A friend over on live journal (fire_is_born) recently posted about pentacles and how they weren’t his favorite magical symbol. He concludes that “there’s something unnerving about all those harsh acute angles everywhere, jutting about menacingly.” Although I never really gave it much thought before, I find myself agreeing with him. The pentacle is a fine symbol, and although I can find it in nature from time to time (like in the apple), I find the spiral so much more comforting and accessible. You find it in the unfurling fiddlehead (as pictured); in subtle and violent whirlpools; in powerful tornados and hurricanes; in the coils of a shell; in the flow of the very universe itself.
Fire_is_born gave me the idea to physically make the spiral in ritual when opening the gates. I’m definitely going to try that when I do my next ritual. I know that Kirk spins in a spiral when he leads. I sometimes use spirals in magic. For example, whenever I’m worried about getting pregnant, I draw a counterclockwise spiral over my abdomen accompanied by a prayer. I’ve drawn spirals in the air over newly planted seeds in the hope to inspire growth.
My actions should provide a window into my interpretation of the symbol. It represents the continual flow of time and our interconnectedness with everything in the universe. It’s the circle of the year and the change of the seasons. It’s the never-ending story of creation and destruction.
For some more beautiful spiral imagery, check out Original Beauty, a wonderful blog with inspiring photos.
