Signs, Symbols & Omens: An Illustrated Guide to Magical & Spiritual Symbolism
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Great care is necessary when constructing magic squares. Usually drawn on parchment, the lines should be marked in black ink with the numbers or letters in red ink. The red should not touch the black anywhere. All should be drawn with the parchment set up so that the maker’s shadow does not fall on the work.
Magical Alphabets
Angelic, or Celestial
This magical alphabet was so-called because it was thought to tie in with the placing of the stars.
Enochian
The Enochian magical alphabet comes from the system of magic introduced by Dr. John Dee (Astrologer Royal to Queen Elizabeth I) in the sixteenth century. It became a part of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and was used by such magicians as Aleister Crowley. Enochian is interesting in that the alphabet appears unrelated to any previous lettering system and the language has its own unique grammar.
Malachim, or Language/Writing of the Magi
Ogham, or Bethluisnuin
Ogham (pronounced OH-yam), or Ogam (Ohm), was originally used by the early Celts and their priests, the Druids, and was probably developed between the second and third centuries c.e., though some Celtic scholars believe it to be far older. It was used mainly on boundary markers and on grave stones, carved into the stone or wood along an edge, hence the center line. It was read from top to bottom and left to right. There are 369 verified examples of Ogham writing surviving today.
Passing the River
Theban, or Honorian
Runes, Anglo-Saxon—Ruthwell
There are many variations on the runes, the three main types being Germanic, Scandinavian, and Anglo-Saxon.
Each of these, in turn, has variations. (See also the chapter on Runic symbols.) Shown here is the Ruthwell variation of the Anglo-Saxon runes.
Magic Squares
Square of Saturn
Square of Jupiter
Square of Mars
Square of the Sun
Square of Venus
Square of Mercury
Square of the Moon
Sator Square
Typical of magical squares using letters rather than numbers is the so-called Sator square, shown here with letters and also with those letters written using the Theban alphabet. It has been suggested that the Sator square is based on the letters of the Christian Pater noster (The Lord’s Prayer), but there is no real evidence of that. Also shown is the Milon square (done in letters and in runes), which allows its maker to “know all things past and future,” according to The Book of Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin the Mage. It is possibly derived from the Hebrew MLVN, which is “a diversity of things or matters.”
Sator Square
Milon Square
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Native American
According to the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs, among Native Americans the word tribe originally meant a body of persons bound together by blood ties who were socially, politically, and religiously organized and who lived together, occupying a definite territory, and spoke a common language or dialect. But with the organizing of reservations, the word tribe developed a number of different meanings. Today it can be a distinct group within a village or community, the entire community, a large number of communities, several different groups or villages speaking different languages but sharing a common government, or a widely scattered number of villages with a common language but no common government. The Bureau of Indian Affairs counts 263 tribes, bands, villages, pueblos, and groups in states other than Alaska, and approximately 300 Native Alaskan communities.
In the east, from the Great Lakes south to the Gulf of Mexico, there were the woodsmen of the eastern forests, who traveled by foot or canoe, living mostly by hunting, fishing, and berry-picking. In the central United States were the hunters of the plain. They lived west of the Mississippi and east of the Rockies, extending from Montana and the Dakotas south to Texas. Acquiring horses from the Spaniards, they hunted buffalo over great areas of the West. In the rest of the country were several smaller groups such as the northern fishermen of the forest and river valleys of Washington and Oregon; the seed gatherers of California, Nevada, and Utah; the Navaho shepherds of Arizona; the Pueblo farmers of New Mexico; and the desert dwellers of southern Arizona and New Mexico. In Alaska are the woodsmen of the North and the Point Barrow, Bering Strait, and Pacific Eskimo.
There are eight major linguistic groups: the Algonquian, Iroquian, Cadoean, Muskhogean, Siouan, Penutian, Athapascan, and the Uto-Aztecan.
Native American religions were expressed in dances, ceremonials, and through storytelling of myths and legends. Except among the Southwest pueblos, visions and dreams were sought as sources of power. Prayers were addressed to natural factors such as the sun, the winds, thunder, and the earth. These were all symbols of supernatural power, and deities appeared and were shown in sculpture and paintings.
Pictures were painted on the sides of tepees, on drums, and on clothing such as shirts, breech clouts, armbands, legging strips, vests, and the like. Designs were incorporated into pottery, baskets, and beadwork. Many design figures were common to several tribes while other figures were peculiar to a specific area. The Blackfoot, for example, mainly used geometric shapes, while the Crow used a lot of floral designs.
