Symbol Dictionary: Cr-D
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org,
please feel free to visit the school website)
Crossroad: Crossroads became a symbol of esoteric meeting grounds between pagans and gods, witches and the devil, a place where justice was created and ghosts walked the earth. Originally, it was revered as the symbol for the crossing over of the dead. The Greeks and Roman’s believed that Diana was the mistress of the crossroads, and her children were the “spirits of the crossroads.” Travelers made offering to her and Compitalia festivals were held at roadsides. The Hermetic cross, a Greek equal armed cross carved with twin serpents became a talisman that travelers left at crossroads in 10th century Ireland as the roads were sometimes dedicated to Hermes. As crossroads became a symbol for meeting, gallows and crucifixes were erected there. Criminals and suicides were buried at crossroads as sacrifices because it was believed that “The Goddess as Mother Earth, dispenser of ‘natural law’ and creatress of birth-and-death cycles, was always present where the dying god died,” according to The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets (1983), Barbara Walker.
Crown: Crowns are usually the most important part of the regalia of divine and early rulers. According to Rowena and Rupert Shepherd in their book 1000 Symbols: What Shapes Mean In Art And Myth (2002), “In the case of mortals, it is associated with the bestowal of divine right upon a sovereign during a coronation ceremony.” In India the crown of kings is called the mukut; the Hindus call their crown of divine kingship Kiritamukuta; the Buddha wears the Muktadharin. In Symbols Of Church Seasons And Days (1997), by John Bradner, “the use of crowns to denote sovereignty and kingship, or in other cases as wreaths to denote victory, is very ancient.” Western alchemists believed the crown symbolized completion and perfection of a metal. See Head-Dress.
Cuckold: This label, taken from the cuckoo bird, was given to people who attended the May-day games in Medieval Europe. This fertility ritual included socially sanctioned promiscuous behavior. Barbara Walker, in her book The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets (1983) says, “The man who became a cuckoo, or cuckold, was one who didn’t care whether his wife was faithful or not, for both of them attended the Maytime festivities when ritual promiscuity was the rule- of fertility charm- as late as the 16th century.”
Cupid: This Roman God of erotic love is called Eros in Greece, and Kama in Hinduism. Son of Venus and Mercury (also called Aphrodite and Hermes), Cupid symbolizes sexual union, but during the Renaissance period, was depicted as the diminutive winged baby with love arrows. The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets (1983), by Barbara Walker, says “ancient talismans of Cupid were not babies; they were winged phalli of bronze, ivory, or wood.”
Death: Death is a formidable part of every society and religion on earth and what happens after death has been the motivating factor for many religions. The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets (1983), by Barbara Walker says, “It has been said that Death came into existence only with the rise of man’s consciousness, a roundabout way of saying death is more real for humans than for any other animal, because only humans foresee it. Religions owe their existence to the unique ability of the human animal to understand that it must die… It’s hard for any perceiving mind to perceive its own nothing, with cessation of all perception.” Death has been called the Dreamless Sleep by worshippers of Kali, the House of Dust or Road Of No Return in Babylon, and the Intermediate State by Tantric Buddhism. Usually concepts of Death still include perception with a sense of place.
Deer: See Animals.
Demon: From the original Greek word daimon, demon originally was used to describe a friendly spirit or guardian angel. During medieval times, when Christianity was degrading all Pagan beliefs, demon became a negative term for the messenger of Satan that was either spirit or animal in form. Unfortunately animal demons were used as proof during the witch trials of the 12th and 13th centuries. The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets (1983), by Barbara Walker says, “Not once in the recorded trials did authorities question witnesses’ ability to distinguish these demons from ordinary animals. It was taken for granted that anyone, even a small child, could recognize His Satanic Majesty no matter how cleverly he disguised himself as an apparently normal beast.” See Gods/Underworld Guardians.
Devi: See Goddesses.
Devil: See Gods/Underworld Guardians.
