of a living being forms the outer reality that it then uses as a means for experiencing itself. They’re inherent in the very structure and life of the cosmos and play out fluently on every level and scale of existence. What’s referred to as Sacred Geometry forms the design as concepts used in constructing the infrastructure of the cosmos. This means they’re always true and always operating to form, animate, and maintain every aspect of life, whether microscopic or macroscopic. The only question involved lies in our ability to recognize and perceive them because they function at the subtle level of pure mind (invisible forces) and form the very substrata out of which reality itself emerges and plays out as smaller cycles within larger ones of the same nature, which sets the cosmic stage for attaining experience.
In a symbolic design every element is intentional and represents a fundamental aspect of the overall idea being conveyed. I’m only going to give a brief description or explanation of each symbolic aspect because true insight comes through inquiry into the significant meaning of things, rather than being taught what to think. By investigating ideas further on your own, you’ll expand your knowledge around them through your own awareness and build the scientific knowledge necessary for interpreting them. Any idea that stirs a deeper interest, research it on your own and see where it leads. Just always bear in mind that researching things on the internet nearly always leads to the same information, which is highly conventional and largely opinionated, being regurgitated over and over, only some of which is even meaningful, and most of which is an opinion formed by those who lack any real knowledge and simply want to be seen as an expert of some kind or voice their opinion. Let your inquiries take you deeper into ideas by exploring them more as a ‘body of knowledge’ formed from many diverse perspectives, rather than only one or two articles. This article isn’t designed as a casual read, but as providing the basis for continued study and deeper inquiries into the principles involved, which will hopefully open up many new doors into the hidden secrets of the Mysteries.
Examining the Entire Pinecone Courtyard
We want to start by looking at the design of the entire courtyard, which is a composite formula of dynamically correlated principles. The first thing you want to always keep in mind is that all laws and principles emerge out of a single law, which is a form of ‘seed’ that contains all the others in their latent form. This seed can be thought of as the parent that births all the other through a systematic process of growth and regeneration, which is represented in the most basic sense by the Monad. The Monad is symbolized by a circle with a dot at the center, the same symbol used to represent the sun, and can also be visualized as a ‘smaller sphere within a greater sphere’, both of which are polarized aspects of each other. The inner dot can be thought of as a condensed core or kernel (black), that acts to emanate the outer sphere as an expansion of itself to form a 3-D shape as a globe that spins (vibrates) on an axis formed out of a single energy that’s polarized, much like a magnet. All principles exist in a dynamic relationship with each other, which means you can only understand one by how it exists in relationship with all the other ones that make up the same composite.
Polarity is a universal law which means it’s what forms the very basis of reality. Polarization is necessary for movement, and movement is the basis for vibration, which acts to construct a 3-dimensional image as a luminous-body or physical reality (matter is made from polarized light). This globe of polarized energy forms the toroidal field (invisible sphere) that both surrounds and is radiated by all material objects, also referred to as the astral body, subtle body, or etheric double, which contains the 3-dimensional model for constructing and maintaining the physical form, while also imbuing it with the activity and personality it takes on as a means of expressing. So, the very basis for life itself as a frequency that has both an idea (model) and a self-assembling mechanism inherent in it is represented symbolically by a ‘smaller sphere within a larger sphere of the same kind and type’, which is the basis for all planetary, solar, and heavenly bodies. All life, whether animate or inanimate vibrates at a particular frequency, and all vibration results from polarized aspects of the same energy (thing), which can only be reconciled by a third element, which forms them into a holographic, 4-dimensional shape.
All vibration is a spinning, whirlpool-like flow that spirals while circulating and moving between opposite poles of itself in a circular movement of some form. It radiates out from the center with a positive charge, electrifying and animating everything in the atmosphere around it with the same idea-charge (turning on what matches the same frequency and can be used to form a corresponding outer reflection), then, when the electric impulse has fully discharged and reaches an invisible boundary, it switches polarity, becoming magnetic, and draws back into the center an ‘experience of itself’ as a whole reality that it acted to construct (resonate). The experience is then translated into memory as a means of synthesizing it back into the core (mental model), forming the basis for the next discharge. What’s being referred to here as the ‘self’, isn’t the body or personality of the body, it’s the soul as the mind and the entire reality being produced by the mind as a reflection of itself. Let’s start this adventure into hidden knowledge with this primary principle firmly in mind.
The entire design is illustrating a process as an operation for ascending to higher realms of consciousness while still in physical form. This idea can be seen as both descending into form and then ascending back into pure mind, because it’s all based on universal principles that function harmoniously in forming a single whole as a living entity. For the sake of walking through it to form a basic understanding, we’ll start with the courtyard itself and the building at what I’ll call the base (south end), directly opposite of the dome, which has 8 pillars, with 7 open spaces between the pillars and 4 statues of saints on the higher level of the roof, which is designed as a plane. You always want to notice numbers, because in symbolic composites they always represent principles as well as what we’ll call geometric shapes that make up an overall design, which also represent universal laws as concepts. Geometry is what forms the structure of the material world, and geometric shapes provide us with working concepts for understanding the principles involved. The entire universe is mathematical in nature and can only be accurately interpreted philosophically (Sophia = wisdom) using intuition.
So let’s start with a basic description of the elements involved. There are 8 pillars with 7 spaces between them – 8 represents a whole unit of light – there are 7 colors in the spectrum, 3 primary, 4 complementary – and an ‘octave’ consists of 7 primary notes as a scale. 8 is the principle of ‘periodic renewal’, polarity, and the self-perpetuating movement between parallel (polarized) planes. There are 4 saints on top of the roof, half of 8 on a higher plane, all growth comes through ‘halving and doubling’ (mitosis). 8 represents a full scale of both light and sound, and the principle of ‘rhythm’ as ‘repeating cycles’. 4 is the number of material existence, and material forms precipitate from their archetypes through rhythmic, harmonious, pulsating cycles of halving and doubling (regeneration). 4 is half of 8, and 8 is produced by doubling 4.