Although there was no written language before contact with non-natives, in the sense of symbols for letters and full alphabets, there were early records in the form of pictographs. Some of these showed objects such as birds, animals, mountains, and the sun, while others showed abstract concepts such as death, famine, ancestors, and directions.
Across North America there was belief in many different deities. There were also many different beliefs about life, death, the afterlife, and the origins of humankind. All Native Americans, however, held to the tenet that every living thing—humans, animals, and plants—had a soul and should be respected.
Mother Earth (Hopi)
Swastika (Hopi) (i) Earth (ii) Sun
Horned Serpent
Butterfly (Hopi)
Sacred Fire (Desena)
Esoteric Aspects of the Sacred Fire (Anasazi)
Medicine Shield—the Universe (Sioux)
Medicine Path (Pueblo)
Sweat Lodge (Sioux)
Thunderbird—Rain Bridge (Dakota)
Bear Clan (Hopi)
Horse
Coyote
Spider (Osage and Omaha)
Deer
Head of Brown Bear (Chilkat)
Bear’s Paws and Forelegs (Chilkat)
Man
Woman
Friendship
Clouds
Frog Head (Chilkat)
Turtle
Kókopilau, the Hunchback Flute Player (Hopi)
Wa-Hun-De-Dan
Mana-Bozho—God of Fire, —Goddess of War Dawn, and Air
Manito, the Great Spirit
Athenesic—Moon Goddess
Unkatah— Goddess Against Disease
Taknokwumu—Spirit Who Rules Weather (Hopi Fire Clan)
Bad Spirit of the Dark Sky
Good Spirit of the Blue Sky
Pálulukang—Feathered (Water) Snake (Hopi)
Yo-He-Wah—Spirit of the Grass
Haokah the Giant (Sioux)
&n
bsp; Animiki—God of Storm and Thunder
Spirit of Evil
Life-Giving Rain
Path of Learning
Healing
Sky Coyote
Sandpaintings are done by the Navajo. While most other tribes would treat sickness with herbal cures, the Navajo believe that most illnesses are caused by evil spirits and bewitchment. They therefore attempt to exorcise the afflicted person in elaborate ceremonies utilizing dry “paintings.” These are constructed of ground minerals, such as sandstone, charcoal, gypsum, and ocher, placed on a bed of sand. Bright colors of black, white, red, yellow, and blue are produced. Some of the designs are so intricate that it can take up to fifteen men a full day to complete the painting. There are literally hundreds of different designs, depending upon what is thought to be the cause of the malady. The ritual of making the painting is led by a shaman. When the painting is finished, the afflicted person will stand, kneel, or lie on it so that its power may penetrate. The shaman, meanwhile, will pray, chant, and shake his rattle to bring about the cure. The painting is destroyed immediately after use, though everyone in the hogan where the ritual took place may take a small pinch of the magical powder.
Healing Painting—The four female figures represent the four elements and the four cardinal points.
Archeological evidence indicates that a new religious cult began to flourish in a number of Mississippian centers around 1200 c.e. Known as the Buzzard, or Southern, Cult, its origins are not known, yet many of its symbols are similar to those of Mesoamerica. There are many variations on the main figures, which are shown here:
Cross
Sun Circle
Bilobed Arrow
Forked Eye
Open Eye
Hand and Eye
Death (i)
Death (ii)
Kachinas are benevolent spirits who live among the Hopi for six months out of every year. The first ones begin to arrive in December. Many more then arrive in February, during the Powamuya season. At this time there is a ceremony with the Hopi ritually acting out the final stages of the creation of the world. In this, they call upon the kachina spirits to bring growth and maturity to all humankind. Some months later, after the July Niman ceremony, the kachinas return to their spirit world. Kachina dolls, therefore, are not just carved fig-urines; they have important meaning to the Hopi people who believe they are personifications of the kachina spirits.
There are several hundred kachinas. Here are just a few representative ones.
Medicine Man
The Medicine Man possesses the power to cure and to prevent sickness and disease.
Badger
Known for his wisdom, Badger has a great knowledge of herbs and is able to cure the sick.
Deer
Deer brings plenty of game to be hunted.
Fox Warrior
Fox Warrior represents the spirit of the fox and is a runner.
