ATHANOR
A key symbol of alchemy, the Athanor is the furnace
of the Alchemists. However, as with everything else in alchemy, the
Athanor is no simple piece of laboratory equipment. Regarded as the
vessel in which transmutation takes place, the Athanor exists on a
metaphysical level, too, as the Orphic Egg or as a place of ultimate
creation, a kind of universal womb.
ATHEIST SYMBOL
Based on the atomic swirl, this is the symbol of the
American Atheist Association, although it is used by other such
organizations too. It represents the idea that science is the only thing
that can show the way forward to a better life for everyone. The broken
loop at the bottom of the symbol represents the idea that there are
questions yet to be asked and yet to be answered.
ATLANTIS CROSS
This symbol, comprised of a cross
intersected by three circles, is a sign of recognition among groups who
claim an Atlantean descent; that is to say, people who believe that
they are descended, literally or spiritually, from inhabitants of the lost
island of Atlantis. The crossed circle that forms a main feature of
this symbol represents the four elements and the four directions.
AWEN
The Awen is related to many new Druid movements. The
actual word, which is Welsh, means “inspiration” or “essence.” Related
to the Breton symbol called the Triban and with a nod to the Trishul,
the trident held by the Hindu deity, Shiva, the Awen is composed of
three convergent rays, like paths, leading to a high point, a dot (or
three dots) similar to the bindhu.
Each ray carries various meanings, which are equally
significant and come in sets of three. They stand for past, present, and
future: love, knowledge, and truth: male and female energy and the
balance between the two, or the three pillars of wisdom. Another
interpretation of the symbol is of the three fundamental letters of the
name of God, I, O, and U, which, when pronounced contribute to the
actual word “Awen,” which can be intoned in much the same way as the Aum
of Eastern tradition, used as a meditative focus.
The Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids places the
three lines and the three dots within three concentric rings, further
amplifying the meaning of the symbol as well as placing it within
protective, magical circles.
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