Secular Symbolism and Allegory?

[Jeanne dArc]

Hey everyone

So I'm a skeptic, but I often appropriate religious and/or magical symbolism for their allegorical value.

For instance: my avatar is a painting of mine, representing the witch goddess Hecate in triune form, with Medea as the Maiden, Circe as the Mother, and Hecate herself as the Crone (left-to-right, in that order); above her is the triple moon. She carries a torch in both hands, lighting the way at the crossroads to both the Right Hand and Left Hand paths of magic. The color scheme is green and pink, as I was reading Wicked at the time: Elphaba and Galinda are represented in the colors, and of course further represent the witchcraft, right-/left-path, women-based allegories. Wicked struck me very deeply, symbolically. Altogether, it represents an empowerment of women, basically, with feminist, humanist, and free will tones in there. The allegory runs very deep though, it would take forever to explain fully I'll at least explain the witchcraft thing, pointing out that the irreligious, feminist, etc., would have been branded as witches in ages past; I have a strong sympathy with the concept of the witch, though I am an atheist myself (so I don't actually go for stuff like Wicca and the Neopagan religions).

So I guess I was kind of wondering: any opinions on secular/irreligious use of essentially religious/magical symbols, allegory, etc.? Any other skeptics who use these sorts of symbols in art, literature, etc., as allegory or something?

Anyone who thinks it's sacreligious/sinful/hypocritical/etc.?

Discuss

[Stubbly_Dooright]

What an interesting subject. I would think here in the States, with it's secular law and the freedom of religion throug out the years, everybody in some sort of way unconsciously uses particular religious items in certain settings. Is a Native American dreamcatcher one of these items. Possibly an item used for what it's named, but decorative? Inhave a collection of lit up houses, some of them being churches, and I think they are pretty. I have my own personal New Age belief system. Mostly so when lit up. Christmas lights, lighting up a persons home, part of the Christian home holiday time, but lots uses them. Sometimes what was part of a strong belief system, has been so ingrained, becomes part of the beauty of the area.

[eight bits]

Welcome aboard, Jeanne. Great topic.

Maybe the key is that the causal arrow points the other way around. The archetypal symbols are universally meaningful, part of the human endowmwnt. Religions, noticing this, incorporate those symbols into their own iconography. That is a "neo-Jungian" view of the situation, anyway.

[White Crane Feather]

I think there is a ton actually. Just because someone is atheist dosnt mean they are not apart of our cultures and heirs to our history. True the zealot atheists may throw out our past, but I do know those that still identify with a spiritual tradition without actually believing in it in a spiritual way. It's perfectly normal and honest in the simplest of ways.

[Davros of Skaro]

Atheism is just the lack of belief in a God, or Gods.Have fun.

[Jeanne dArc]

Welcome aboard, Jeanne. Great topic.

Maybe the key is that the causal arrow points the other way around. The archetypal symbols are universally meaningful, part of the human endowmwnt. Religions, noticing this, incorporate those symbols into their own iconography. That is a "neo-Jungian" view of the situation, anyway.

Very good point