Many European authors have taught us that the all-seeing eye, or Eye of Providence, which was co-opted by the Freemasons, was taken directly from the ancient Kemau in the form of the Eye of Heru. While that may be true, in some respects, we must always consider the finer cultural nuances involved in the use of symbolism. What I mean by that is two symbols may look very similar, but have two totally different meanings. For example, in popular Western culture the skull and crossbones is a symbol of death and danger, but in Cameroon and various ethnic groups within the Congo region of Central Africa it symbolizes the immortality of a beloved ancestor. The difference between a “sign” and a “symbol” is that a sign has only one meaning, whereas a symbol has multiple meanings. However, the different meanings behind a symbol—as I have just demonstrated to you—are relative to the culture in which the symbol is used.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Aug 2013 22:01:16 +0000