Symbols.. the good and the bad of them

Just a few words about symbols, to head off confusion happening
in other threads. This is of course 'as I observe it'; which is my
standard disclaimer.

I've been posting a lot about the enslaving quality of symbols
that have been passed down from who knows where and which
have utterly shaped our religions, philosophies, cultures, and
our very brains.. as our brains evolve in gene / meme co-evolution
due to what's called the Baldwin Effect.

In short, using other people's symbols, that they spent a lot of
effort to create and then using it 'for free' is a good evolutionary
trick. It's why there are very few leaders in the world, and billions
of followers.

But since literally most people don't know how to think for themselves,
to perceive for themselves (don't get angry with me.. this is pure
social science, human anthropology, evolutionary psychology),
what they in effect do is to let themselves get mobbed by memes
(symbolic patterns of thought that first were created in someone
else's mind).

Now humans are meme generating and meme consuming machines..
its the very basis of 'normal human consciousness'.

Now I'm constantly advising people not to just take symbols hook
line and sinker.. to 'sell their souls' to these symbols.. but to
think for themselves.

So if all these symbols are so 'evil' and we are 'prisoners' of them,
then what the heck is a person supposed to do?

Well it's tough, but there are basically 3 things I have to say about
this.

1) Examine all symbols..never just adopt them because they make
you feel happy and secure.. don't just let them 'plug in' with a snap,
into a 'meme-plex' (a vast system of self-reinforcing symbols). For
all religions are cleverly designed, to make one absolutely dependent
on that religion.. all the memes are in a 'conspiracy' so to speak,
to work in concert to 'get their needs met' at your expense. The
same thing happens with spiritual systems, political systems, etc.
So I'm not picking on religion in particular. This is also called
"selection bias". People view things to be true by cherry picking
facts that are convenient for their pre-existing system of symbols
that have corrupted them.

Now are all symbols bad? Obviously not. We need symbols to
build technology; we need symbols to communicate with each
other.. symbols in and of themselves are not good or bad..

The trick is to examine every last thing you snap into place
in your mind.. and not to let it snap in place solidly...perhaps
for years.. until you've examined the whole she-bang to see
if you are being taken for a ride.. being turned into something
you don't actually want to be.

2) The worst of all symbols.. the worst of all possible memes
are those about 'God', religion, spirituality and all that..
BECAUSE it's actually IMPOSSIBLE to verify ANY of them.

The big lie we've been sold, is that we should eat up all these
symbols about religion and spirituality -- that the more symbols
we have the closer to 'salvation' and 'enlightenment' we are..
when the fact the exact opposite is true. All such symbols
are corrupt.. part of the grand conspiracy to turn humans
into weak fools, who hand their world over to TPTB.

3) So how do you find God?

You don't. God can't be found. It's like being made of water
but being unable to find any to drink. Any concept or meme
about 'God' is wrong. Period. Do you really think that 3 little
characters can capture GOD? Really? Can you force all that
power and substance and amazingness into a little human-
created concept? Really? NOBODY has the right to speak
for 'God'. Nobody. Not me, not Christianity. Not Satanism.
Not Taoism. Not Buddhism. NOBODY. NO SYSTEM. The
minute you try, you sell your 'soul' to TPTB.

So what to do?

Love. Become honest. Be very wary about using any
symbols until you've examined them very thoroughly.
Become a leader not a follower. And if you want to
define all these symbols about 'God' and 'truth' and
all that --- then don't.. Just don't do it.

Now am I saying that you shouldn't try? Not at all.
Just be cautious.. just keep these facts about symbols
in mind.. anytime you use a symbol you are playing
with fire.. but humans ARE designed to be symbol
using machines.. just use them carefully and consciously
and honestly and lovingly.

So what if I want to be Spiritual? To reclaim this vast
power of humanity you say is available? What then?

Learn. Love. Strive. Be a leader. Be a good student.
Don't try to capture the moon.. know that a finger
can point at the moon.. and you can learn much
without having to make everything solid symbolically
moment by moment. The human left hemisphere..
the human Spirit.. they don't need all these symbols..

there is a 'groaning' to become whole.. inside of all
of us.. follow that groaning.. feed that flame with
devotion and love and kindness.. but not symbols.

It is possible to go home.. and Love can take you
there.. utmost honesty inside of you can rend
any veil of deception. There is a way to self
knowledge. It's not even hard.. what's hard is
to be a slave to someone else's symbols
(mine too.. don't swallow mine hook line
and sinker either..).

There's much more to say.. but I hope that
was helpful to some people reading some
of my many threads who had a question about
symbols.

KPB

reply to post by KellyPrettyBear


I'm in support of this one.

Symbols are just that: symbolic.

They are not the "thing" itself, but an expression of it. G-O-D is not the Judeo-Christian Lord Himself, but a symbolic rendering of His name (which is also an unpronounceable glyph: YHVH). Same with constellations, astrological glyphs, alphabets, and everything we surround ourselves with.

The real power of a symbol is in its ability to make us reflect on ourselves. The Cross is meaningless, until we, as an individual, attach our own meaning to it. Do we see it as a symbol of sacrifice (crucifx)? Do we see it as a symbol of continual life (ankh)? Of the merger between the Earth and the Heavens (Tau cross), a type of "holy mountain" ?