An octad is formed by polarized squares – 2 squares at a perpendicular angle to each other (turned 90-degrees). Every material object comes into the world as ‘twins’, which are polar aspects of each other, and create through their interaction with each other. We not only contain polarized aspects within our nature (left and right brain, masculine and feminine qualities), but also as an ‘inner and outer’, and an ‘upper and lower’, which are formed as mirror images of each other. 4 represents the 4 Elements (statues) – Fire, Air, Water, Earth – with 4 qualities > hot, cold, dry, wet. There are 4 primary states of matter (mater) – earth=solid, water=liquid, air=gas, fire=electrified plasma, which have 4 correlating activities > cold=contraction, hot=expansion, wet=dissolution, dry=crystallization. 7 represents the principle of creativity, self-expression, and ‘will’, and light (photons) is the very basis of the material world, which is formed as a living matrix of highly structured (polarized) light.
On this 8-fold loom of archetypes precipitate the geometric inhalation and exhalation of compassion (8-fold path of compassion). 4 pairs of manifest gods and goddesses (pantheon) are responsible for giving birth to the manifest universe. The 8-fold geometry is the ancient symbol for the Great Mother Goddess as the nourisher whose substance cloths the archetypal patterns by crossing the 4 Elements with 4 pairs of opposite qualities. The 8-legged spider (spinner) was the Great Grandmother who weaved the web of the world. The Greek word kosmos signifies embroidery (tapestry), and goddesses were seen as spinstresses, weavers, and embroiders, manifesting the physical world while also spinning the threads of fate for humans.
8 represents the principle of resonance – materialized forms are like visible music – the 8th key on a piano forms the same note on a new scale (do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do), one turn of a spiral (sphere), repeating the same scale on a higher rung. Scales repeat on higher and lower levels as the same mental and physical properties. Each octave is a process of renewal, periodic recurrence, and a return, but to a corresponding level of the spiral (karmic rebirth). Periodic recurrence is the basis for resonance or resounding the same note an octave apart. Resonance is a process for ‘tuning a receiver’ to pick up different frequencies hidden within the atmosphere (the colors of the spectrum reveal the hidden inner nature of light, which otherwise appears invisible). The receiver resonates in synchronization with the waves being broadcast through the atmosphere (invisible ether) which is teaming with information as ‘archetypal ideas’ in their latent form. By tuning ourselves with particular ‘qualities’ that we build into our nature, we become an appropriate vessel for conceiving them from higher planes. The more perfect the tuning, the more perfect the reception.
How we’re tuned mentally and morally determines what we act to naturally resonate with and absorb from the ether and higher planes (scale) of the universal mind. As we receive a vibratory impulse through our pineal from the higher planes of consciousness, it’s immediately translated into a visual form (archetype) that allows us to ‘see what’s on the other side’. We can only ‘see light’ as it resonates through matter. Any idea or substance that vibrates at the same frequency as light, appears translucent. When only some of the molecules in a substance are tuned in a slightly different way, only some of the light resonates through, and we see as though we’re looking through a ‘dark glass’, where the image appears semi-translucent. When none of the molecules in an object vibrate in tune with the light, objects appear opaque.
Glass (silicon dioxide) is transparent because it vibrates at the same frequency as light, which is invisible while acting to illuminate the material world. The color an object takes on is based on what part of the light spectrum it acts to absorb and assimilate, and what part it repels and reflects. This is the basis for the Hermetic Doctrine of Correspondences and the Law of Analogy (similars), which is the basis for sympathetic resonance. The shape and color of an object is formed by what part of the light spectrum it ‘absorbs and integrates’ and what part it ‘reflects’, and the reflected ray is always complementary to the one absorbed. Whatever ray of the spectrum is reflected determines the color of its outer appearance, which is always complementary to its inner nature. An object that appears green, for example, is because the green ray is being reflected while the red ray (complementary of green) is absorbed and integrated to produce the inner properties it possesses, which form its constitution and determines how it expresses.
The Greek god Apollo, who symbolized moving together in harmony with the archetypes of the cosmos, used music he played on a Lyre (7 primary notes) that corresponded to the tones of the elements of the mind (3) and body (4), causing them to harmonize (form rapport and coherence). This was demonstrating the process used to form rapport with the archetypes of the cosmos (zodiac), where we embody the mental state and qualities associated with them and begin vibrating in harmony with them in order to be drawn into the higher spheres of consciousness where they reside. This is the basis for what’s referred to as purification and self-perfection necessary to tune into higher states of consciousness where we serve as an appropriate vehicle for expressing them, which is the main function of the pineal. This is the same principle represented by the 8-pointed star, portrayed in this design as being in the same configuration as the pineal in the brain, where it represents the cosmic principle of sympathetic resonance as the means of transcendence. We’ll explore more aspects of this principle when we touch on other symbols that represent the same principle.
The Courtyard
Directly in front of the 8 pillars and 4 saints is the courtyard itself, designed as a square with an equal armed cross that divides it into 4 smaller squares, with a circle in the center that contains the striking symbol called a ‘sphere within a sphere’ (machinery of the universe). This sphere is 4 meters in diameter, which is a little over 13 feet (1 + 3 = 4), both of which are significant numbers. This is also called the ‘fractured sphere’, which reveals another fractured sphere on the inside, whose internal structure appears as gears, symbolizing the mechanical nature or workings of the universe. The basic structure of the gears forms a cohesion between 2 levels, which are divided by a plane, represented as a thick linear line. What we think of as planes are always represented by linear lines or a series of concentric circles. The direction of the gears in each sphere are positioned at a 90-degree angle (right angle) to each other, representing the interaction of polar opposites. A polarized electromagnetic field propagates through waves that are perpendicular to each other, which are also polarized (flip-flop), forming a kind of circular movement (spiral) that constructs a 4-dimensional form in what appears as a square (two right angles overlapped). This is also symbolized in the equal armed cross, formed by 2 perpendicular lines, or two right angles that are reverse images of each other. A square is the symbol of the manifest world formed by polarized light waves that act to construct a holographic model.
The sphere can also be seen as an ‘egg cracked open’ to reveal the yolk or internal nucleus or ‘seed’ being gestated within the egg as an embryo. This is also a very dynamic symbol of the Monad – smaller sphere within a larger one – which is the symbol of the higher, creative mind which constructs the light-matrix of reality through an interaction and relationship with ‘itself’ as complementary opposites. This idea is also represented by the symbol of yin and Yang – polar aspects that form an electromagnetic field by ‘spinning each other’ in opposite directions, forming a circle (sphere). All heavenly bodies, whether planets, stars, solar systems, or galaxies, rotate on an axis, radiate an atmosphere or aura, orbit a central sun-star or black hole, and form through an electromagnetic spiral, that both pushes away and pulls together at the same time, creating dimension.
