[Jewelry making - Article 00917] - Re: [Orchid] Jewelry and "Cultural Property"

[epstein <margeryjewelryart]

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>     The way that the swastika was made 'evil' was by reversing the
>     design. The native peoples that used it in the past as a good luck
>     symbol had it going the other way. The nazi's turned it around
>     which thus produced a negative of a good symbol. 

          The swastika is ancient, appearing in many cultures ( Hindu,
          Buddhist, Viking, Peruvian) with the arms facing in either
          direction. The version with its crampons facing left was called
          the Sauvastika, the 4th of the 65 auspicious signs on the
          footprint of Buddha. (The right-facing version is the first.)
          The name derives from Sanskrit. It has a long and rich history
          employed as a lucky, beneficial symbol. Derivative symbols,
          including the "mirror of Venus", Greek "Tau", and Christian
          cross(es) were said to evolve from the same source, the Aryan,
          or Vedic sun or fire worship. 

          [source: Outlines of Chinese Symbolism & Art Motives by C.A.S.
          Williams. 3rd revised edition. Dover publ.] 

    Of course, in relatively recent times when co-opted by the Nazis,
    it's original meaning was perverted, something to which symbols are
    vulnerable, by definition. I can certainly think of a few others... 

    One of the most intriguing things to me in my research of symbols,
    or the symbolic power assigned to objects - gemstones, e.g. - is that
    their use and meaning can cut across barriers of geography and time,
    appearing in multiple cultures, sometimes serendipitously (Peru?). I
    consider that an affirmation of the higher aspects of connection
    humans share as residents of the planet. It seems to me, therefore,
    that informed, respectful ( the operative words, IMHO) application of
    symbols in one's art is a reasonable, even organic extension of a
    practice that dates back to the first humanoid who wore a shell or
    drew a picture with a stone on the wall of a cave. 

margery epstein
storyjewels
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