I love symbolism so much. I spent years buying books and diving deeply into the subject almost obsessively.
I found a way to ‘flip a switch’ in my mind to where I started looking at everything differently and it constituted a massive leap in my understanding and spiritual growth. It’s great because anyone can do it, you just have to start.
A few years ago, I kind of entered this weird place where all the information I was cramming into my mind settled into a profound simplicity. Then, I just stopped studying the subject for a long time.
I’m not sure I’ll ever study it that intensely again but I’m glad I did; I regret nothing.
I learned that finality has no place in symbolism. If God wants to say one thing, he will say it clearly. When he wants to say endless things, he uses symbols.
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I have studied symbolism for many years, off and on. It fascinates me. And you are right about how and why God uses symbols.
I have learned much from studying the works of Reed R. Simonsen. He teaches lessons on learning to think like those from the “East”, meaning the prophets and apostles from the ancient Middle East. And I have also learned from several Messianic Jews who wrote a series of books, the first one being “Lost in Translation Vol. 1: Rediscovering the Hebrew Roots of Our Faith.” I don’t agree with all their conclusions (esp. about the Nephilim) but they taught me about covenants creating relationships before any of our leaders started talking about it.
That’s really cool, I think there is a lot we can learn when we try to understand how people thought back then and how others approach these subjects. Personally, I approach the scriptures as a creative person, or you could say, as an artist. I feel like that’s a bit of a shortcut as well because there is a great deal of creativity and implied structure to so many things. Temples and physical spaces that incorporate visual symbolism and numbers make things a easier though. I feel like spending time there helps us when we return to scripture after exercising our visual muscles. We can then project into our imagination various forms and things we can gain from the texts and build temples in our minds. I think a lot of times we underestimate the gift our imaginations are and what they can do.
Thank you so much for creating oneClimbs. It speaks to me.
I have been studying symbolism for 10 years with a passion for illuminated script. (I am originally from the north east of England and lived near Lindisfarne Island where the Lindisfarne Gospels was masterfully created in 6 AD). I have spent my professional life as a graphic designer creating logos for companies and individuals. You can see a pattern happening here!
I submitted my art piece and was successfully juried in to the 12th International Art Competition. My piece is in the current exhibition at the Church History Museum. The theme of the Competition is ‘All are Alike’ based on 2 Nephi 26:33. The tile of my work is All Are Invited.
I would like to invite you to visit the Museum, if you happen to be in Salt Lake City, and take a look at my art piece. Any comments would be appreciated.
Well, we sound like kindred spirits because I’ve been a logo designer for the past 30 years! I live in Texas so I don’t make it up to Utah very often, but do you happen to have a link to a picture of your art piece? I’m interested in taking a look at it because I am a big fan of symbolism myself.