The Human Body
The human body has always been used in symbolism. Man is considered the microcosm, compared with the macrocosm of the universe. This symbolism is not restricted to the entire body, either. The skeletal structure can be considered part of the Earth element. The skeleton, itself, is commonly used to symbolize death. The head, especially the brain, symbolizes Fire. The lungs, not surprisingly, symbolize Air, and blood symbolizes Water.
The Heart
The heart is one of the most popular symbols of love and happiness. The familiar heart symbol, which looks very little like the physical organ, is recognized virtually everywhere as a sign of love and passion. This association is extremely old. The primitive cave paintings of animals in France date back 26,000 years. A small red heart is painted in the center of many of them, showing that these people understood the heart’s purpose and importance.9
Interestingly, the heart symbol is created from the number two and its mirror image. Two obviously means duality, or two people. The figure for two consists of a horizontal line and a curving vertical line, two shapes that are quite different from each other. This is similar to the Chinese yin and yang, the two opposites that cannot survive without the other.
The heart has had other symbolic meanings attached to it. It can represent the vital energy or soul that gives life. In Islam, the heart is considered to be spiritual and contemplative. In India, the heart is the part of the body where you contact Brahma. The Aztecs believed that the heart was, in effect, the body’s sun. This led them to kill thousands of people every year to provide an offering of hearts to the sun. Obviously, this was the greatest gift they could offer.
The ancient Egyptians thought the heart was the home of the emotions and the intellect. The heart was left in dissected mummies so that it could be weighed in the underworld. The person’s misdeeds in life weighed the heart down. The heart had to be lighter than a feather to continue on to paradise.
The ancient Greeks associated it with thought and feelings. However, this gradually changed and the heart became a spiritual symbol. In contrast to this, about three thousand years ago, the familiar heart sign symbol became related to the lyre, which was associated with Eros, the god of sexuality.10
In the Bible, we read: “As he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). This shows that, for thousands of years, people have believed that how we think in our hearts is much more important than how we think in our heads. There is an overemphasis on logical thinking today, but what the heart tells us will always be more important than cold, hard logic. The heart is the seat of love, sympathy, and compassion. It is interesting to note that the heart’s electromagnetic field is five thousand times greater in strength than that of the brain. Sensitive devices called magnetometers can measure this energy from up to ten feet away.11
The heart is also a popular symbol in Christian art. The tradition probably began when St. Margaret Mary, a French nun, claimed that Jesus visited her and said: “behold this Heart, which hath so loved men that it has spared nothing.” Although Pope Pius IX thought Sister Margaret was insane, he bowed to public pressure to have an annual feast in honor of Christ’s Sacred Heart. This feast is still celebrated today (on Friday of the third week after Pentecost).
A heart crowned with thorns was originally used to symbolize St. Ignatius Loyola (c.1491–1556), the founder of the Jesuits. A heart pierced with nails and crowned with thorns is a symbol of Christ’s redeeming love. The flaming, pierced heart of Christ is a symbol of love for all mankind. A heart on fire symbolizes a devoted Christian, but Renaissance artists also used it to symbolize lust and profane passion. Its most likely original meaning was to show Christ’s desire to be loved by humanity. The Renaissance artists also introduced the heart with Cupid’s arrow embedded in it to symbolize love.
It is interesting that thousands of years ago, people chose the heart to symbolize love, as scientists have shown that the heart undergoes physiological changes when a person falls in love. This reaction can even cause pain in some people.
Blood
Blood is usually considered a symbol of the life force or the soul. Consequently, it is believed to contain divine energy. This energy was released during a human or animal sacrifice. In ancient times, people believed that an offering of blood caused rain and increased fertility. Consequently, in the Middle East, the bride stepped over sheep’s blood that had been sprinkled in her path. Blood is also related to vitality and passion. Someone who is “red-blooded” is full of vital energy.
Blood has been mingled between two or more people to signify a union or sacred bond. One of the meanings of “blood brother” is a close friendship between two males that has been marked by commingling of blood.
Blood has special significance in the Christian religion. The wine that is drunk at Communion symbolizes the blood of Jesus.
However, in some traditions, blood is not considered in a positive light. Some primitive people think menstruating women are defiled and need to be segregated and cleansed.
Breasts
The breasts symbolize love, protection, fertility, and motherhood. However, a single bared breast can also symbolize humiliation and grief.
Hair
Hair normally symbolizes male strength and power. Samson lost his personal power when his hair was cut. Hair also symbolizes spirituality. When it is cut, it symbolizes the renouncement of earthly concerns. Both Buddhist and Christian monks shave at least part of their heads.
Hair also symbolizes sexuality. Groin and armpit hair appear at puberty. In some cultures, women’s hair has a strong sexual element, which is why it is often covered. Part of the punishment for adultery was to have a priest uncover the woman’s hair.12
Hand
Not surprisingly, the hand has always been considered a symbol of strength, authority, and power. It is a sign of openness and friendliness when a hand reaches out to another. This also has considerable legal implications, as when you shake hands to seal a contract or agreement, you are giving your solemn word. A handshake can also indicate a marriage agreement. The Hand of Atum was used as a fertility emblem in ancient Egypt.13 The laying-on of hands to effect healing is an ancient belief, and shows that hands were believed to contain beneficial power. A blessing, given with the right hand, comes from the same belief. The left hand has always been regarded with suspicion, which is why blessings are bestowed by the right hand, and curses from the left.
