From ancient rock and cave art to the contemporary brand logos of politics and business, human beings have always created symbols to denote specific ideas, groups, or important objects as well as to convey deeper information than can be communicated in words. Many glyphs have retained their meanings over millennia whereas some have modern meanings vastly different from the original connotation.
In this study of symbols, Nigel Pennick explores glyphs as agents of higher consciousness and ports of access to the collective unconscious, acknowledging the continuity of tradition, both deliberate and not, as well as how interpretations of some symbols, such as the swastika, have changed dramatically. With more than 300 unique woodcuts, drawings, calligraphy, and photographs--many never before reproduced--Pennick examines ancient and enduring glyphs in detail, such as the circle, cross, eye, pentagram, fleur de lis, tree of life, and horseshoe, as well as several families of symbols, such as craftsmen's marks, runes, symbolic beasts, human heads and skulls, and the sigils of Mammon.
The author explains the multiple forms and uses of each from ancient times to the present day, reflecting their roots in the Western Mystery tradition. He explores the symbols of high magic such as the glyph of John Dee's monad, those of folk magic such as the traditional cock on the weather vane, and the creation of modern glyphs such as the peace sign and the anarchy symbol. Contrasting the hi-jacked use of power symbols in modern advertising with the vital role of symbols in traditional arts and crafts, Pennick reveals how symbols link the cosmic with the terrestrial and allow us to infuse the mundane with the numinous.
By:
Nigel Pennick
Imprint: Destiny Books,U.S.
Country of Publication: United States
Edition: 2nd
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
Spine: 15mm
Weight: 315g
ISBN: 9781620553152
ISBN 10: 1620553155
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 30 June 2014
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Preface: Primal Signs, Traditional Glyphs, and Symbols Introduction: A Symbolic World Part I Traditional Glyphs, Signs, Sigils, and Symbols in Practice The Runes Runic Logos and Defunct Organizations The Pitfalls of Symbology New Names, New Meanings The Public Use of Glyphs Part II A Box of Glyphs 1 The Sun, the Circle, and the Sun Wheel 2 The Akhet and the Twin Towers 3 The Eight-Spoked Wheel 4 Crosses 5 The Crescent Moon, Star, and Comet 6 Solar Light and Lightning 7 The Cosmic or Philosophical Egg 8 The Omphalos 9 The Pineapple 10 The Tree of Life 11 The Fleur-de-Lys 12 The Rose 13 The Heart 14 Human and Eldritch Heads 15 The Swastika 16 The Skirl, Yin and Yang 17 The Pothook 18 The Trefot 19 The Horseshoe 20 Tools and Craft Symbols 21 The X, Gyfu, Daeg, and Ing Glyphs 22 The Hexflower 23 Woven Patterns 24 Plaits and Knots 25 Straw Plaits 26 The Pentagram 27 The Hexagram 28 The Checker 29 House Marks, Craftsmen's Marks, and Sigils 30 Miscellaneous Magical Glyphs 31 Alternative and New Spiritual Glyphs 32 Local Glyphs 33 Symbolic Beasts 34 The Serpent 35 The Phoenix 36 The Cockerel and Weathercocks 37 The Eye and the Peacock 38 The Sigils of Mammon 39 The Death's Head Bibliography Index
Nigel Pennick, trained as a biologist, has traveled and lectured extensively in Europe and the United States on sacred geometry, the spirit of place, spiritual arts and crafts, and labyrinths. He is the author and illustrator of more than 50 books, including The Pagan Book of Days, as well as numerous pamphlets, scientific papers, and articles. A musician with the Traditional Music of Cambridgeshire Collective, he lives in Cambridge, England.
Reviews for The Book of Primal Signs: The High Magic of Symbols
Symbols are like signposts directing us into the realm of the subconscious and the spiritual; they are flashpoints that stir emotions and trigger deeper--even divine--connections. But they also take on lives of their own, twining across times and cultures, and Nigel Pennick has always had his finger on their pulse. The Book of Primal Signs is a veritable thesaurus of traditional symbolism, spanning from prehistory to today. This is a vital guidebook to a hidden world that is, most thankfully and wondrously, still in plain view. * Michael Moynihan, coauthor of Lords of Chaos * Solidly referenced and carefully illustrated, The Book of Primal Signs seems to travel everywhere and touch everything . . . * RICHARD HEATH, author of Sacred Number and the Origins of Civilization and Sacred Number and the Lor * This book is highly recommended to researchers and students of the occult as an immensely valuable survey of symbols from an author with sophisticated spiritual insights and an invaluable multi-disciplinary approach to his subject. Kudos! * Facing North, Elizabeth Hazel, July 2014 *
