Webster - Magical symbols of love & romance

About the Author

Richard Webster is the author of over 75 books and one of New Zealands most prolific authors. His bestselling books include Spirit Guides & Angel Guardians and the new Creative Visualization for Beginners , and he is the author of Soul Mates, Is Your Pet Psychic?, Practical Guide to Past-Life Memories, Astral Travel for Beginners, Miracles, and the four-book series on archangels Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel.

A noted psychic, Richard is a member of the National Guild of Hypnotherapists (USA), Association of Professional Hypnotherapists and Parapsychologists (UK), International Registry of Professional Hyponotherapits (Canada), and the Psychotherapy and Hypnotherapy Institute of New Zealand. When not touring, he resides in New Zealand with his wife and family.

Llewellyn Publications

Woodbury, Minnesota

Copyright Information

Magical Symbols of Love & Romance 2006 by Richard Webster.

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First e-book edition 2012

E-book ISBN: 9780738724607

Book design by Steffani Sawyer

Cover design by Ellen Dahl

Cover images

Heart: 2006 Digital Vision/Photographer Robin Cracknell/Getty Images

Background: 2006 Artville

Tarot cards on cover from Universal Tarot by Roberto De Angelis; used by permission of LoScarabeo.

Editing by Rhiannon Ross

Llewellyn Publications is an imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

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Llewellyn Publications

Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

2143 Wooddale Drive

Woodbury, MN 55125

www.llewellyn.com

Manufactured in the United States of America

For my good friends in Seattle,

Sheila Lyon and Darryl Beckmann

Acknowledgments

Id like to thank Princess Sofka, who introduced me to symbols almost forty years ago. Id also like to thank Carl Herron (Brother Shadow) for his erudition and love of symbols. Id especially like to thank him for his incredible enthusiasm for this subject. He has passed this enthusiasm on to many people, including me. His handmade symbols are the best Ive ever come across. Id also like to thank Rhiannon Ross, my editor on this project, for her hard work and dedication. Thanks also to the talented team at Llewellyn. Its always a joy to work with you.

Contents

: The Sun, Moon, and Other Planets

: The Human Body

: Marriage Symbols

: Animal Symbols

: The Vegetable Kingdom

: Flowers

: Minerals

: The Symbolism of Numbers

: Color

: The Tarot

: Valentines Day

: Food and Drink

: Perfumes

: Using Magical Symbols in Your Own Life

Introduction

Are not the charms of love of every kind,
and the enjoyment of beauty in all its forms in nature, mysteries, miracles, or magical?

Charles Godfrey Leland,
Aradia: The Gospel of the Witches

W e are surrounded by symbols everywhere we go. Some of these, such as a cross or rosary beads, are obvious. However, others may not be recognized as symbols, at least at first glance. The American spirit is an example. This can be symbolized in many ways . The Statue of Liberty, the American flag, the Declaration of Independence, Pearl Harbor, and the Grand Canyon are good examples. Corporations spend large sums of money to promote symbols of their products. Wall Street symbolizes money and power to most people.

Most symbolism is universal, but there are exceptions. The dove is a symbol of peace for many people, but is loathed and despised by the Gypsies. This is because it is the only bird that kills for pleasure, rather than necessity. Consequently, for them, the dove symbolizes cruelty.

Magical symbols are images that conceal their true meaning. People who do not know what they are see them as images and pictures, but are not aware of the real meaning, which is hidden.

Most symbols are created from a combination of lines, squares, and circles, and each of these can have secret meanings. A vertical line, for instance, can symbolize the human spirit. It can also indicate the path from Heaven to Earth. A horizontal line symbolizes matter. It can also indicate movement from west to east, or from the past to the future. A square incorporates both horizontal and vertical lines, and symbolizes the material worlds we live in. The four sides also symbolize the four elements of Fire, Earth, Air, and Water. A circle symbolizes spirit, infinity, eternity, unity, Heaven, and the entire spiritual world. Someone who is unaware of this will look at a vertical line, for instance, and see only a straight line. Someone else, who knows the symbology, will obviously see much more.

The cross, created by two lines crossing each other at right angles, is possibly the oldest symbol in the world. It symbolizes prosperity and protection from evil forces. Christians associate the cross with the resurrection and eternal life.

There is a whole branch of symbology that deals with love and all its ramifications. Love is a common factor in every occult tradition, as it is believed that love is the essential unifying factor in the world. This is not only love between two people, but also the love that the creator has for everyone. This effectively unites the darkness of man with the light of God.

The powerful mystery of sex played an equally important role in ancient symbology. Not surprisingly, ancient people were fascinated with the continuity of life that they saw all around them, and created images of the male and female sex organs. At one time, people thought that these images revealed the bestial instincts of primitive people. Nowadays, they are considered to be a form of reverence towards the universal life force. The various depictions of the phallus, for instance, were intended to symbolize creative power. Consequently, there is no deliberate sexual element in many phallic shapes, such as church spires or maypoles.

Love spells and charms have been used throughout history to appease the gods and to help people find, and then keep, the right relationship. Care must be taken whenever magic is performed, as it is easy to accidentally perform black magic, rather than white. White magic can be performed to attract a partner. There is nothing wrong in doing this. However, it is black magic if you perform a ritual to persuade a specific person to fall in love with you. That might satisfy your needs, but takes no account of the needs and desires of the other person.

It is difficult to define love. Dictionaries describe it as a warm affection between two people. This may or may not include sexual passion or gratification. Unfortunately, this definition gives no indication of the many varieties of love.