Symbol Dictionary: E
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org,
please feel free to visit the school website)
Earth: The female counterpart to the masculine sky, the earth is idolized as a divine mother by many peoples, due to its nurturing gifts of food, water, and shelter. According to Rowena and Rupert Shepherd in their book 1000 Symbols: What Shapes Mean In Art And Myth (2002), “In China the dome of the sky represents yang, while earth represents yin.” The Batammaliba (From Toga Africa) call their sky god Kuiye and his wife, the earth goddess Butan. For the Maori, the god is Rangi and the earth goddess Papatuanuku. However, in Egypt, the sky is ruled by the goddess Nut, whose earth husband is the god Geb, and in Christianity the sky represents the mantel of the Virgin Mary. The equal-armed cross within a circle is the astrological glyph for the earth. See Elements. Some aspects of the Earth are listed below:
- Gaea: (Gaia) The Greek name for the earth as Mother and Provider. Barbara Walker in her book, The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets (1983) explains that Gaea is the “Greek name for Mother Earth, the ‘Deep-breasted One,’ called Oldest of Divinities.” The Olympian gods swore their oath to her before Zeus, and were ruled by her law, as the oldest of all deities.
- Khon-Ma: Khon-Ma is the Tibetan name for Earth. Barbara Walker, in her book, The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets (1983), says viewed earth as “Mother Earth, the ‘old mother’ Goddess who rules over all spirits emanating from the earth elements.”
- Tara: The Indo-Europe Earth Goddess, in Latin known as Tarra Mater, in Hebrew Terah, in Gaulish Taranis, In Etruscan Turan, according to Barbara Walker, in her book, The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets (1983).
- Terra Firma: Translated as “Mother Earth,” according to Barbara Walker, in her book, The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets (1983), the title was “Taken from the Homeric phrase ‘Great Mother, Firmly Founded, Oldest of Divinities.’”
East: See Directions.
Eden: See Paradise.
Egg: The Egg symbolizes not only life but also the Creatress of the world, the universe, and the sun. From Man, Myth And Magic: The Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Mythology, Religion And The Unknown (1995), edited by Richard Cavendish, “The egg is a symbol of new life and fertility.” The idea of a World Egg, birthed by Mother Night, the Great Goddess of Darkness, who produced the first creature, appears in many early creation myths, especially from the Orient. The Cretan writer Epimenides introduced the world-egg to Greece in 600 B.C.E. The Egyptian sun god Ra was born of the cosmic egg made by the god Khnum, with mud from the Nile and the Egyptian sign for womb and the World Egg are the same. Another myth tells of the sun-egg born of “the great cackler” goose. In Hindu legend, the golden world egg called hiranyagarbha hatches Brahma, the sun. Chinese legend says that the first being, Pan Ku appeared from the cosmic egg. The bisexual Eros, God of Desire was also said to have been the first creature born from the World Egg.
Eight: See Numbers.
Enneagram: The Enneagram is an ancient teaching of the nine types of personalities or strategies that people embody in order to meet their basic needs of love and safety. The origins of the Enneagram are unknown. Some believe that geometry symbol of the Enneagram originated with Pythagoras, others believe that it is an early form of the Cabbalistic Tree Of Life, still others believe that it comes from the Islamic Sufi tradition. The modern Enneagram was compiled, created, and taught by Oscar Ichazo (1976-1982) in his Arica Training. Enneagram comes from the Greek root “ennea” meaning nine and “gram” meaning figure. In their essay, “What Is The Enneagram” (2004), Helen Palmer and David Daniels explain, “Hence, the Enneagram is a diagram or star with nine points representing the nine personality patterns. Each of these nine patterns is based on an explicit set of perceptual filters that determine our worldview. Underneath each of the nine patterns is a basic proposition or belief about what you need in life for survival and satisfaction.” The nine personality types are nicknamed by various experts. Although these nicknames sometimes are not necessarily universal, they are commonly called, the Perfectionist, the Giver/Helper, the Performer/Achiever, the Romantic, the Observer, the Loyalist/Safety and Security, the Epicure/Have Fun/Adventurer, the Protector/Boss, the Mediator/Peacemaker. See the UMS course on Enneagrams for more details.
Eve: Like most biblical stories, Eve has a history before the Bible. Originally an Indian tale of Kali Ma, titled Jaganmata, which means “Mother of All Living,” Eve was known as Jive or Ieva, the world Creatress. In Assyrian myth Eve was the Mother-Womb, Creatress of Destiny and made the first man and woman out of clay. Barbara Walker in her book, The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets (1983) states, “the original Eve had no spouse except the serpent, a living phallus she created for her own sexual pleasure... Because Jehovah arrogantly pretended to be the sole Creator, Eve was obliged to punish him, according to Gnostic scriptures. Though the Mother of All Living existed before everything, the god forgot she had made him and had given him some of her creative power.” At the beginning of many religious doctrines is a Goddess who Created a God to be her companion, but this theme is later corrupted to reinforce patriarchal creation myths, and the story of Eve is no exception.
Eye: The eye is a symbol of knowledge and truth of the soul. The American dollar bill sports a triangle with an eye. When the Egyptian god Ra opens his eyes, the sun rises, when he closes them, light disappears and it is night. The Egyptian All-Seeing Eye of first the goddess of truth and judgment, Maat, later became the Eye of Horus and Ra (left), which could cause terror. This tale morphed into the Evil Eye, which caused hardship and fear. Charms against the Evil Eye tend to be synonymous with symbols for the yoni (uterus/vulva) such as cowrie shells or triangles in India, Greece, and the Balkans. Medusa’s eyes could petrify all but the worthiest viewers. Early Neolithic portrayals of an Eye Goddess who searches men’s souls, have been found all throughout Mesopotamia and the old saying that “eyes are the windows of the soul” still remains. Both Christians and Muslims believe in the All-Seeing-Eye of a holy being. Also, as Barbara Walker in her book, The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets (1983) explains, “It seems men were very much averse to meeting a direct glance from a woman. In the most patriarchal societies, from medieval Japan to Europe, it was customary to insist that ‘proper’ women keep their eyelids lowered in the presence of men.” There is also the third eye of metaphysical practices that allows for inner and outer visions and meditations.