Something has been growing inside me, bubbling away in my subconscious, for a little while now. I’ve been unaware that I’d been mulling it over, but yesterday the insight broke surface and popped into my conscious mind.
What was it?
The lack of importance the Western world attaches to symbolism.
This trend of trivialising symbolism is linked to the demise of faith and pre-eminence of rationality within our culture; both of which I discuss here.
Symbolism
My epiphany was spawned due to a combination of two things. The Tweet below about the ‘power of the Universe’ (something I plan to write more about soon, too, as this was a self-reflective insight) and also a discussion about marriage I had with a friend some months back. During the conversation he argued that if you want to get married it should be cheap and quick as marriage no longer holds the weight it used to – which (for him) is a good thing.
I took the opposite position, arguing doing so cheapens an institution which acts as societal glue, but it wasn’t until yesterday when the exact reason why clicked.
That reason?
The symbolism attached to an expensive marriage; something our ancestor’s understood intuitively. They understood that the man or woman (please note I’m going to write this from the male perspective from now on) you choose to be with for the rest of your life is a big decision – probably the biggest you will face – and resultantly isn’t one that should be taken lightly. As such, they made marriage a prestigious and symbolic event which must be duly considered and weighed up, before public demonstration in front of the community.
When this event is expensive it causes pause for thought and deep reflection on whether it is the correct decision. But more importantly, for this article at least, is that it provides an undeniable statement of intent. An expensive wedding symbolises a level of commitment, trust and a projection into the future of a unionised life between two souls which a cheap one never could.
I should hope it goes without saying, that this is graded. Obviously, people with less money shouldn’t spend as much as those for whom money is no object, but it should be proportionally similar. This idea is not about the specific amount spent, but the symbolism attached to its cost.
The old ways understood that doing so strengthens the relationship through open declaration, which grants the decision power. Why? Because the world we live in is not entirely rational and visible. There are things beyond our understanding and hidden to our eyes; but these things are not powerless. Symbolic acts tap into these currents, working in alternative planes to ‘reality.’
Human Ceremony; Spiritual Depth
Every ritual works on this level and the ubiquity of ceremonial behaviour throughout human culture speaks of their importance.
Anything which is entirely cross-cultural tells a story about the human condition. Events such as marriage, funerals and births are universally ritualised. This symbolically casts an affirmation of the importance given to pair-bonding, death and life. Whilst these are comprehensively honoured, other acts considered important enough to be ritualised vary with a culture’s priorities.
In fact, this cultural variance is exactly why weddings are now cheap affairs. Relationships simply do not hold the same weight of importance in our culture, something I believe is detrimental. Spending as little as humanly possible further reinforces the belief that marriage is inconsequential at a cultural level, whilst weakening the significance you place on your own union.
As an aside, the same heuristic of universalism I give a couple of paragraphs above I also use for human imbibing of mind-altering substances – consumption of which is often ritualised.
Please note, I’m not advocating for drug-use here, merely pointing out that it exists in every culture; whether caffeine, alcohol or psilocybin. Not all drugs are equal, and modern white-powder drugs in particular are incredibly destructive, but this is why I’m not a strict puritan (coffee and the occasional alcoholic beverage are my vices) despite being against hedonism.
Digressions aside, when you start looking for it, symbolism exists everywhere humanity resides. It’s not just for love, as in marriage; it’s not just for religion, as with the Cross; it’s not just for life-events, as with giving birth, but encompasses every area of human existence.
Now, a purely rationalist take on this would solely boil symbolic acts down to humans placing meaning on important events, and there is truth to this lens. However, seeing anything in one light alone is not something I’m a fan of. We all need several lenses through which we can view life; preferably making them bifocal.
Hidden World
So, whilst humans undoubtedly place meaning on events, it’s equally true that these same experiences already have meaning attached to them which humans merely interpret. The hidden trails of life are exactly that; hidden. As such, we cannot be so arrogant to assume we undeniably KNOW the truth of the matter (side point, this is one of my criticisms of the pre-eminence of the scientific method. It should be merely one tool to understanding the world we live in, not the sole one).
And beyond certain acts having meaning already attached to them, we can project our own power into the world through our decision to symbolically behave in certain ways – such as with investing our blessings (in the form of wealth) into marriage. However, as I’ve already used this example, I want to move into other areas to showcase this.
For example, another cross-cultural practice is the connection of worship with the voice. Whilst it’s up to the individual whether prayer takes place vocally, I believe doing so makes the affirmation stronger – from Buddhist mantras to a Hail Mary, the voice is a strong conduit of symbolic meaning.