Vibration itself, which is the basis for all material bodies, occurs through the interaction of polar opposites of the same thing that are complementary and exist simultaneously as an object and wave, a body (axis) surrounded by an invisible field of light that contains it’s energetic double or what acts to ‘in-form it’. All particles come into existence (pop out of the ether) as ‘identical twins’ or polarized pairs. Our inner mind is what radiates our outer world, ordering and organizing it (gears that turn each other) through ‘sympathetic resonance’. Naturally, this sphere also looks like an ‘eye’, which demonstrates its relationship with the pine cone that its directly aligned with on an elevated, triangular base, as well as all the main features of this overall design.
When this sphere is viewed from above it also appears as a sphere within a circle (mound), within a greater circle at the center of a square. This idea is commonly represented as the ‘rose cross’ (equal armed cross with a red rose at the center), and the calvary cross with a circle at the center. The orientation of the gears rotating is also a reflection of the cross, which is a line of equal measure, one vertical, one horizontal, connected at the center, representing the merging of an upper and lower plane to form ‘a single body’, as well as 2 right angles orientated in opposite directions, forming a whole (square) as a material form. Polarized waves propagate through space (atmosphere) in opposite directions of each other.
The cross divides the square into 4 smaller squares, representing the 4 Elements, the 4 qualities and activities of the Elements, and the 4 states of matter as the stages it goes through in developing into a solid material form. These stages can be thought of as ‘energetic states’, of electrified (charged) plasma, gas, liquid, and solid; Fire, Air, Water, Earth; hot, dry, cold, wet; expansion, contraction, dissolution, and crystallization. 4 quarters (quaternary) = 4 directions, 4 seasons – 2 primary (solstice), 2 transitionary (equinox); 4 rivers of paradise; 4 letter name of God (Yod, Heh, Vau, Heh); 4 stages of transformation (intention, attention, concentration, meditation); 4 originating functions – sense, emotion, thought, and intuition. On the Tree of Life this represents the 4 Sephiroth – Chesed, Geburah, Netzach, and Hod, held in harmonious balance by the central Sun of Tiphareth (Christ consciousness of our Higher Self). The 2 above make up Tiphareth’s constitution (polar aspects are reconciled through a third element) – cosmic memory and will – and the 2 below Tiphareth are projected into (reflected downwards) the lower plane of physical manifestation as instinct (memory driven by emotion) and intellect (basis of thought that’s self-creative).
These inner aspects combined harmoniously in the creative imagination (Tiphareth) form back into ‘one’ as the etheric-double of the subconscious, seated in the throne of the ‘single eye’ of the pineal. Naturally, the sphere resembles an eye, formed by concentric spheres that are mirror images of each other as an ‘inner vision and the analogous outer awareness of that vision’. The sphere centered in the pineal represents the sphere of Tiphareth (Christ consciousness) which is commonly shown divided in half, the lower half filled with a colored light that has a ‘liquid’ consistency, and the upper half is semi-clear with a gas-like quality. This also represents what’s called the 4-bodies (causal, mental, astral, and physical) that all manifest as ‘one’ in the physical body. The 4 Elements are combined (synthesized) and held in equilibrium (cohesion and coherence) by the 5th element of the mind (Monad) placed at the center. If you look at this square from above, it resembles a pyramid with a capstone, which was known as the means for ascension. This idea will become more apparent when we examine the empty sarcophagus positioned directly behind the pine cone on the terrace.
5 represents ‘mind over matter’, the 5th element of the ether that holds the 4 elements of the material world together (pentagram) to form a single entity, and the ability of the mind in forming an inner idea as a ‘frequency’ that acts energetically to order and organize (resonate) the outer field of light into the same idea on a larger scale (outer sphere) as a means of generating its own experiences. 5 also represents the holographic principle of the inner (sphere) forming the basis for the outer (sphere) as a polarized, reverse image of itself (pentagram), and the pentad forming the astral gateway (stargate), as a form of portal to higher dimensions. It’s the principle of power over your own lower nature, sovereignty in being self-governed, and authority in making your own decisions – the spiritual soul having dominion over the material world, which provides the construct for experiencing our own thoughts (willed creation).
It’s the principle of the higher mind in holding together the upper and lower planes of the same archetype (soul), represented by the eye of the sphere within a sphere, which represents the function of the pineal in combining 2 levels of the mind into a single form. 5 also represents the quintessence, which can be thought of as cultivating a state of moral purity and self-perfection achieved by aspiring towards an ‘ideal’ and becoming the perfect expression of archetypal qualities and characteristics (virtues) that manifest through a monastic lifestyle. This is the principle of self-replication, self-accumulation, and spiritual regeneration, which all come by how we express ourselves in our daily life as the means of accumulating experiences of ourselves that we build up over time and act to ‘evolve our archetypal memory of ourselves’. 5 also represents the Fibonacci Sequence and the Golden Ratio, which demonstrate the harmony of the parts with the whole, and growth through the accumulation and integration of experience in transforming the memory of the whole.
If we were to turn the square to a 90 degree angle it would form an ‘X’, and if we saw the top as a ‘V’ or funnel, reflected symmetrically in the bottom, combined in the middle, similar to 2 spinning tops, we could see a vortex or portal-like gateway between parallel dimensions as a ‘reverse spin’ that draws the top down while drawing the bottom up, forming a figure “8â€. This idea represents what’s referred to as the ‘Law of Energetic Entanglement’, where all single objects within the material world have ‘twins’ that spin in opposite directions of the same state as a vibratory frequency, and no matter how far apart they appear in ‘space’ (which exists as a form of polarized field), continue to act ‘as if’ they’re ‘one’. If you change the state of one, the other changes in the exact same way as a reverse image. The inner and outer of this plane are not only formed as polarized reflections of each other, but so is the upper plane of pure mind and the lower plane of formation and activity, which is a mirror image of ourselves formed as a ‘mental construct’ of our archetypal nature and thoughts.
