reply to post by Zanti Misfit
what Symbolisms do you see in these ?
i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm228/stem50/Apollo13.jpg
Three brown horses salient, galloping left to right (as imaged) from earth to beyond the moon. The phrase "From the moon, knowledge" in latin on the
bottom. "Apollo 13" written on top. Sol shown in orange with eight rays.
There are a few ways you could possibly stretch the intent, but overall this looks rather straightforward to me. I think it's simply conveying the
idea of leaping forth in knowledge from the moon landing project. The 13, the 8, the masculine sun, the feminine moon, the "king and country" of the
horses...I think all of this is fairly irrelevant. Basically this one is
Exactly what it says it is: "Apollo 13: Ex luna, scientia." It's
remotely possible that the artist chose to depict the sun in orange along with the horses in three to convey the idea of the extension of earthly
power triumphing over more base matter, and that interpretation would be generally consistent with the overall intent of the patch, but I get the
impression that the artist got that accidentally correct rather than deliberately intending it.
I'm reminded of Sigmund Freud having been credited as having once said that "Sometimes a cigar is really just a cigar." Stars, moons, space, the
sun...these are elements heavily connected to genders, Gods, history and all sorts of mystical symbolism. But when you're dealing with
NASA,
an organization that actually deal with real travel through real space, well...sometimes a star really is just a star.
i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm228/stem50/Apollo17.jpg
This was a proposed patch that was rejected. Not very interesting to me. Wasted masculine/feminine imagery like the previous one, but presumably
rejected because of the depiction of stonehenge-like monoliths on the moon.
i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm228/stem50/AresPatch.jpg
11 stars, upwards facing triangle, darkened sphere connecting to single star via a red/white beam of light. This can be interpreted a couple ways. The
first question that must be asked is whether the beam of light is coming from, or heading towards the star. My first impression is that the dark
sphere is not a "black sun" but is instead a sillouette of the earth, and that the light is a ray of light (or possibly a craft launch plume)
heading from earth "to the stars." Alternate interpretations might see the "black sun" siphoning light amidst the direction of Ares, the God of
war...but I don't think that's the actual intent. To me it seems more likely that an artist was asked to create a patch, and Ares had already been
established as the name of the project. If you wanted to be more certain of the intent, identify the star cluster being depicted. I don't recognize
the formation, but it's very possible that it's a particular constellation. Identify the constellation and you'll have more information.
Fourth image, no link given
I find this one the most interesting. It contains synchronous elements. At first glance the primary elements seem to be a Venus symbol containing
number 7 and an upward slanted line on top, which can appear either as "within a house" or possibly a pair of devil horns. My first impression was
the interpet it as "Divine knowledge enshrined within the heart of the feminine." However...the Venus symbol + slanted line combined is the
symbol for mercury. My own perspective of alchemical mercury identifies it with the
non-resistive primal essence, which again gives essentially a similar interpretation as initially given: "Divine knowledge within the heart of
mercury." A more
Paracelsusian view of alchemical mercury might give an overall meaning to the
symbol of roughly "enlightenment where the spiritual and physical meet." Or possibly a more direct "impregnation by the masculine of divinity into
the womb of the feminine, symbolized as that place which above and below meet." Alternately, if you want to go with a more
astrological rather than alchemical view of mercury, your feminine or above/below elements become
more of a messenger/intellect/trickster element. But even so, the overall meaning is esentially the same "divine knowledge conveyed" or possibly
"he who conveys knowledge." A number of interpretations, but you'll see that they're all generally synchronous.
Out of curiosity, what's the origin of that last symbol? It's the only one that looks like a real symbol rather than an artist throwing together
some pretty things.
[edit on 30-1-2010 by LordBucket]