Gaea's

Archive for the ‘Symbolism’ Category

The numbers on the faces of Tarot cards reflects stages of development and evolution. When  interpreting the numbers on Minor Arcana cards, you also need to consider the suit of the card/s as the suit will tell you which area of life is affected or involved.   The numbers are closely aligned to numerology. The following is a summary and should be considered a general guideline.

I couldn’t let Valentine’s Day go by without a blog. Let’s get the basics out of the way…. Saint Valentine’s Day (commonly shortened to Valentine’s Day) is an annual holiday held on 14 February to celebrate love or affection between couples. The holiday is named after an early Christian martyr named Valentine and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by giving flowers, chocolates and sending cards (known as “valentines“).

Valentine’s Day is not celebrated with the usual flowers, chocolates, gifts, dinner, perhaps even breakfast in bed, weekend away, etc along with the familiar modern Valentine’s Day symbols of a heart-shaped outline, doves and the figure of Cupid everywhere in the world, so I thought I’d blog on how other countries celebrate? I have sourced the information from various on-line sources. Read the rest of this entry »

Somebody told me today about the 6-month rule…. Basically, if you’re the kind of person who finds it hard to get rid of stuff, put it in a bag or a box and put in on a shelf somewhere. If you haven’t gone back to that bag or box over a period of 6 months, then donate those items.

I’m the one in our family who doesn’t have a problem getting of stuff – most of the time. I’m pretty good with clearing stuff out the kitchen (like mismatched crockery, glasses, etc). I’m good at ridding rid of clothes that just don’t work or I can’t fix it. I’m also pretty good at clearing out most other things around our home and garden. However, there are a few things I am absolutely no good at getting rid of….. and I make no apology for those things. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re giving (or getting) Roses for Valentine’s Day, it’s worth knowing what the different colours mean:  

I recently had to buy a wedding gift and like most people it would seem, wasn’t sure what to buy.  It’s quite interesting to see what the modern interpretation of the traditional gift is. I’m not sure that I agree with the modern gift of groceries for the 44^th anniversary though. Read the rest of this entry »

A stimulant, RED is the hottest of the warm colours. Studies show that red can have a physical effect, increasing the rate of respiration and raising blood pressure which makes the heart beat faster. The colour Red plays an integral part in many cultures because of its intensity and passion. In China, red in the colour of celebration and good luck, in India it is the colour of integrity and in South Africa, red is associated with mourning. Red is bold and demonstrates a clear message of the emotions or situations it is associated it. Red typically symbolizes passion, strength, bravery, danger, energy, fire, sex, love, romance, excitement, speed, heat, arrogance, ambition, leadership, courage, masculinity, power, danger, gaudiness, blood, war, anger, revolution, radicalism, Communism, aggression, respect, martyrs, the Holy Spirit, conservatism (US politics), Liberalism (Canadian politics), wealth (China), marriage (India) and the color of the devil in modern Western culture.

Combining Red with GREEN at Christmas symbolises a joyful celebration. Not only is the colour of money green, but the colour of nature is Green – Christmas trees, Holly….  It is a color that soothes and calms which offsets the stronger colour Red.  Green symbolizes intelligence, nature, spring, fertility, youth, environment, wealth, money, good luck, vigor, generosity, nature, coldness, cunning, jealousy, perverseness (Spain), deceit, disgrace (China), illness, greed, corruption (North Africa), life eternal, air, earth (classical element), sincerity, Cancer (star sign), renewal, natural abundance, growth, health, August, balance, harmony, stability, calming, creative intelligence and Islam.

WHITE is the color that represents purity, neutrality, peace, sterility and youth. White is known for symbolizing light, reverence, purity, truth, snow, peace, innocence, cleanliness, simplicity, security, humility, sterility, winter, coldness, surrender, fearfulness, unimaginative, air, death (in Eastern cultures), life, marriage (in Western cultures), hope, bland, empty (interior) and January (winter).

A touch of GOLD…. Because gold is a precious metal, the colour gold is associated with wealth and prosperity, but I’d suggest that wealth at Christmas should not be viewed in terms of money, but rather, as the richness of love and family.

Thank you Wikipedia for some info, and thank you for the image – the colours are a perfect match for the blog – the white spiral really works well

The phrase “once in a blue moon” is more than just an expression – a blue moon is the name given to an actual phenomenon. The use of the phrase blue moon to indicate an actual astronomical phenomenon first started in 1932 with the Maine Farmer’s Almanac.  Its definition was a season with four full moons rather than the usual three, where the third of four full moons would be called a “blue moon.” Since seasons are established by the equinoxes and solstices and not calendar months, it is possible for a year to have twelve full moons, one each month, yet have one season with four. Read the rest of this entry »

Samhain (Scots Gaelic: Samhuinn) literally means “summer’s end.” In Scotland and Ireland, Halloween is known as Oíche Shamhna, while in Wales it is Nos Calan Gaeaf. With the rise of Christianity, Samhain was changed to Hallowmas, or All Saints’ Day, to commemorate the souls of the blessed dead who had been canonized that year, so the night before became popularly known as Halloween, All Hallows Eve, or Hollantide. November 2nd became All Souls Day, when prayers were to be offered to the souls of all who the departed and those who were waiting in Purgatory for entry into Heaven.

Samhain is an ancient festival with roots as far back as ancient Egypt. Celebrations aligned with the end of the harvest, shorter days and coming of winter, have long been in existence in various cultures. The circle of birth, death and rebirth has been linked to the seasons and the harvest in many cultures.

In addition to its agricultural significance, the ancient Celts saw Samhain as a very spiritual time. Read the rest of this entry »

Elementals are those mystical creatures that dwell within the spirit realm of the elements, watched over and controlled by the Lords of the Watchtowers (the Mighty Ones, Old Ones, or the Guardians).  Elementals can be related to “nature spirits” and the old favourite, “witches’ familiar”.  These are the spirits that govern all nature, the “forces of life” that may be summoned to assist in working magic.  It’s important therefore that we understand “who they are” and “what they represent”.  Earth spirits are known as Gnomes, Air spirits as Sylphs, Fire spirits as Salamanders and Water spirits are called Undines.

In folklore, Elementals were thought to be fickle, malicious and unpredictable spirits sent by the “wicked-witch” in the form of familiars to trick people into accidents and traps and sometimes killing them.  This is the sort of belief that led to the plight of witches during the Witch-hunts and purges of the 17^th–18^th centuries.  Still today in contemporary Witchcraft, witches use pets and animals as familiars, but emphasis is given to working with good and friendly elementals in producing positive magic.

See elsewhere in my blog for information on numerology and crystals.