A square originates as a ‘diamond shape’ divided in half, where the top half forms a triangle, which is reflected downward forming as a mirror image of itself, representing the idea that the material world is formed out of the vibratory frequency of our state of mind and thoughts. Once formed internally, it’s turned to a 90-degree angle on the material plane forming a square, symbol of thought (will) made manifest. Jesus stated this when he said, “and the word was made flesh and made His dwelling among us”. This is also conveyed in the Hermetic axiom, “as above so below, and as below so above, in the wondrous working of the One thing”. This is the basis for the higher will (vibration pregnant with an idea) in calling forth the material world through the ‘spoken word’. Thought comes as words spoken silently within us that become the basis for our outer perception and all our activities. What we speak outwardly originates inwardly as our own thoughts. We’ll talk more about this principle when it comes to the ‘seeds of the pine cone’ in an embryonic state, and the ‘Flying Coat of Arms’ hanging on the wall of the dome directly behind the pine cone.
A small detail that’s often overlooked that I’ll include because it is a significant factor in considering the overall idea, is that the sphere-eye, which spins on an axis, is positioned with a slight tilt, similar to the tilt of the Earth on its axis, which oscillates between 22 – 24.5 degrees (half of 45). This tilt forms the basis for the 4 seasons and the procession of the equinoxes – the rotation of the heavens as the Great Cycle, that’s approximately 25,920 years (2+5+9+2=18=9) (9 is the number of completion and perfection and of man). This is the amount of time it takes for all the visible constellations to rotate around the Earth in the night sky, taking turns rising behind the sun on the vernal equinox, which is typically March 21st (3+3 = 6) and the true date of Easter, which represents the resurrection and the first sign of the zodiac (Aries).
This is when the sun crosses the celestial equator in a northerly direction, marking the prime meridian of right ascension. This design aligns beautifully with the 4 directions aligned to the cross, where the pine cone is north – the northern star is positioned in the spot of the Earth’s north pole and is used for navigation. It remains fixed while the rest of the stars appear to move around it in a circular motion. Polaris was originally thought to be a part of the constellation of ‘Draco’ – which is represented by the emblem (dragon) that sits on top of the ‘Tower of the Winds’, the observatory that was used to reform the Julian calendar, which is the center piece of 3 square pillars on the balcony. The pineal acts as an internal clock that measures time through the cycles of the sun, and the movement of the constellations in the heavens. The old observatory and the statue of the dragon sit between the two courtyards – the Belvedere and Cortile della Pigna.
The procession of the equinoxes is an important feature to understand because the sphere that’s positioned within the pineal, often represented as an angled halo or aureole around the head of enlightened beings, also demonstrated in the Flying Coat of Arms on the wall behind it and on the top of the dome, is also positioned at the same tilt as the Earth. This same idea is demonstrated in the Egyptian headdress, which appears as a flared cobra head that circles over the top of the head from the spine, with a serpent and vulture (pineal and pituitary) coming out of the center of the forehead. This may be giving us a clue as to the real shape of the energetic current of the body, which starts at the top of the forehead and curves over the cranium (dome of the skull) to the back part of the brain where it regulates the nerve centers of the body through the midbrain. This is also commonly represented by the ‘hooked staff’ many prophets and Magi are shown carrying, and what was called the ‘brazen staff’ of Moses that turned into a serpent (symbol of wisdom). This small detail commonly overlooked through inaccurate interpretation may explain the constant confusion as to which chakra is the 6th and 7th, which this design is clearly showing as being the ‘crown’, which is analogous to the Higher Self of Christ consciousness, also called the ‘savior god’, which takes its ‘seat’ in the ‘throne’ of the pineal. You want to also recognize that the pineal is positioned towards the back of the head, with its serpent head shape pointed slightly downward, making the opposite position in the center of the forehead.
When the ‘orb of the pineal’ is seen clairvoyantly, its positioned in the same way the Earth is on its axis. I’m pointing this out because this factor is commonly completely overlooked and seldom considered for its significance, even though most symbols clearly demonstrate it. When someone learns to think of an idea in a certain way, they often have trouble seeing it in a new light. This idea is also represented in what’s called the ‘celestial sphere’ (Great Cycle), which we’ll talk more about when we move to the top of the courtyard aligned with the pine cone sculpture. The celestial sphere represents the 36 constellations seen from the Earth (3 + 6 = 9), the same number of the procession (25,920 = 18 = 9). All numbers associated with the procession (12 – 30 – 72- 360 – 2,160 – 4,320 – 25,920) are all derivatives of 3 and 9. Anytime ideas or cyclical processes are represented by the same numbers, it indicates the same principles are operating in each one. The numbers 3 and 9 are significant numbers in the sense that “3†represents the 3-fold aspect of the mind and soul as a Triad, which moves down the hierarchical planes into manifestation by halving and doubling (mitosis), forming 3 Triads (3 x 3 = 9) that manifest as a single unit or living entity in the 10th, the number of completion and self-perfection. There’s a very significant relationship between 3, 6, and 9, as a process of development and dissolution. 9 empowers all other numbers its combined with: (9 + 4 =13 = 4); (9 + 5 =14 = 5); (9 + 6 = 15 = 6); and so on. There’s a 9-stage process in creating a ‘whole’.
North Wall – Pine cone within a Dome
We want to start here by taking in the whole wall in terms of its basic design as a composite image that represents the principles involved, because principles always represent ‘processes’. The pine cone is mounted on a triangular (3) base that’s elevated above the courtyard (4 = square), whose design is completely symmetrical, representing the dual nature (polarization) of the mind and body, where it’s the only ‘single image’ that’s not paired. It’s positioned directly above the mans face on the wall below it, indicating it’s connection to the top of the head. The face has ‘water’ running out of the mouth into a half-circle pool, showing our outer world is a reflection of our thoughts (created in the same image as we are), which is diametrically opposite to the terrace behind the pine cone, and the pavilion on top of the roof, while at a 90-degree angle to the dome itself. The pine cone, which is mounted on a base shaped like a ‘chalice’ (Holy Grail), centered within a dome (cranium), which has 21 windows organized in 3 rows of 7 each, that appear to emanate from the fountain-like sphere in the top of the dome (22). The cranium (skull) is comprised of 22 bones, 21 of which are fixed, and 1 (jaw) moveable.
What’s called the ‘sphenoid bone’ is an unpaired bone of the neurocranium situated in the middle of the skull, and is considered the ‘keystone’, as it joins with almost every bone of the skull. It’s considered the ‘winged bone’, shaped like a butterfly, moth, or bat, with 2-pairs of wings; 2 lesser (top) and 2-greater (lower), both triangular in shape and positioned at a 90-degree angle to each other. This is represented by the ‘winged sphere’ or ‘winged pine cone’ that sits on top of a caduceus and staff commonly portrayed in Hermetic Sciences. It forms the ‘seat of the saddle’, also called the ‘Mercy Seat’, which contains the pituitary body with the pineal positioned higher and to the back of the midbrain (like a sun). The pineal sits between the 2 hemispheres of the brain, close to the superior colliculi of the midbrain, a paired structure that plays a role in vision.
