Using Magical Symbols
in Your Own Life
Magical symbols can be used in a variety of ways to achieve the results you desire. You can use them consciously and unconsciously. Once you start working with symbols on a regular basis, you will start noticing them everywhere. They will provide valuable insights that will enhance your life in many ways.
Dreams
Everybody dreams, usually for about two and a half hours every night. In fact, you’d become ill if you didn’t dream. Dreams allow us to release emotional thoughts and feelings that could otherwise cause major problems.
People have always been fascinated by dreams and the insights they provide. The Bible includes many examples of dreams and their interpretations. Joseph, the son of Jacob, provided several good examples. He was skilled at dream interpretation and correctly interpreted the Pharaoh’s feast and famine dream, for instance. In the Book of Job, there is an account of how God used dreams to impart information: “For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon their bed; then He openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction” (Job 33:14–16). Other ancient religious writings also contain numerous references to dreams and their importance. These include the Bhagavad-Gita, the Upanishads, the I Ching, the Koran, The Book of the Dead, the Torah, and the Tripitakas.
Almost 2,500 years ago, Chuang Chou, the Chinese philosopher, described the mystery of dreams perfectly when he told how he dreamt that he was a butterfly. When he woke, he wondered if he was actually a figment of the butterfly’s dream.
Artemidorus Daldianus, the second-century Greek seer, wrote Oneirocritica (The Five Books of Dream Interpretation), a hugely influential book that remained the main source of information on dreams until Sigmund Freud began studying them in the late nineteenth century. Naturally, people explored their dreams to gain insights into what was going on in their lives. Love, and all its ramifications, was obviously an important subject.
Many writers have explored their dreams. William Shakespeare used dreams for dramatic effect in his plays. Not surprisingly, dreams are a regular topic for poets. In his poem, “The Indian Serenade,” Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822), mentioned a romantic dream he had experienced:
I arise from dreams of thee
In the first sweet sleep of night,
When the winds are breathing low,
And the stars are shining bright.
It is interesting to speculate that Shelley was so in love that he thought about his love while awake, and then dreamed of her while asleep. Finally, he wrote about the incident in a poem.
John Aubrey (1626–1697), the English antiquary and folklorist, wrote: “The last summer, on the eve of St. John the Baptist, 1694, I accidentally was walking in the pasture behind Montague house, it was 12 o’clock. I saw there about two or three and twenty young women, most of them well habited, on their knees very busy, as if they had been weeding. I could not presently learn what the matter was; at last a young man told me that they were looking for a coal under the root of a plantain, to put under their head that night, and they should dream who would be their husbands: It was to be sought for that day and hour.”75
Our dreams are full of images and symbols. Most people don’t understand what they mean and dismiss them as strange dreams. Fortunately, it is not necessary to understand, or even remember, your dreams in order to gain help and benefit from them. While you are asleep, your subconscious mind works on problems and concerns that are important to you, and attempts to resolve them. This is why you can sometimes go to bed with an apparently unsolvable problem, and wake up the following morning with the answer in your mind.
However, you can gain much more benefit, and many more insights, by paying attention to your dreams. In fact, you will find so much information that it will seem absurd to ignore it. Your dreams will be full of symbols. Once you know what these symbols mean, you can interpret them to help understand what is going on in your subconscious mind.
The first, and most crucial, step is to remember your dreams. As you know, dreams quickly fade from our minds. I find it helpful to keep a dream diary on my side of the bed. A pad of paper or an exercise book is all that is required. When I wake up, I lie quietly for a few minutes and recall as much of the dream as I can. Immediately after doing that, I write down my memories of the dream using as much detail as possible. I find that while doing this, more and more information comes back to my conscious mind. I do not try to interpret the dream while doing this. I can do that when I have spare time later on in the day. All I’m interested in at first is to write down the dream in as much detail as possible. I also record how I feel upon waking. If I wake up feeling anxious, for instance, it is important to record that, as these feelings will have been created by the dream.
Sometimes I wake up knowing I’ve just had a dream, but it has already disappeared from my mind. When this occurs, I remain lying in the position I was sleeping in, and wait to see if any memories come back. I try to think of the first memory I had upon waking, as this usually leads me back to the dream. Most of the time this works, but sometimes it doesn’t. I don’t worry if I can’t recall a dream. If it is important for me to know about it, I will either experience the same dream again, or the symbols will come to me in another dream.
