Theosophy.Net
Symbol and Meaning
The Essence:
A group for questions, thoughts, and experiences about the relationship between: symbol, meaning, language, thinking, and consciousness.
The Details:
The goal of this endeavor is to facilitate clarity and understanding in our own minds and enhance our ability to communicate meaningfully and effectively, especially as relates to matters spiritual and metaphysical.
The method is by dialog and sharing of anything related to the themes define above.
There is one key book of recommended reading: Insights for the Age of Aquarius by Gina Cerminara
I think this is the most important book of its kind and likely unique. It was done as a Quest edition but there are also non TS editions. It expounds the relation between language, thinking, spirituality, and the way any world view takes shape in our minds and in our communication. If you think, you may need this book. If you talk and want clarity, you may need it. If you want to get at the essence of things and understand some really vital things about how language and illusion work on a practical level, I highly recommend it.
Where to buy; its cheap; copies start at $1.:
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=gina&bi=0&bx=off&ds=50&recentlyadded=all&sortby=2&sts=t&tn=insights+for+the+age+of+aquarius&x=0&y=0
Word meaning--sacred and exoteric
In esoteric studies there is the concept of the sacred word. In mythology we have "Open Sesame," English translation of "Open Simsim," the magic words Ali Baba used to open the cave of treasure in the tale Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. This sacred and magical perspective implies a special relation between sound and meaning. Perhaps it is this esoteric sense of word/sound/meaning that finds embodied, somewhat unfortunately, in the more exoteric sense of word/meaning, namely the comming notion that words have fixed meanings.
People oflten tend to listen and respond as if words have more or less fixed meanings. But words, exoterically speaking, don't have fixed ordained meanings. They mean what we, the community of word users, agree they mean--and we often disagree and change our minds. Word meanings are in motion like the fluid consciousness that gives them birth, and dictionaries are the fluent history of our collective verbal habits. Dictionaries are not meaning bibles but an ephemeral record of how we have used words. Words are a catalyst for consciousness--there is no meaning in the words themselves. Or we might say words have shadow meanings that follow the actual meaning that exists in the life of consciousness. Words are symbols, forms, obscure mysteries---they are in the world of dead things and only take on meaning in a moment of illumination in the mind and heart of the reader or speaker.
Best Thoughts,
James
Paul lee James
Excellent answers all, but I will agree that words have mathematical relations to words as well. When Jesus taught he taught by morals of that time. He used morals in pictures transmitted to the hearer too the mind. His words were symbols with word meanings in spirit. He gave his words spiritual meaning with written plain words to be heard. The hearer if believed what he (Jesus) said spiritually, then the hearer recieved the written words encoded embedded within the sound of the words transmitted by Jesus.
How is it that chamatic speakers can elate the audience with just their words and enthusiasim?
When a student of Aristotle ask a question of the teacher, Aristotle knew the student did not understand what the teacher said or meant so Aristotle repeated his study with another question, he thought the student would think about and ponder the question to the students satisfaction.
I cannot accept the word inert when speaking or writing. I can accept the word interpret in a spiritual sense from the written word. There are those in this forum that accept the words of there beliefs be it Hindu,Jewish,Muslum,etc. Are these words inert as well? Communicating in any form reguardless of it's delivery has to have some knowledge and understanding as wisdom to. Knowledge understanding and wisdom cannot be inert. Thoughts please. Paul
Jul 25, 2013
Paige
I agree. Words have like the 3D meanings and perseptions that we as humans can only use to define things based on our human minds, as such.
Aug 5, 2013
Paul lee James
James,
Material words and spiritual words are different. Material words are words we understand written by material others (words are in the langauage of the writer/speaker. Spiritual words John 3:16 are from God, who is a spirit talking to his created beings in material language with spiritual meaning. As far our emotional words spoken or written, I believe our emotions are spiritual and God has given us away to interpret through our language his meaning. For example, the ten commandments. spritual truths written materially. The whole epitome of the bible, is to believe it! The mind to me is spiritual as is the heart, (questioning the theory of we have a spirit). I believe if we think of the sentence (I feel sick) that feeling is believed spiritually and we get sick.
If the written spoken or spiritual word is written spoken or believed in our mind , we become what we wrote .spoken or believe by our belief. I cannot believe our words has no meaning in themseles. Paul
Aug 21, 2013