The terrace itself is completely symmetrical with pairs on each side, forming mirror images of each other with the pine cone, mans head, and pool below the mans head being the only single ideas as correspondences to each other. The chalice base holding the pine cone is adorned with 5 men, one in the center, and 2 pairs (who look alike) on each side (5), repeating the idea of mind over matter, where the higher mind is holding the 4 Elements in balance, and the holographic principle of the pentagram and Hexagram. The head is broken on the man in the middle, but there’s a possibility it originally had ‘two heads’ or faces, one facing towards the front and one towards the back (pineal and pituitary, two hemispheres, personality and identity, and complementary aspects of the mind and soul). The pine cone is a single image (unpaired) and gland whose twin or complementary aspect (polar opposite) is on the higher plane of the creative mind. Above the 5 men is a motif that represents 2 polar opposites combined and reconciled through a 3rd element (3rd eye).
The twin peacocks are sitting on a base of 2 columns formed into one, which have 2 levels combined as a top rail, symbolic of 2 planes merged into 1. Each side of the banister contains 7 ovals enclosed within a rectangular shape (7 x 2 = 14 = 5). 14 is the number of transformation in terms of raising your vibration by forming new combinations (Alchemy has 14 steps in an overall process) (1+ 4 = 5), and 5 is the number of regeneration, which transforms the lower vibration into a higher one (in the trump of the Tarot 14 is Temperance, the principle for raising your vibration by combining the upper with the lower). These two can also represent “2 scales or octaves which function as a progression where the end note of one scale forms the base note of the next higher scale (do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do), and the same note resonates on a higher scale, and of course a single unit of coherent light has 7 basic colors ‘hidden’ within it. The pineal regulates light, and transforms vibratory impulses received from the ether into images formed out of light accompanied by an internal voice.
The base or floor of the terrace then declines down ‘4 steps’, with 2 flower pots on every other stair (growth), and at the bottom there’s 2 pillars (Jakin and Boaz) with two spheres for capitals (celestial and terrestrial) , with a cup shape in the middle connecting them that has 3 mounds, one seated above and within the other 2, forming a triad, with an 8-pointed star overhead. The 3 mounds represent the 3 aspects of 1 mind (3 aspects 1 essence) (superconscious, conscious, subconscious), and the higher mind which creates through the 2 lower minds of the subconscious (personality) and conscious (identity born out of the personality). On its base below this is a rectangle, the sides half the length of its breadth, representing the principle of Phi and the Golden Ratio. The 2 side pillars holding the spheres are formed out of 2 levels (squares), with the central image being contained fully within the upper one. This idea is repeated in the Flying Coat of Arms overhead, as well as throughout the Vatican. This idea also represents the higher will being seated within the chariot of the pineal, which is pulled by 7 horses (7 aspects of God and man) or 2 sphinx’s (two lower minds), one black and one white, which represent the combination of the 4 Elements (man, bird, lion, ox) to form a material being. This same symbol, 3 mounds, 1 seated within (pineal) and over the other 2 (hemispheres of the brain), with an 8-pointed star overhead is used throughout the Vatican, because of what it represents.
The 8-pointed star is formed by 2 crosses at 90-degree angles to each other (polarized). Directly behind this image is the statue of a saint. While we tend to focus on the pineal and consider it in a singular manner, it’s actually a fundamental part of the midbrain, and the main part of the Thalamus, called the Epithalamus, which forms the roof of the 3rd ventricle, and acts to connect the limbic system to other parts of the brain. The pineal regulates our mental state out of which correlated emotions are generated, and through this combination everything else (thought, feelings, perception, memories, nerve impulses, chemistry, etc.) flows as a coherent state. It not only sits between the 2 hemispheres of the brain, which function as 2 material aspects of the mind correlated with the subconscious (right) and conscious (left), but also connects the higher mind with the lower mind which exist on parallel planes, commonly referred to as ‘heaven and earth’, which are mirror images of each other on smaller and larger scales (of the same frequency). This, again, is expressed in the Hermetic axiom, “as above so below, and as below so above”.
The 2 peacocks are symbolic of the 2 aspects that combine in forming the self as the personality (lower self) and individuality or identity (higher self), the masculine and feminine aspects of our mind, and is a symbol of transformation. The peacock is a symbol of the phoenix, and when the tail feathers are spread out form a half circle and have eyes on them, glistening with vibrant colors of blue (mind) and green (heart). Directly below the peacocks on the same level with the mans face are a pair of lions, symbolizing the king of beasts (man), known for their strength, courage, and being able to hypnotize their prey. They represent the sphinx, half man, half beast, the symbol of the ‘sun god Mithras’, and were traditionally placed beside ‘gateways’ and ‘doors’ of tombs and temples to guard and protect them. The lion protected the gateway to the netherworld which the sun passed each day and disappeared at night, associated with death and rebirth. Lions also represent royalty and kingship, and the element of fire.
The mans face, positioned between the 2 lions and directly below the pine cone, who appears similar to the man depicted on the chalice, is positioned above a half-circle pool, and has water coming out of his mouth. Water is the element of man and the mind, and the primordial substance of the etheric body and subconscious, which forms a ‘mirror in water’ that allows him to perceive himself. The inner vision of the imagination appears as an image reflected on glass or water, also called the ‘magic mirror’ of manifestation, and the ‘dark waters of creation’. Our inner visions come as images reflected on a dark surface, and when we open our eyes, they appear as translucent images that we look through as a lens of perception used to perceive ourselves through the outer world, which is formed by our perception (created in our image and with our likeness). The half circle (pool) is at an opposite angle to the one that forms the terrace (behind the pine cone) on a smaller scale, and is at a 90-degree angle to the dome, and at an 180-degree angle (reverse) to the pavilion on the roof of the dome. What comes as inspired thought conceived internally through the pineal, forms into an image and inner voice that forms the basis for manifesting a physical correspondence.
