Symbols Are Words Of Power

A young mother recently wrote to me with the following question about her pre-teen daughter. I have changed the girl's and Mom's names. My response follows the question.

"Lily has been reading about religions of the world. She wants to be informed as she has friends practicing other religions and we are making sure Christianity is given equal time.  She is using the attached as screen savers.  There are more images from www.Godchecker.com she has put up that look like the Nazi SS symbols on your Gods of the Third Reich blog.  Lily assures me they have nothing to do with Nazism, but Nordic Gods are listed on the websites she has been studying.

"I can't find the other images she put up and had to try to paint the one on the screen (above). These are strange times and the searches all began because of her interest in Greek Mythology.

"Am I being overprotective or is there a connection with the symbols I should be concerned about? Thanks so much for your expert opinions. "

Dear Meridith,

No indeed, you are not being overprotective and there IS a connection between the images and the religion. Christians and non-Christians have always recognized that. This is one of the reasons why the LORD was so concerned about how his people might use symbols. He strictly warned them not to make carved images or likenesses to worship or serve (Exodus 20:3-5). They must not have any other gods, because there is no other. Those who would make themselves out to be gods are rebel spirits, fallen angels. They long to be worshiped, adored and served. That is part of their rebellion.

You mention the Nazi's use of runic symbols. I commented on the power of runes in my Gods of the Third Reich Blog—"Nazis and Runic Symbols."

 "Runes were always considered symbols of great power. The word rune itself means 'mystery'. This was especially true when reading and writing were not common, so the ability to represent ideas in symbolic form was a mystery to most. Thus these symbols became a means of communication between the seen and the unseen, between the visible world of men and the invisible spirit realm, the realm of the gods, the mighty ones.

"In the view of this and other nature religion, everything is divine and alive. The Spirit and the spirits are everywhere. So the Nordic or Germanic priests and priestesses used the runes to divine or read the messages of the spirits."

In view of these facts, teach Lily that symbols all have power within them. The word 'symbol' comes from a complex Greek word of two words that together mean "to throw together." What is being thrown at Lily is a concept, an idea, a meaning—whether she knows it or not. A whole complex of meanings and ideas accompany every symbol. The symbol and the meaning go together. They cannot be separated. The Nazis knew that. That's why they emphasized their use as they openly and purposely sought to replace Christianity in Nazi Germany and throughout Europe. And they did a good job of it.

Let me use a common symbol found throughout the world. What meaning does this symbol have? What does it communicate? What do you think about or feel whenever you see this symbol? Why is the company that owns it so protective abut its use?  They know of its power to get you to think about their product, to remember how it tastes and to desire some more of it.

This is but a small example of the power of symbols—in the secular world they are called 'logos', a Greek word that means word. And remember that every word we write or create is a symbol that points beyond itself to an idea, concept, image or feeling.

In my next Blog I'll discuss in more detail the use of symbols as a means of communication between the visible world of men and the invisible spirit realm.