Kachina Masks
Three-Horned
Broad-Faced
Black Mask
Snow
Kachina Masks (continued)
Saviki
Tasaf Anya
Hano Clown
Sun
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Norse
The Eddas and Sagas—the anonymously written collections of the oral histories—preserve the songs of the Northern scalds, or poets, telling of the creation myths. They tell of how, in the beginning when there was nothing, whatever the Allfather willed came to pass. Various creatures came into being, including the giants, who became enemies of the gods. First came Surtr, then Ymir (or Orgelmir), then Buri and Thrudgelmir, and others. When Börr, son of the god Buri, married Bestla, they produced three sons. One of these sons was named Odin, which means “spirit.”
In Northern mythology, the gods are called the Æsir (“supporters” or “pillars of the world”). They built the world on the dead body of the giant Ymir, whom they finally slew. The center of his body was named Midgard, which means “middle garden.” This was for humans. To support the heavens, four strong dwarves were employed: Nordri, in the north; Sudri, in the south; Austri, in the east; and Vestri, in the west. An area called Asgard was set aside for the gods. This was where the twelve gods and twenty-four goddesses lived, led by Odin.
Odin (also called Wuotan, or Woden) was the highest, holiest of the gods. He was given the surname Allfather. Two ravens, Hugin (“thought”) and Munin (“memory”) perched on his shoulders. They would fly out each day and return to report all that was taking place. At Odin’s feet lay two wolf-hounds, Geri and Freki.
Allfather created a huge ash tree called Yggdrasil: the tree of the universe, of time, and of life. Its roots reached down to the remotest depths of Niflheim (the realm of the dead) and the spring Hvergelmir, and its evergreen branches (the top one named Lerad) reached up to overshadow Odin’s hall. Various creatures lived in and on the tree.
Odin was the inventor of the runes, the earliest form of writing used in Northern lands. (See also the chapter on Runic symbols.) The characters were first used only for divination but later for the writing of records, inscriptions, and other things. It was believed that wisdom only came through sacrifice, so Odin hung for nine days and nights from the sacred tree Yggdrasil to obtain the knowledge of the runes. He wounded himself with his spear, Gungnir, and hung, gazing down into the immeasurable depths of Niflheim, before gaining that knowledge. This then gave him power over all things. He cut a runic inscription into his spear, and even engraved runes on the teeth of his horse, Sleipnir.
Sleipnir, Odin’s Horse
Odin rode Sleipnir in the Wild Hunt (the sound of rushing wind came to be associated with the sound of Odin hunting). Since Odin was among other things a wind god, his horse had eight feet, for speed.
Thor’s Hammer
Thor’s Hammer is often carried as a talisman. It protects against fire, thunder, and lightning, and serves as a general protection. In the North, Thor’s Hammer has rivaled the crucifix as a sacred symbol.
Wotan’s Cross
Wotan’s Cross is sometimes called the Sun Cross.
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Rosicrucian
The Rosicrucian brotherhood, or society, probably began in the sixteenth century. It has been suggested that the name comes from Christian Rozenkreuze, the founder of the group, but in fact there was no such person. The name more likely is derived from the Latin rosa, a rose, and cruz, a cross. Very few facts were known about the Rosicrucians until Arthur Edward Waite published his book The Real History of the Rosicrucians in 1887. Prior to that, all writings were composed of speculation and pretension. Waite showed that the name Rosicrucian was unknown before 1598. In the opening years of the seventeenth century, a pamphlet was published bearing the title Fama Fraternitatis, or The Fama of the Fraternity of the Meritorious Order of the Rosy Cross Addressed to the Learned in General and the Governors of Europe. The pamphlet was supposedly authored by a number of anonymous mystics who were concerned about the state of humanity and encouraged the coming together of the learned of the world, assisted by themselves—authorities who had been initiated into the mysteries. They detailed a long and involved history of the founder of their fraternity, who had traveled extensively and learned the many great secrets of the adepts. Now, three generations later, they said, the descendants of the order were looking to initiate others. The authors of this pamphlet created much curiosity and excitement throughout Europe, where many occultists applied to join. However, no response came to these applications and eventually i
t was felt that the whole story had been a hoax.
But the idea of an ancient secret society of occult adepts had hit a nerve. The Chymical Nuptials of Christian Rosencreutz was published in 1616, purporting to be the life story of the founder of the mysterious order. However, interest waned and nothing more was heard of the order for at least a century. In 1710, in Germany, a “Sincerus Racatus,” or Sigmund Richter, published rules for a Rosicrucian Society and began to initiate members. In 1785 a book was published titled The Secret Symbols of the Rosicrucians of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries. Since then, various individuals have claimed to have been initiated, usually by “a mysterious Rosicrucian” without a name and usually in Germany or close by. The individuals have then gone on to found their own form of the brotherhood.