Lesson Four: Symbolism
Basics of Witchcraft
by Jeffrey Pierce
One of the most powerful tools we can use in our ritual work is symbolism. If you haven't worked with symbols, the easiest way to think of them is as an object which creates an emotional or instinctive response within us. Symbols can take a thousand different forms, ranging from your favorite Rune and the meaning it holds, to a childhood photograph that represents your family to you, to a stone which immediately brings to mind the place you found it in.
As a witch, anything we can hold in our mind contains an energy that we can call upon, that we can add to our rite. If you'll think back to my morning shave, I chose a memory for each element, a symbolic representation of that element's energy. By recalling that memory into my mind, I was able to call upon the power it was connected to, to recreate the energy it held in each cupped handful of water.
We'll go into symbolism in more depth later on in this course, but for now, the best way to begin exploring it is to follow your instincts and simply apply it. As I tell all my students, "Learn to follow your heart - it won't lead you astray."
Exercise Four: Symbolism
Gather symbols that represent the things that you're hoping to find on your spiritual path. These can take any form you choose. There are no limitations here, only the leading of your heart. When you have brought these things together, sit quietly and hold each in your hands, letting it speak to you. Just relax and let the images come into your mind. Take as long as you like. When you've gone through the items, one by one, pick a place in your home to set a few of them. Arrange them however you feel is best. Try not to follow any preconceived ideas of spacing or balance, but simply place them where it seems right.
Over the next few days, stop before your collection once or twice a day and think about the things they represent. In your spare moments, consider each dream you're hoping to reach on your spiritual path, each part of you that you desire to bring to life. As you stop before your collection, think of these things and how the symbolism in each item speaks to you.
Write down your feelings, your thoughts, and your insight about each object. Feel free to add to the list of observations as the days slowly pass. Don't be surprised if your feelings about an item change, if you feel led to change their order, or if you take an item away or add something new to the collection. But each time you do, write it down and consider why your connection to an object has changed, why its symbolism has altered. You may learn more about yourself from this simple exercise than you would have at first thought possible.
This exercise has two basic purposes behind it. First of all it gives you an arena to practice working with symbols and visualization. This is an important step in learning to move and wield magickal energy. The same processes with which you connect an emotion or memory to an object will be called upon in the ritual and spellwork we will do later on in this guide.
The second purpose behind it is to begin teaching you to learn on your own. You will naturally outgrow every teacher, every guide, every path if you allow yourself to do so. The only instructor you won't outgrow is life. Life will continually surprise you. As you grow, your insights will change, your perspective will shift, and you will see the world through new eyes. By considering the "why" behind your choices, behind the decision to place objects in a certain way or to change the object you have chosen, you will begin to find answers to questions you didn't know to ask. As you write down your response, you may be surprised as to what you learn about yourself. But that is one of the reasons why there is nothing to memorize in this course, that you simply follow your own impressions, instincts, and intuition. This isn't a process of learning how to be like me, to follow in my footsteps. This is about finding your own way, the path that is right for you and the life which gives you the most joy. And symbolism is one of the tools with which you'll begin to explore that life and claim it as your own.