Behind the pine cone on the half-circle terrace (opposite the pool and same as the rooftop pavilion), aligned directly behind the pine cone and in front of the doorway is an empty sarcophagus. There are what appears to be 8 Egyptian statues made of black stone placed around the wall, with 2 more (sarcophaguses?) laying down next to the 2 on each side of the door. I couldn’t find a clear image of these, so I’m not sure what they are specifically, but based on their color and Egyptian nature, I would guess they represent guardians of the afterworld. The sarcophagus is clearly formed in the shape of a human body, with a dark exterior and a white interior. This symbolizes the ‘etheric-double’ of the sidereal body (8-pointed star), which is seated in the pineal as the god-king in his chariot or throne. The physical body is considered the ‘tomb’ of the soul, and the material world is considered the realm of death, because its only here that we take on an animal (mortal) body and experience ‘dying’.
The sidereal (star), astral-etheric double or subtle body contains the karmic blueprint as a ‘seed’ that forms the soul’s destiny. Every star is formed out of the cosmic dust or plasma of its galaxy, and all the planets that orbit the star are formed out of its electrically charged substance (cosmic dust), and we’re created out of the substance of the Earth, where our destiny is orchestrated through the movement and relationship of heavenly bodies and star systems visible from the Earth (within our galactic neighborhood). This is why archetypes of the Zodiac, which form the basis for our psyche (soul’s constitution) are represented by the planets of our own solar system, and the solar system is influenced by the movement of all the star-systems within our galaxy.
Our higher mind is represented by the sun, our own star, and our body or lower subconscious mind is represented by the Earth, which are formed of the same cosmic substance and essence, and our higher mind acts to impregnate our lower mind with seeds for manifestation. These karmic seeds (dormant within the pine cone) are opened (made to vibrate) by an electrical impulse (spark) administered by our higher mind and are translated into mental images that are symbolic (archetypal) in nature and contain a form of ‘theme’ that initiates a new stage of growth. These are memories that have already been created in the imagination of the higher mind. Our life plan (divine providence) has already been designed in its complete form on the higher plane of the cosmic mind, and our etheric blueprint contains all the memories as seeds that are opened at precise moments in our development (pineal regulates time). Our lower, animal nature (our body is mammalian), is born out of the soul of the Earth, which creates all activity through instinct and comes in the form of cosmic memory that pertains to a particular species.
The pine cone is used as the symbol for the pineal not only because it looks like one (it also looks like a serpents head), but because of the symbolic significance of the pine cone. A pine cone is a seed-pod for an evergreen tree, which doesn’t go dormant in the winter, and contains ‘2 seeds beneath each scale’, and the seeds are released through maturity and by fire (light), heat (expansion as growth), and pressure (attributes of light and will). This represents seeds as stages of development that make up a life-cycle, which unfold sequentially as pivotal events that facilitate the karmic growth of the individual. These seeds of destiny are fully contained within the etheric blueprint of the individual and unfold through a natural growth process that comes through a form of perfect timing. The seeds are gestated and ripen according to the conditions and life circumstances that set the stage for specific types of growth. The scales or seed pods of the cone form a spiral, symbolic of the Fibonacci Sequence which basically demonstrates that all growth comes through the accumulation of new types of experience that serve to transform and evolve existing memory to a new level. The most recent past combined with the present form the basis for the future which evolves as a natural progression.
The dome, in which the pine cone is positioned in the center, has a circle on the ceiling with 7 rays, columns, or vertical segments radiating from it. Within each of these rays are windows, forming 3 rows of 7 each, or 7 columns of 3 each. The top row of windows are inset into the curvature of the dome, with the top forming the same shape as the Pope’s headdress – which is shaped like a vesica piscis – and the windows have a thick vertical bar in the center, with 3 smaller horizontal ones dividing the windows into 3 rows (3 tiered staff of the Pope) of two panes each (6). There’s a narrow divider between it and the middle row, which has the same 3-paned windows, with a border frame that has a horizontal rectangle in the same shape and proportion as the vertical windows. There’s a 3-tiered divider between the middle and lower row, the windows on the lower row don’t have frames, and have a center divider with 2 panes, forming a cross, and the center window is a doorway, with 3 windows on each side.
This idea can be interpreted in many different ways based on the geometric and numeric structure, but in relation to the other symbols and idea being illustrated, it clearly represents what we call the “4 Worlds of the Tree of Life“ the World of Archetypes (sphere on ceiling and pavilion of roof), Creation, Formation, and Action – the 22 principles of the Hebrew alphabet and archetypes of the Tarot, and the 22 (pairs) primary chromosomes of DNA, with the 23rd being the gene of gender, which is a function of the pineal. If you take the major trump of the Tarot (Keys for interpretation as correspondences), and place the “0†(Fool) at the top, and line the others up sequentially in 3 rows of 7 each, it forms a tableau of principles where the top row refers to ‘powers and potencies’, the middle row ‘laws and agencies’, and the bottom row ‘conditions and effects’. The archetype of Daleth (an idea birthed in the imagination) is symbolized as a ‘door’ (a passageway between inner and outer), and the Emperor (Heh), is symbolized by a ‘window’ (allows surveillance of the outside). There are 22 bones in the skull, all of which come together in the sphenoid bone (winged bone), which is the seat (saddle) in which the pineal and pituitary sit (winged disc or pine cone of higher consciousness). This can also be interpreted using the symbol of the caduceus, where 2 serpents (polarized aspects of the life-force) wind or zig-zag up 3 levels, resting at the base of the winged disc.
Flying Coat of Arms
This is probably one of the most significant symbols, because it ties everything together to form a cohesive idea. This collective symbol is strikingly similar to the Hierophant (Pope) of the Tarot (number 5, Vau), symbolic of a ‘nail or peg’ that joins two things together, and a ‘yoke’ (yoga) that ties the animal to the cart. It contains the composite of the same group of principles, some of which are represented in new ways. The overall symbol is very symmetrical, representing complementary opposites combining to form a single whole – polar opposites (2 elements of fire and water) are reconciled through a third element (Triad – air). The center image of the 3-tiered crown sitting on 2 columns that come up from the base (cup) formed out of the 2 scrolls, with wings on both sides (Air – ascension), represents of the ‘winged disc or pine cone’, symbolic of ascension through mastering the mind and cleansing the lower nature using the conscious, rational, reasoning mind of universal intelligence.