This shouldn’t take anyone by surprise considering language itself is largely symbolic. Humans put out frequencies in the air which get picked up by ear drums before being internally interpreted (rational scientific explanations do have a place). However, this doesn’t mean the voice isn’t interwoven with our heart. It undeniably is, and consequently is the most expressive form of human communication. Correspondingly, vocalizing is laced with the potential for symbolism.
One thing I believe Christianity encapsulates particularly well is the importance of songs in worship. Singing in harmonious melody with a group links hearts, through voice, to each other and ultimately God. Beyond the symbolism of such an act, it’s incredibly potent in bringing those involved closer to God.
To bring this back to my point, when we sing, when we pray aloud and when we vocalize symbolically –wedding vows being a strong example – we are putting our internal monologue out into the external world. Thoughts, previously hidden, are no longer shrouded in the veil of our minds. By expressing these as words we release a statement of intent and power, willing into reality our thoughts through symbolic action.
What this boils down to is your words have power.
Presentation of Power
Another form of symbolism which is still understood, although not given the consideration it should, in the West is clothing and appearance. Throughout history the clothes we wear and the uniform we don symbolises more than just aesthetics.
On a purely rational level, clothing is a visible expression of our identity, but looking at it symbolically goes deeper than that. Think, for example, of a martial organization (perhaps the highest form of human integration) such as an Army. Each Army has – and had, tribal warriors also used symbolic dress codes – a uniform which means something. Each rank you go up grants a new symbol, telling the world of your status.
This is a form of codified symbolism which is easily understood.
But clothing doesn’t have to be codified to be symbolic. The easiest example of this is tattoos.
Tattoos are deeply symbolic, both on a personal and a projected level. It’s very rare that these two interpretations match, which is why asking about them is such a common inquiry. It’s intrinsically understood that uncovering the symbolic meaning behind them will reveal what that individual values in life.
So girls, when a guy asks you what your tattoo means, he’s really trying to get a shortcut into your understanding of the world. And guys, shortcuts never work. Even if she doesn’t know what you’re doing because of this specific thought process, she intuitively understands what you’re attempting. This is why it’s useless as an opening line. She won’t reveal such intimacy to a stranger.
Dating tips aside, tattoos have a long history of symbolic importance. In many cultures it is prevalent both as a religious or tribal signal, but I’m going to focus on sea-faring folk. Within these groups tattoos are very prevalent, even to this day.
Why is that?
Well, sailors understand there is more to the world than meets the eye. The sea is a temperamental mistress and, as a result, sailors plug into the hidden. This comes out in many ways, tattoos just being one visible expression.
Beyond this, it shows a symbol of strength and courage to deal with pain, bonding the men who get tattoos, drawing them symbolically closer in an environment where trust and kinship are essential to survival.
A famous sea-faring nation were the empires of the Polynesian archipelago and, like modern Navies, they too had a culture of tattooing. The symbolism of this has been extensively researched and is well understood. The hierarchy of the man, his role and also his gifts were detailed by pattern and location of the tattoo on the body. For specific details check out this fascinating blog post.
Looking Beyond
It is clear that the shaman, the warrior and those with a deeper understanding of the world than pure intellectualism, comprehend the importance of symbolism in maintaining power through tapping into the deeper currents of human existence.
In fact, they understand that every action we take has potential for a symbolic interpretation.
Take going to the gym. Whilst this rationally makes us stronger, fitter and masculine, the decision to be a ‘gym goer’ also has symbolic power. It displays a belief in self-improvement.
One of the reasons many people get such holistic benefits from working out is because it’s a symbolic statement of someone who wants to be better. This is as powerful as the lifting of heavy weights.
It is an open declaration about who you are, who you want to be and what you are willing to do to achieve it.
And that, my friends, has power.
Reflection
To wrap this up, don’t ignore the potency of symbolic acts. From marriage, to tattoos, to working out they all send a statement about who you are. And beyond their rational responses, it sends a deep signal to the world beyond our sight.
So reflect on this; reflect on who you want to be and whether your actions are potent enough to symbolise that.
If they aren’t, put that statement out there.
Tap into the hidden realms we can never truly comprehend, and wield the forgotten power of symbolic action.
PS If you want to discover meaning and your place in the world consider purchasing a pass to the upcoming AionCon event.
The amount you can learn from the speakers there is incalculable.
Thanks for reading.