The Language of Symbols: Decoding Occult Imagery in the Modern Age
Symbols are the core “language” of occultism. Through symbols — in art, ritual objects, geometry, even numbers — we encode deeper truths. This post is a deep dive into how to approach symbol decoding in our modern era.
Introduction: Why symbols matter
Human consciousness is limited; we can’t directly grasp many subtler realities. Symbols act as bridges: they point beyond themselves, anchoring invisible principles into perceivable forms.
Archetypal roots
Many occultists draw on Jung’s concept of archetypes: recurring images in the collective unconscious. When we see a serpent, a tree, or a mirror, these tap into collective resonances.
Geometric & sacred forms
The circle, vesica piscis, pentagram, flower of life — such forms appear repeatedly across civilizations. Why? Because they encode ratios, harmonies, symmetries that resonate with how nature “is.”
Modern reinterpretation
Today’s world has new symbols: circuit diagrams, fractals, network graphs. One can make a modern occult practice that sees the circuit as symbol for energy flow, or networks as webs of influence.
How to decode a symbol — a method
Contextual surface reading — what is this symbol doing here? In ritual, in art, in text.
Historical resonance — what traditional meanings does it carry? (e.g. serpent = kundalini, wisdom)
Personal resonance — what does you intuitively feel when engaging with it?
Test in practice — meditate with the symbol, visualize it, journal the impressions.
As an example, I once took the symbol of the double‑serpent entwined around a staff and did a 7‑day meditation focusing on it. At the end, I journaled recurring imagery: spiral motion, rising energy, twin polarities.
I collected my meditative symbol‑decoding notes and wove them into one of my deeper site essays, if you want to explore: Occult Knowledge – Symbol Systems
Open question to the forum: Post below a symbol you feel drawn to (it could be from your dreams, art, tarot, nature). Let others join you in exploring its layers.