The best time to explore your dreams is when you are able to wake up naturally. For most people, this is likely to be on the weekend. Before going to sleep, tell yourself that you want to remember your dreams when you wake up in the morning.
If you desire a specific type of dream, you should tell yourself that, too. You might, for instance, ask for a dream that will give you information about when and where you will find a new partner. You might request a dream that provides insights into the future of a particular relationship. You might even ask for a dream that explains why you have problems in this area of your life. Repetition helps. Whenever I request a specific type of dream, I mentally ask for it three times while I am drifting off into sleep. If I do not recall a dream that addresses the issue that night, I repeat the request the following night, and every night after that, until I experience the dream I require.
When you wake up, lie still for a few minutes. You may find that you can briefly return to your dream. Keep your eyes closed while you recapture your dream. Once it is clear in your mind, open your eyes and record your memories of it. I prefer to write them down. You may prefer to record your memories on tape. Some people prefer to make a drawing of their dream, rather than write it down. All methods work well, and you should record your dreams in the way that seems best for you.
Once you have recorded everything you can remember, you can either evaluate the dream immediately, or put it to one side until you have more time. You may find that the dream makes perfect sense to you as it is related to what is going on in your life. It might be a strange dream that makes no sense at all, until you start looking at the symbols that appeared in the dream. Even apparently straightforward dreams need to be looked at closely. As dreams speak to us in symbolic language, the literal meaning of the dream may not be what it is really about.
You may discover that certain symbols appear regularly in your dreams. Obviously, you should pay extra attention to them as they have particular relevance and importance in your life.
Another advantage of keeping a dream diary is that you can review it whenever you wish. You may find that a certain symbol appears reasonably regularly, but not often enough for you to have consciously realized it.
Many years ago, I found that an ornate clock regularly appeared in a certain type of dream I was experiencing. I had not realized how often the clock appeared until I went back over my dream diary. These dreams almost always had me standing at a crossroads, unsure which direction to take. Sometimes I was dressed like the Fool in the Waite Tarot deck, while at other times, I was wearing my normal clothes. The symbolism of the clock was that time was moving on, and it was time for me to act.
A good way to explore the inner meanings of any symbols that appear in your dreams is a simple process. First of all, imagine that you are the symbol. Allow yourself to sense what it feels like to be this symbol. The final step is to experience actually being the symbol. You will be amazed at the ideas and insights that come to you when you do this exercise.
You may want to check out the meanings of the symbols that appear in your dreams in dream dictionaries. Remember that you are the best person to interpret your own dreams. The meaning you give to a specific symbol may not agree with what you read in books. However, it will be correct for you. There are as many ways to interpret the symbolism of dreams as there are people to dream them.
Some people find it hard to determine the symbolism in their dreams. A good solution to this is to draw a picture of your dream, based on what you have written down. Use colored pencils and quickly sketch the basic idea of the dream. You ability at drawing does not matter. You can use stick figures, if you wish. Color in the background, as well as the main elements. You can include any conversation in a bubble, like a cartoon, or write it underneath.
Once you have finished the drawing, give it a title, and then look at it dispassionately. The colors will tell you the “feel” of the dream. A happy dream will include many bright and cheerful colors, while sad or foreboding dreams will include a large amount of brown and black. Think about the setting of the dream, and the people who are involved. Think about the actions that occurred. Take particular note of anything that appears out of context. The ornate clock I saw in my dreams is an example. Write down anything that occurs to you. You will find the symbolism easier to determine, and interpret, from a picture.
Lucid Dreaming
Almost everyone experiences what is called a lucid dream every now and again. In a lucid dream, you realize you are dreaming while you are in it. You are actually “in” the dream, and “out” of it at the same time. In this state, you can usually direct it anywhere you want to go. You may want to continue with the dream you are experiencing and see where it leads. Alternatively, you might want to use the experience to explore something completely different.