Diamond: This precious gem has become a symbol for commitment, virginity, and love as the rock of wedding bands. Diamond itself literally translates into “World-Goddess” and was believed to be “solidified drops of the divine essence, embedded in rocks when the world was created,” according to The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets (1983), by Barbara Walker. These rocks were considered sacred to the Goddess because they were harder then any other stone, and consequently revered by the cults of Virgins or priestesses (predecessors to the convent). In Tibet, the Earth-Goddess Tara assumes the form of a Diamond Sow, which is considered the female counterpart to the Dalai Lama. The Tarot cards, predecessors to the modern playing cards, have a diamond suit, representing the ancient pentacle or sign of the Mother Earth. See Convent and Tarot.
Directions: Each culture has oriented itself around systems of directions. Many have included 6 directions, North, South, East, West, Above, and Below. The indigenous Americans called this the medicine wheel, and sculpted it with large rocks onto the plains as well as symbolizing it in fetishes and art. Rowena and Rupert Shepherd in their book 1000 Symbols: What Shapes Mean In Art And Myth (2002), explain, “The simplest form of orientation was by the sun,” thus the east was based on the rising sun and west the setting sun. The meeting point of the directions varied, for the Inca, it was their capital city Cuzco, for the Moslems, it is Mecca.
- North: On the medicine wheel, North represents “air, animals, the mind, heart, wisdom, balance harmony and white races who know the ways of mind, science, research and technology,” according to Rowena and Rupert Shepherd in their book 1000 Symbols:What Shapes Mean In Art And Myth (2002). In Chinese tradition it depicts winter, water, and a tortoise with a snake around it. Buddhists of Japan believe north is protected by the blue god Bishamonten, while the Yoruba of Nigeria associate it with red and the god Ogun.
- East: On the medicine wheel, East represents “fire, the human world, spirit, the spark of life, spirituality and the place from which one sets out on the vision quest; it is also related to the yellow races, masters of the ways of meditation,” according to Rowena and Rupert Shepherd in their book 1000 Symbols: What Shapes Mean In Art And Myth (2002). In Chinese tradition it depicts spring, wood, and a blue or green dragon. Buddhists of Japan believe east is guarded by the red-faced deity Komokuten, while the Yoruba of Nigeria associate it with green and yellow and their god Eshu.
- South: On the medicine wheel, South represents “water, plants, emotions and movement, the innocence of the child and the red race who know how to dance in harmony with the earth,” according to Rowena and Rupert Shepherd in their book 1000 Symbols: What Shapes Mean In Art And Myth (2002). In Chinese tradition it depicts summer, fire, and the phoenix or a red bird. Buddhists of Japan believe south is guarded by the white-faced Zochoten, while the Yoruba of Nigeria associate it with white and the god Obbatal.
- West: On the medicine wheel, West represents “earth, minerals, the body, dreaming, intuition, memories, and the black races, who know how to dance and drum the natural rhythms of the earth,” according to Rowena and Rupert Shepherd in their book 1000 Symbols: What Shapes Mean In Art And Myth (2002). In Chinese tradition it depicts autumn, metal, and a white tiger. Buddhists of Japan believe West is guarded by the green-faced Jikokuten, while the Yoruba of Nigeria associate it with black and their lightening deity, Shango.
Dog: See Animals.
Dolphin: Animals.
Dragon: See Animals.
Dream Symbols: See the section on dream symbols in Dreams and Dreaming.
Drum: Used by the priest, magician, and shaman of indigenous people, the drums were used in a variety of rituals and magical practices, including signifying special occurrences or events, during religious ceremony, to communicate messages, to frightening off evil spirits (believed to prevent storms and earthquakes), and as a musical instrument. Man, Myth And Magic: The Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Mythology, Religion And The Unknown (1995), edited by Richard Cavendish states, “The throbbing beat of the drum in many societies forms a bridge to the supernatural.”