Occult symbolism seems to be everywhere today. Maybe it’s all the talk about the world ending (again), or maybe it’s the endless wars that have plagued the globe for the past century. But amid all of the inverted crosses/Chanel logos, it’s good to remember that occult symbolism is an art form, and it should be taken seriously. There is power in the ancient runes of pagan magick, and even more so in the knowledge of their true meanings. One artisan that takes occult symbolism seriously is Occult Woodcarving. He creates hand-carved wooden decorative plaques with respect and reverence for their power. He creates with deference to the past, carrying on a tradition of hand-carving that has produced these objects for millennia. Those who are truly students of the occult will appreciate the dedication he puts into each carving, imbuing the symbol with energy that only adds to its radiance. After the jump, read Occult Woodcarving’s explanation and definition of the symbols he works with, plus a full gallery of his work.
Text via Occult Woodcarving
Ritual symbolism exists since the dawn of human civilization. People deal with the natural and the supernatural, through the embodiment of their beliefs that exist within any symbol, making their life’s Initiation seem more approachable. However, it is one thing to use a symbol for aesthetic, or often social means, and another to truly understand its nature and use. In contrast to factory-made runes and other machine-printed works, the hand crafted items included in this website are produced with respect and dedication to their individual origin and significance. However, it is up to the practitioner to put them in good and effective use.
Pentagram : The Pentagram is an extremely popular but greatly misunderstood symbol. Universally used in neo-pagan beliefs with tip towards the sky. It resembles the five elements and geometrical Pythagorean balance.
The Black Sun : Ancient sunwheel symbol as seen in the mosaic of castle of Wewelsburg. Used by all who seek knowledge from the modern revival of Germanic paganism.
Pentagram within Trapezoid: The 9 angles, the number of ego. Here we have the basic characteristics of the Left Hand Path. Use with caution.
Triskelion : Whether it appears as 3 spirals or 3 legs, the origin of the ancient triskelion is lost in history. It embodies the motion of the Self.
Irminsul : The solar pillar of the Anglo-Saxons has great mystery surrounding its initial importance. It is known that the Saxons sacrificed around it and worshipped it as a god. Modern research often fails to provide more concrete information.
Satanic Cross : The alchemical element of Sulphur that has all the masculine qualities in nature. Combined with mercury, the pair was considered the parent of all metals. The secret of Alchemy was to transform the soul. The difficulty of this transformation is perhaps equivalent to turning base metal into gold. The Satanic Cross was often used as an identifying symbol among Satanists, due to the association of Sulphur with the Devil.
Unicursal Hexagram : Symbol of Thelema, adapted by Alister Crowley. Thelema focuses on a trinity of deities adapted from ancient Egyptian religion. Nuit, Hadit and Ra-Hoor-Khuit as seen in the Book of the Law.
The Rune Alphabet : The Rune stands for what is hidden and this word holds within the magical tradition of the northern peoples of Europe. Runes are used for divination or magic and can be carved to serve any purpose. For aesthetic use, the runes are carved and painted according to their significance and desire of the practitioner. Runes to be used in magic or divination must be carved without further intervention, so that the living wood may act as the buffer for the Teutonic magic at hand.
Enneagram : The Fourth Way enneagram is a figure published by P.D. Ouspensky. It represents the “law of seven” and the “law of three” and, therefore the figure can be used to describe any natural whole phenomenon, cosmos, process in life or any other piece of knowledge related to alchemy. The Fourth Way is one of the most difficult paths of magic exploration. But the one who masters it, can do anything.
Sarah
October 19, 2012 at 4:12 am
Featuring a website that has Burzums homepage on the top of it’s list of “friendly sites” and makes reference to a mosaic installed by the Nazis during the 3rd reich is, at least, a questionable choice.
Ian
October 19, 2012 at 10:48 pm
I don’t you should judge art based on who its related too or the deeds of its creator. That’s to say you should support them if they’ve committed horrible deeds, but enjoying their art is not necessarily supporting their philosophies.