Twenty-four hundred years ago, Aristotle wrote about lucid dreams in his book On Dreams. St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas also briefly covered the subject. However, the first person to seriously study the subject was Marquis d’Hervey de Saint-Denis, a French professor of Chinese literature. His book Dreams and How to Control Them was published in 1867.76 Frederik van Eeden, a Dutch researcher, coined the term “lucid dreaming” in a paper he presented to the British Society for Psychical Research in 1913. However, it was not until the 1960s, when Celia Green, a British parapsychologist, wrote her book Lucid Dreams77 that scientists started taking lucid dreaming seriously.
Lucid dreaming usually occurs during the REM (rapid eye movement) stages of sleep. The first REM stage occurs about ninety minutes after falling asleep, and lasts for fifteen to twenty minutes. The REM stage reoccurs about every ninety minutes, although this speeds up as the night progresses. As the REM stage also lengthens as the night progresses, everyone experiences more REM sleep in the second half of the night.
Some people are able to experience a lucid dream by asking their subconscious minds for it before falling asleep. I find this works well sometimes, but doesn’t necessarily guarantee that it will happen.
Another method is to set your alarm clock at one of the times when you are likely to be in the REM state. Turn the alarm off and return to sleep. Without putting any effort into it, as you drift back into sleep, see if you can guide yourself into a lucid dream.
The most reliable method, at least in my experience, is to tell yourself before falling asleep that when you see something specific in your dream, such as your hands, you will become consciously aware of it. Some people are successful with this on their first attempt. Most people need to practice for a week or two before experiencing their first lucid dream. Once you start taking an interest in your dreams, and recording them regularly, it is only a matter of time before you’ll experience a lucid dream.
Dreaming and the Tarot
This is an interesting exercise that frequently uncovers information that was overlooked or not noticed in the dream. After you have recorded your dream and analyzed it, write down three or four questions that you would like to have answered about the dream. A friend of mine always asks six questions, using who, what, where, when, how, and why as the first word of each question.
Shuffle a deck of tarot cards, and deal out three or four cards to provide you with insight into the first question. Deal out as many as necessary, one at a time, if you feel the first cards do not provide a complete answer. Record your findings in your dream diary. Repeat for each question.
I have used tarot cards for many years, and find the familiar images comforting and helpful. However, you can use any other divination system you are familiar with. The I Ching, Runes, and regular playing cards all work well.
Meditation
Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years. People derive health benefits by deliberately relaxing their bodies and minds and having a brief break from their busy, everyday lives. When you meditate, you quietly withdraw into yourself and can reflect on your life and the world from a calmer, deeper, gentler perspective.
You can meditate in any position that feels comfortable for you. I like to meditate on a recliner chair. I prefer this to meditating on a bed, because I am less likely to fall asleep during the meditation while on a recliner chair. However, I also frequently meditate in a comfortable upright chair. All that matters is that you are comfortable, and can relax in the position you choose.
You can meditate anywhere, at any time, but in practice, the more comfortable you are, the easier it is to meditate. Make sure the room is warm and you’re wearing comfortable, loose-fitting clothes. You might like to bathe beforehand. Do not overeat or drink excess alcohol before a meditation, as this makes it hard to get into the required meditative state.
Once you are sitting or lying down comfortably, close your eyes and take several slow, deep breaths. Focus on each breath, breathing in to the count of three, holding it for the count of three, and exhaling to the count of three.
Focus your attention on one of your feet, and think of the fine muscles you have in your feet and toes. Allow these muscles to relax as you think about them. Once these muscles have relaxed, allow the pleasant relaxation to drift over your ankle and into your leg. Allow the calf muscles to relax. Gradually allow the feelings of relaxation to drift up to the top of your leg.
Repeat this with the other leg. Once both legs are relaxed, you can allow the relaxation to drift up through your abdomen and chest, down each arm, and then into your neck. Feel the relaxation drift from your neck to your face and, ultimately, to the top of your head.
Mentally scan your entire body to make sure you are totally relaxed. Focus on any areas that still hold tension and consciously allow them to relax.
Now that you are completely relaxed, you can use this state to achieve a variety of goals. You may enter this quiet, meditative state to enjoy a “mini-vacation” for a few minutes. Doing this is extremely beneficial to your body, mind, and spirit. It is a useful practice to enter this state and think about the blessings in your life. In fact, you can use this time to think about anything. If you are meditating to attract love and romance, you can use this time to reflect upon what is happening in this area of your life.