Hindu and Buddhist mudras, or hand gestures, contain a wealth of symbolism. The hundreds of possible combinations are used in religious rituals, theater, and dance. The Anahata Mudra activates the heart chakra. To create the Anahata Mudra, hold your hands in front of you with all four fingers of each hand touching each other. Extend your thumbs and place the thumb of your right hand over that of the left. Create a gap between the second and third fingers of each hand, so that it looks as if you are creating two Vs with your fingers. This is the Anahata Mudra.
Handfasting
Handfasting is the name given to a marriage ceremony in the pagan tradition. Unlike Christian marriage ceremonies, handfasting is intended to last for the length of time that the love does, not until “death do us part.” There is also a ceremony for divorce known as handparting. These ceremonies are legal if performed by a legally ordained minister. However, they are often performed either before or after a legal marriage ceremony. This is usually done to satisfy the entire family.
Mouth
The mouth has strong sexual symbolism. In Chinese symbology, it is sometimes associated with the vulva.
Kissing is usually a sign of love and affection. However, kissing can be done for other purposes. Judas betrayed Christ with a kiss. Roman Catholics kiss the ring of a bishop to express their loyalty. Muslims kiss the Ka’bah in Mecca as a sign of devotion. People kiss the hands or feet of kings, nobles, and judges as a sign of homage.
Navel
In West Africa, the navel is considered a symbol of fertility and motherhood. In addition to this, it also symbolizes the connection between mother and daughter, all the way back to the very first woman.
There is also a spiritual association with the navel. The temple at Delphi, for instance, was considered the world’s navel. Mecca, the holy city of Islam, is considered by Muslims to be the navel of the world.
Phallus
In ancient times, the phallus was worshipped by fertility cults. It has always symbolized sexual power and fecundity. Konsei, the Japanese god of marriage, is phallic in shape. Ancient gods associated with fertility were often shown with an erect phallus. Priapus, the Roman god, and Freyr, the Norse god, are good examples.
However, the phallus was not always taken seriously. Satyrs were usually shown with huge erections that symbolized their libidinous, debauched nature. The Trickster, in the Native American tradition, is often shown with a phallus so large that he needs help to carry it around.
Uterus (Womb)
The uterus symbolizes Mother Earth. It is also a symbol of fecundity, fruitfulness, and abundance.
Vulva
The vulva usually symbolizes the mother goddesses and female procreative power. It also symbolizes the gateway to female mysteries and other hidden knowledge.
The mythical vagina dentate, or toothed vagina, symbolizes the fascination and fear that many men have of this organ.
Catherine’s Experience
I have known Catherine for most of my life. She has never really been a friend, but our paths cross every now and again. She has a talent for establishing small business ventures, which she sells as soon as they are profitable. Some years ago, she attended a lecture I gave, and afterwards told me what she had done to attract a partner.
“After my divorce, the last thing I wanted was another relationship,” she told me. “That lasted for about two years, and by that time, all my friends had given up trying to match me with suitable guys. When I felt ready, I bought myself two porcelain ornaments. One was of a really hunky guy. It was almost too much, but I thought if I was going to try to attract a guy, I wanted a real one! The other represented me, of course, and it was a demure, attractive maiden. The lady in the shop tried to get me to choose something that went more with the guy, but I thought this one was more me.
“Anyway, I got them home. I didn’t want them where anyone could see them, so I put them in my bedroom, one at each end of my dressing table. After about a week, I pushed each of them about an inch closer to each other. I kept on doing this for a few months. Each time I saw them, which was several times a day, I’d think of what I was doing, and why I was doing it. It was my way of telling the universe that I was ready to start dating again.
“Every now and again I’d think it wasn’t working, but then, just as I started to think I was wasting my time, a friend suggested we check out a new coffee shop in my neighborhood. I didn’t go there hoping to meet someone. I just went for the coffee and to chat with my friend. Both of us noticed the barista. He was tall, good-looking, and looked as if he worked out a lot. The girl who took our orders was gorgeous, too, and I assumed they were a couple. Anyway, just as we finished our coffee, he came over and introduced himself. He was the owner, and he wanted our opinion on the coffee and the shop. We chatted with him for maybe five minutes and then left.
“The next day I was on my own and thought I’d have a coffee. I guess he was at the back of my mind, but I did really want a coffee. He was there again, of course. The place was quiet, so we chatted for maybe twenty minutes. At the end of it, he invited me out. I went straight home and put my ornaments in the center of my dressing table. They looked as if they were kissing.
“We had a good night, and arranged to meet again. All the same, things developed slowly. We were both involved with our businesses, and didn’t have much spare time. It took about three months for us to become a couple, and we’ve been together now for almost five years. Do you think my porcelain figures helped me find Stephen?”
9. Denny Lee and Josh Stoneman, Symbols of Love (New York, NY: Assouline Publishing, Inc., 2002), 14.
10. Carl G. Liungman, Dictionary of Symbols (New York, NY: W. W. Norton and Company, Inc., 1991), 231.
11. Doc Childre and Howard Martin, The Heartmath Solution (San Francisco, CA, HarperCollins, 1999), 99.
12. Rowena and Rupert Shepherd, 1000 Symbols (London, UK: Thames & Hudson Limited, 2002), 156.
13. Atum, also known as Tem or Tum, was originally a deity of Heliopolis and was a manifestation of the sun god. Atum was thought to be the sun god’s original form when he was in Nu, the primordial abyss. He is identified with the setting sun as it returns to the abyss, ready to be reborn in the morning as Re, the sun god during the daytime hours.