From the start of ancient Heaven and Earth, ideas moved from the invisible to the visible. Symbolism works itself into our perceptions. Even in early childhood, we symbolize physical objects by naming them.
It’s amazing how the Eastern world enabled us to understand life and even the afterlife. Do your own research into the world of Symbolism. This may bring some enchantment to you.
When you look these concepts up on the internet, inevitably, you will get input from the Pagan perspective as well as the Jewish and Christian perspectives. Each person needs to reflect on which direction they wish to go.
The one common driving force is that symbolic thinkers strive to see things in the Ancient mindset. Famous writers like J.R.R. Tolkien helped us see this perspective in The Lord of the Rings; C.S. Lewis grieved about our lost views in the book “The Discarded Image.”
Inevitably, our art translates nonverbal communication into what we see today. The famous psychologist Carl Jung describes how it occupies our “collective unconscious.”
Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who joined us at Central Hall Commons to explore these concepts. A special note of appreciation to Chris Maas for helping further develop thinking related to Ancient Byzantine culture and civilization from an Orthodox perspective, and, of course, we must take a moment to acknowledge both Central Hall Commons for hosting the discussion and the Maine Highlands Council for the Arts for making this delve into iconography possible.
~ Michael Saunders, Presenter
For more information and to view the discussion group resources for both weeks, please visit the Newsletter Archives for Central Hall Commons and sign up to receive notifications about future events like this!