Alternatively, you can think about a symbol that relates to love and romance. You will find that doing this will provide added insights into both the symbol and what is going on in your life. You may think you chose that particular symbol at random, but in fact, you will have subconsciously chosen the symbol because it relates to your present situation.
Once you have learned everything you need to know from the symbol, take three slow, deep breaths, open your eyes, stretch luxuriously, become aware of your surroundings, and, when you feel ready, carry on with your day.
It is possible that the symbol will not provide you with the positive response you desire. Depending on what is going on in your life, you may receive negative feelings, rather than positive ones.
Because it is important that you return to your everyday life feeling positive and optimistic about your life, you need to add something extra to the meditation before opening your eyes. All you need do is think of something that makes you happy. Experience whatever it is for a few moments, and allow feelings of warmth and pleasure to flow through your entire body. Smile and allow the feelings of well being to expand inside you for as long as possible. When these feelings start to fade, open your eyes.
Creative Daydreaming
Creative daydreaming is similar to meditation, but can be done anywhere, at any time. Instead of consciously relaxing your body first, all you need do is close your eyes and think of the symbol you have selected. See what comes to your mind. Use your imagination to add other elements to this mental picture. You might want to add another person, for instance. You might let your imagination choose a suitable background, which you can alter or change, if you wish. You might ask the symbol different questions, and see what responses come into your mind. Spend as long as you can in your daydream. When you feel ready, open your eyes.
With practice, you will be able to do this exercise with your eyes open, exactly as you do with regular daydreams. The advantage of this method is that it can be done anywhere, and need take only a few seconds. I personally prefer to meditate, but when I’m busy, or want a quick response, I’ll use creative daydreaming.
Create a Symbol Dictionary
As you work more and more with symbols, pay careful attention to the ones that occur in your life most frequently. Notice the effects these particular symbols have on you, and write them down. A book that has been alphabetized, such as a personal phone book, is ideal. By doing this, you will gradually create a book consisting of your own personal interpretations of different symbols.
Recently, I had an interesting example of how people interpret symbols in different ways. My wife and I were at a formal dinner. We hadn’t met any of the people at our table before. I noticed the lady opposite me was wearing a small silver rabbit on a chain around her neck, and asked her if it was a lucky charm.
“Yes,” she replied. “Rabbits bring good luck.”
The man sitting next to her commented that rabbits were an ancient fertility symbol, and she shouldn’t wear it unless she wanted children. Someone else said rabbits symbolized magic and the occult. By this time, the whole table had become involved, and everyone had a different idea as to what a rabbit symbolized. This shows that it is your own personal interpretation of the symbol that is important. When I discussed this topic with a friend of mine who is a professional comedian, he said that a whoopee cushion was his symbol of love and romance!
Ritual
A ritual is a ceremony performed for a specific purpose. Rituals are often performed with a spiritual or magical goal in mind. However, anything that we do in a certain, specific way on a regular basis could be considered a ritual. If you get ready for bed in the exact same way every night, that could be considered your bedtime ritual.
Rituals can be performed to help you achieve your love and romance goals. All you need to do is collect some symbolic objects that are pleasing to you. Make an attractive display of them on a small table. You might prefer to use the symbols to mark the perimeter of an imaginary circle that you will work within.
Sit down inside this circle, take a few slow, deep breaths to relax your mind and body, and then gaze at the symbols you have selected. Think of your purpose in collecting them, and the goal you want the ritual to achieve. If you come from a religious tradition, you may want to start with a brief prayer. Alternatively, you might want to ask the forces of the universe to come to your aid.
If you are looking for a partner, for instance, you can use the ritual to ask the universe to help you find the right person. Make sure that your request is specific. Choose a suitable age group for the person you desire. Specify any other requirements you may have. There is no point in attracting someone completely unsuitable.
Look at the symbols you have selected, and see what impressions come into your mind as you gaze at them. You may like to speak to the symbols, one at a time. It is better to talk out loud, as you will then hear what you say, as you say it. However, if there are other people within earshot, you may prefer to speak to the symbols in your mind.