The crown is a triple tiara with a trefoil coming out of the top (3-fold flame), forming the base of the fountain umbraculum, which is also mirrored in the circle on the ceiling of the dome. It has 7 rays or streams coming out of it forming a fountain of light, symbolized by a ‘halo’ or golden sphere-disc shown at the same angle over the head of divine, enlightened beings. This illumination is formed out of the aura being radiated from the pineal. This fountain of 7 rays is framed by a half circle with spirals on each end, signifying the union of complementary aspects to form a single unit of light (all light is polarized). There’s a single garland surrounding the whole image that appears as 2 garlands running down both sides – 1 energy divides into 2 – what we perceive as duality is complementary aspects of the same energy necessary to form ‘dimension’ as a holographic light form. The 2 side pieces are similar to a throne or saddle, with 2 arms and 2 legs and the crown (pineal) seated in the middle. The middle is an oval, which forms the vesica piscis through the regeneration, division, and merging together of the Monad with itself, forming the ‘womb of the universe’ through which mental ideas become physical realities, forming the basis for self-creation.
The 2 keys, crossed at the center, represent the 2 aspects of the subconscious and conscious on the material plane which are governed by the higher mind through the seeds that are planted and begin growing in the 3rd-eye of the pineal, represented below it as 3 mounds. The keys are also mirror images of each other and are normally illustrated as one being silver (subconscious) and the other gold (conscious). The top part of the key is formed out of a single line (plane) that’s divided in 2, and each half has 3 aspects. The handles are made of a circle with 8 smaller circles around a central circle, forming 10 in all. This is symbolic of the 8-spoked wheel of reincarnation and Dharma, which forms the 8-fold path of Buddhism, and correlates with the 8-pointed star positioned between and below them.
The 8-pointed star represents cosmic energy, which flows between planes in a self-perpetuating and self-sustaining manner ‘8’. It’s the symbol of infinity which is a self-contained system that functions as a continuous flow or closed circuit. The ‘metal’ (property) of the pineal is ‘quicksilver’, mercury, which rises and falls, expands and contracts, as a pressure system (+/-) based on temperature (hot and cold). 8 is a complete unit of both light and sound (octave and scale), which are both regulated and transcribed by the pineal through calcite crystals that are contained within both the pineal body and the inner ear, and resonate in perfect harmony with each other. 8 represents ‘meditation’ (mediation), where the lower mind is made silent and passive in order to act as a receptor for the seeded ideas of the higher mind, received and translated through the imagination. The principle of the 8-pointed star is represented in the Tarot by ‘the Star’, number 17, which represents meditation as the means of merging into and converging with our higher mind.
Meditation is the unbroken flow of knowledge as ‘conception’ – the transference of ideas as the germination or budding of ideas. All germinal processes take place in the dark. T his represents the ‘genesis of ideas’, conceived in their seed form, rather than fully developed, where they’re gestated and built into the mental model of the individual and birthed as its offspring in the outer world of activity. Meditation directs the currents of solar force by acts of self-directed attention. Intense concentration applied in a steady manner leads to the inner awareness of what is otherwise an elusive truth. The pine cone appears closed because these are the “seeds of light” (starseeds) gestated and birthed on the inner plane of the mind, forming the frequency of an archetypal pattern and theme for ordering and organizing the outer world of light (sun) into a corresponding idea played out as a particular theme. 8 is the principle of ‘periodic renewal’, where similar patterns repeat in a rhythmic flow of cycles. The pineal is the ‘time-keeper’ of the body and regulates all physical cycles of the body and outer life. The 8-pointed star also represents the light-body of the astral-double, which contains the karmic seed of destiny and fortune, which is unbiasedly administered by our higher mind through ‘suggestions’ that come as inner visions that appear as a memory.
The pineal is both the means of conceiving and translating a universal idea (archetype) into a personalized concept where it comes into fruition through a natural series of events. It’s the learning center of the brain that’s stimulated by higher rates of vibration as the communication between our higher, divine mind, and our lower, personal mind. The pineal is the crown chakra that contains the other 7 within it as a single unit of light that’s coherent and transparent. It’s located both in the body (pineal) and outside of the body, in what can be thought of as the 8th chakra that forms an egg-shaped energy field that can be clairvoyantly seen as the aura that appears to emanate from the body.
It takes part in both planes simultaneously and is what acts to ‘combine them into one’ (4 + 4 = 8). In order to attain knowledge as wisdom you have to ‘be in the experience of it’. You have to merge into it as a concept and be of the same mind where you become the ‘vibration of it’ (resonate with it). The star sits directly above 3 aspects (mounds), one seated within the lower 2, directly below the 2 keys. You open the gate to higher dimensions (keyhole) by concentrating on universal principles as mental concepts (scrolls of universal law). When we stop thinking and still our mind while concentrating on an idea, and simply observe (witness) the inner light that forms, truth reveals itself to us. Meditation develops powers in being able to control the animal forces (lions) of our human personality (man’s face).
The 2 scrolls, rolled up on the upper level, and combined and unrolled on the lower, represent law of involution and evolution – the law of involution of undifferentiated conscious energy and its evolution through a series of personalized forms of itself. Through the Law of Karma as cause and consequence, we are assured of reaping what we first sow within. The 2 wheels and rolled up scrolls can be seen as spiraling in opposite directions, tied together by a spiraling rope, where 2 combine as 1, represented by the beaded rope around the central oval where 2 dark beads are bound together by a light one. The scrolls symbolize the Torah, also called the ‘Book of Life’ which contain the 10 universal laws that govern the mind, and the ‘Akashic Records’ in which the karmic memory of the soul is recorded as a permanent record, associated with the High Priestess of the Tarot, the Virgin Mother of God (Mary), and Binah of the Tree of Life. The sidereal body is formed out of ‘star substance’ as charged plasma that’s always in an embryonic state and acts to conceive and gestate ideas planted in it that serve to faithfully administer karma as the sequential events of a person’s life.
All things that come into manifestation come as ‘twins or pairs’ that are polarized to each other and together form a ‘body’ (particle) that’s accompanied by an invisible energy field (spherical wave) that surrounds, permeates (moves through and inhabits), and contains it. This pairing can be thought of as the basis for the astral (star) double that contains the builders plan and a self-assembling force (frequency) as well as the higher mind, which acts to construct and give life to the entire material world without ever fully manifesting ‘into it’. The etheric double can also be thought of as the subconscious mind (material mind) which is formed by the essence of the higher conscious mind and acts to regulate the activities of the material world. The higher mind can be thought of as the architect or designer, and the lower mind the builder that constructs the reality of the design.