When we take a symbol and personalize it, then we've removed the "PTB" from the equation, and have made that glyph into something that resonates within us, personally. Not to say that symbols do not have definitions. Symbols, like linguistics, do follow rules, but, they're a lot more loosely defined than those of language.

~ Wandering Scribe

As the famous linguist de Saussure once said, "the sign is arbitrary".

You have to learn the language.

reply to post by KellyPrettyBear


I've been waiting for a proper thread to insert a simple bumper sticker I've seen recently.
It reads; "Don't believe everything you think."

Memes float into our minds on the breath of a whisper. When we pay attention to them we begin the gluing of ourselves process, to them. Believing them cements them in place.

I prefer thinking to believing.

reply to post by TerryMcGuire


Exactly!

KPB

reply to post by Wandering Scribe


I agree, we can personalise anything with meaning. I believe it is the power of the human intention and experience that is remembered and repowered. We can create our own symbols by taking the consenants of the power word and writing them as a joined symbol. hard to explain! Individual and effective.

reply to post by Woodwoman


Intention is immensely powerful.

KPB

reply to post by KellyPrettyBear


I feel like I come off as being obsessed with semantics in my everyday life (especially when trying to talk to most folks besides perhaps 3 of my closest friends..) but this summation of symbols explains exactly why WHICH words we use and think with, are so important..

I do think that symbols can be used to REPRESENT an archetype that is consensually experienced (everything we have a word for can be seen as an attempt at this) but they remain elusive because for one to understand an experience, they require an analog..

Have you ever thought about how every symbol has no choice but to imply a "circle"? it seems to almost represent the "resolution" or "hardware limitations" of the human consciousness.
The circle itself is a very interesting (and perhaps the most basic symbol? besides a line.. which could be interpreted as a circle as-seen from the side ) and reoccurs throughout every culture..

Not that it isn't an obvious symbol for most to arrive at (The Sun being perhaps the earliest and most popular of deities.. for good reason!) but it is also interesting because you don't see many PERFECT circles in nature (that aren't the product of interpretation..) and perhaps outlines (pun intended!) the earliest manifestations of philosophy AND communication ("who are you? how are we going to find food? why do you think we find ourselves here?")

just think of the "number" 0..

the idea of "nothing" as represented by a circle.. but is it TRULY nothing, or simply the limitation of only seeing one cycle?

think of the "number" Infinity (wish I knew how to do the symbol haha)

the idea of "everything" as represented by TWO circles.. haha. as if to simply repeat the statement of '0' or imply the equation "0 multiplied by 0" which is equally elusive.. and appropriately so, no?

Each symbol is ultimately only as powerful as the interpretation allows it to be, and whether or not "the people" accept that intended interpretation (the swastika being an obvious example) is still UP TO US..
I'm not saying we even need to march into the streets.. I'm not embracing apathy, but I think that the MOST damage most people can do from where they sit (especially right now, while browsing the internet, possibly thinking the world is falling apart..) IS SEE IT FOR THE JOKE THAT IT IS..

at this point, this system (in just about EVERY paradigm, to SOME extent..) could not be any more of a joke than it already is, without needing "the comedian" to explain it..

just *laugh*..

have a good time when/where you can, make as much of a racket as you can when/where it's the most effective, and quietly learn and observe when you seem to have little influence over the situation-at-hand..
we are each engineers of language every time we speak.. we can contribute as much to it as any one else has in history.. even MORE so with the internet..

I think researching symbols themselves (and Homonyms) is the most effective "de-programming" technique that I've found for lower-middle class Amurikans such as myself haha. Once you release yourself from investing Attention and Faith in symbols and non-human entities (such as corporations/political parties/governments/authorities of every kind..) there can only be a surplus of unused creativity to create a revised and MORE SINCERE version of what has come before us..

from there the road seems pretty open

reply to post by HyphenSt1

there can only be a surplus of unused creativity to create a revised and MORE SINCERE version of what has come before us..

Yes, when you get rid of excess (and useless and harmful) symbols
one's mind becomes more powerful, one's spirit becomes more
potent.

Thanks for your reply.

KPB

reply to post by KellyPrettyBear


Thanks KPB,

Nice post.

I really appreciate your time for writing this.

IMHO the hardest symbols to erase from mind is from The Story/Parables from scriptures.
Especially if that person is a hardcore reader, who spend >2 hours to read them.

peace.

reply to post by dodol


In all fairness some of Jesus stories sound awfully gnostic. He was killed due to the urgings of the religious establishment of his day (very similar to today's Christians in terms of long tradition and hurtful dogma). He also spoke of secrets for the elect only - but apparently they were never written down - which was wise - those symbols would have become corrupted too.

reply to post by KellyPrettyBear


Just for the record,
I did not see this until after I posted to you over at the "….Uncle Sam…" thread.

lostgirl
reply to post by KellyPrettyBear

 

Just for the record,
I did not see this until after I posted to you over at the "….Uncle Sam…" thread.

It's all good...great minds think alike and all that stuff