Enjoy spending time in your magic circle. Visualize how your life will be once you achieve your goal. Imagine different scenes, and see yourself and your partner, inside them.
Finally, give thanks to the universe, and walk out of the circle. Carry on with your day, happy that you have done something to attract to you whatever it is you desire.
Mandalas
Mandala is a Sanskrit word that means “circle.” Mandalas are designs that are usually circular and are constructed around a central point. In Buddhism and Hinduism, mandalas are frequently used for spiritual and meditation purposes, but they can also be used to gain access to your subconscious mind.
Carl Jung (1875–1961), the famous Swiss psychologist, began drawing mandalas shortly after World War I, and is largely responsible for reintroducing them to the West. Drawing mandalas had an immediate calming effect upon his patients. In addition, Jung discovered his patients could make order out of their lives by drawing and studying mandalas.
You will find it helpful to draw mandalas on a regular basis, as they will provide you with insight into your inner mind. All you need are colored pencils and a sheet of paper.
Start by drawing a circle, and then create a picture, design, or simply shapes of color inside it, using as many, or as few, of the colored pencils as you wish. I prefer to put my mandalas aside for a while before interpreting them, but you can examine them immediately if you prefer. Your choice of colors will reveal your state of mind when you created the mandala. Look at the mandala as a whole, and then examine individual areas of it. You may find several symbols inside the mandala. These have particular relevance in your life at the time you drew the mandala.
Date each mandala and keep them. They become a permanent record of your feelings and state of mind at the time you created them. You will find it helpful to look back over them from time to time. Mandalas are even more revealing when a series of them are examined together.
Collecting Symbols
The Chinese have “silent affirmations.” These are objects that cause them to think of something else whenever they see them. A fish is a common example. The average Westerner will pause and look at goldfish in a tank. He or she will find it relaxing to look at them. Someone from the Far East will have a different experience. He or she is likely to think of money and upward progress when looking at the same fish tank. This is because fish are silent affirmations that denote success. The origin of this dates back thousands of years when Chinese people observed fish leaping up waterfalls to get to the breeding grounds. This ultimately led them to associate fish with upward progress.
You know that a large number of symbols relate to love and romance. If you start thinking of love every time you see these symbols, they will become your own silent affirmations. This will happen automatically. All you need to do is place a number of symbols that relate to your goal in your home. Whenever you see them, no matter what you are thinking or doing at the time, your mind will immediately start thinking of love and romance.
You can use symbols to heal hurt and pain, also. One of my clients told me how she used a single symbol to remove a long-standing obstacle that was affecting every aspect of her life.
Beatrice’s Experience
When Beatrice was ten years old, her cousin who was four years older sexually abused her. Although she had tried to forget the incident, and consciously distracted herself whenever it came to her mind, this incident had affected her relationships with every man who had come into her life.
When she was thirty-five, she decided to do something about it, once and for all. She bought a ceramic cat and placed it in her bedroom. She spoke to it every night before going to bed. Gradually, she felt better and better about herself. In some strange way, the cat was making her feel worthy of love once more.
A few weeks later, she visited a local pound and chose a black cat with a deformed ear. She chose this one deliberately, as he had been hurt also. She called him Thomas. He was timid, but gradually gained confidence as Beatrice looked after him and tended to his needs. In the process of doing this, Beatrice was able to tell her cat everything, and this provided healing for both of them.
Beatrice now has a partner. Thomas died of old age and has been replaced by another cat that Beatrice and her partner found at the pound. Beatrice says they did not choose her, and believes Tabitha chose them.
There is a law in the universe that says we attract to ourselves whatever we think about. If you spend more time thinking positive thoughts about love and romance, you will, in a sense, magnetize yourself and attract it to you. It may not happen overnight, but it will eventually.
75. John Aubrey, Miscellanies Upon Various Subjects. (Originally published 1696. Many editions available.)
76. Marquis d’Hervey de Saint-Denis, Les Rêves a les Moyens de les Diriger; Observations pratiques (Paris, France: Libraire d’Amyst, 1867).
77. Celia Green, Lucid Dreams (London, UK: Hamish Hamilton Limited, 1968).