Polarized pairs are ‘entangled energetically’, which means they are of the exact same ‘state’ and function simultaneously as both a particle (matter) and a wave (mental field of highly organized information). These dual aspects spin in opposite directions of each other, and no matter how far apart they appear to be in space and time, they continue to act as one. All movement, no exceptions, takes place as an interaction between complementary aspects, whether it be as an inner and outer, where separation is an illusion, or material and energetic as an upper and lower. The only way we have of being ‘drawn into’ the higher, divine levels of the mind is by cultivating the same state of mind as our character and true inner nature. In this regard there’s no faking, pretending to be someone we’re not, or hiding and putting on airs. We have to actually ‘become it’ as our normal way of being and perceiving.
The Rooftop Pavilion
Directly above the dome is a pavilion, shaped into a half-circle, which is also at a right angle to the shape of the dome itself, parallel to the terrace below the dome and directly behind the pine cone, and a mirror image (reverse) of the pool formed by water flowing out of the man’s mouth. The caps on each side of this U-shaped area, are comprised of a square and triangle formed into a house (temple). There are 4 pillars (Elements), with 3 spaces between them, forming a square, with a triangle roof (Triad). This forms the symbol commonly used to represent the union of the mind (3) with the body (4), as the upper 3 chakras and the lower 4 chakras, which form the ‘temple’ as the dwelling place for the soul and spirit. It’s also symbolic of ‘mind over matter’, and our mind’s ability to govern the animal powers inherent in our mammalian body, represented by the lion.
The inner part of the ‘U’ shape has what appears to be 12 columns or pillars (not counting the 4 end-caps) forming 11 spaces, with half-spaces on each end (12), the same pattern is repeated on the upper level as rectangles. The upper level of the endcaps also repeats the pattern of the 4 pillars and 3 spaces. This is demonstrating the relationship that exists between 3 and 4 as mirror images of each other on parallel planes, where the triad forms the tetrad, as well as the 12 archetypes of the Zodiac (3 x 4 = 12), divided into 4 cardinal signs correlated with the 4 elements, with 3 signs in each category. This also represents the principles involved in the Tetragrammaton or ‘4 letter name of God’, which is actually 3 letters, one of which is repeated – Yod, He, Vau, He – and the 3 aspects of the mind that manifest in a 4th element as a material reality. In the middle or center, perfectly aligned with the center windows, coat of arms, doorway, sarcophagus, pine cone, fountain, eye-sphere, cross, and center of the 8 pillars, is a rod (flagpole?) with a sphere of some kind on the top. This is an idea that’s repeated throughout the Vatican, and often accompanied by the 8-pointed star and 3 mounds on the top.
A very similar idea is portrayed in a painting of the ‘Last Supper’, which is inside the Sistine Chapel. In this picture you want to notice the design elements used to convey the idea it represents. The ceiling design (8 spoked wheel – octagon) is repeated on the floor, there’s 3 scenes-images on the wall behind them, 2 witnesses on each side, a figure sitting in the middle (dressed in dark clothes), surrounded by 12 disciples (13th), all with angled halos made of gold (sun), sitting around a half-circle table with a gold chalice in front of the central figure (wine?). The symbols on the floor in front of them – cat and rat, with a dog dancing at the feet of 2 of the witnesses, 2 vessels sitting beside (outside of) a circular tray with 2 more vessels and another circular tray at a right angle inside of it. You may also want to take note of the image on the floor in the ‘Tower of the Winds’ (observatory), that’s comprised of 13 moon cycles, 12 stars, a male and female in the center with 7 concentric spheres or borders, and 4 men holding it up at the corners, with 4 faces opposite the 4 men on the outside. The whole image is formed as a circle (Monad) with an inner square that has an 8-layered circle within it. I point these out because they contain similar symbols and represent a common idea as a universal theme.
Summing it Up
By simply contemplating these symbolic ideas as representing ‘universal principles’ that provide you with a very specific ‘method of practice’ for understanding the real purpose and function of the pineal as being what ‘connects’ us to our ‘higher self’ as our divine nature, other insights will form that will expand your awareness and will provide you with additional clues as to the actual process involved. Any time you don’t fully understand the significance of a symbol or principle, make it a point to research it further. All numbers represent principles that are conceptualize through Sacred Geometry, which is the structure, properties, and animating forces that form the very basis for our material reality and provide us with ‘processes’ for achieving what the composite design represents.
Likewise, the archetypes of the Tarot, astrology, and mythology of all cultures also represent principles in their personalized form and provide a ‘key’ of correspondences and analogies for interpreting all other aspects. These universal archetypes form the basis for mythology and legends of the ‘gods’ of every culture on Earth because they’re inherent in our human psyche and subconscious, and though the images used may pertain to a specific culture or religion, the universal principles they represent remain the same. If you clear your mind of all the opinions and beliefs you’ve been taught regarding an idea or symbol, close your eyes and form a calm, relaxed meditative state while concentrating on an image in a single-minded fashion, what you’ll probably discover is that the image itself will come alive inside as visual thought that begins moving in a spiraling motion proliferating a chain of associated ideas as a form of unfolding. Our inner psyche is holistic and works through the group mind that connects ideas with all other correlated ideas, because a ‘principle’ isn’t a fixed concept or stagnate material form, it’s a living force that organizes the same idea into a vast number of images that all serve to represent the same basic idea.
I’m going to let you tie together all the symbols discussed as representing a ‘whole idea’ or ‘larger process’ on your own, because this is what helps to develop higher consciousness. What we refer to as higher consciousness is always ‘creative and individual’ in nature. As you develop your own idea about what this composite image is communicating, you can begin developing your own practice for how to bring it into your daily life as a means of utilizing it to facilitate your own spiritual growth and moral development. I simply pointed them out and gave you a basis for discovering the deeper hidden meaning they represent.
Symbols are the universal language of the mind where each time they’re drawn into the individual mind and concentrated on, they form in a unique and original way as an offspring produced by that mind. Though they may form differently each time and in a different way for each person, the idea and creative process they represent will always remain the same. Symbolic ideas are how we take a universal concept and use it to form a personalized version as a means of ‘creating’. As we create using our imagination, we form internal experiences that become the basis for external experiences of the same nature, and through our self-created experiences, we simultaneously ‘create ourselves’.
