SYMBOLS
in the meaning given by
Mother and Sri Aurobindo
(by the editorial staff of arianuova.org)
AEROPLANE
Rapid progress, forward movement.
AIR
It corresponds to the mental plane.
ANTELOPE
Swiftness of movement.
ASS
Inertia and obstruction in the body.
BIRD
The soul.
BOAR
Desire. Rajasic strength and vehemence.
BOAT
The formation of the consciousness to sail the sea of the divine existence.
[A journey in a boat] A movement in the yoga; an advance or progress.
BOOK
Some kind of knowledge.
BOW
The force sent out to reach its mark.
BUFFALO
Rash and obscure vital forces.
BUILDING
A new creation.
BULL
Strength and force.
BUTTERFLIES
Life-forces or soul-forces.
CAT
Receptivity.
CHILD
The birth of the soul in the outward nature.
CLOUDS
Obscurity.
COBRA
The Energy in Nature.
«The cobras are the forces of evolution, the evolution towards the Divine… The upraised hood and light indicate the illumination and victorious position of the emerged Energy… Their bite brings the ecstasy of the presence of the Divine» (Sri Aurobindo).
CONCH
The call to realisation.
The proclamation of victory.
COW
The Light or the higher consciousness.
CRANE
Messenger of happiness.
CROSS
The triple being: transcendent, universal, individual.
CROWN
The sign of fulfilment.
DAWN
Opening to the light.
«Dawn always means an opening of some kind — the coming of something that is not fully there.» (Sri Aurobindo).
DEAD
[Of oneself] The end of something in the being.
DEER
Gentleness and swiftness of movement.
DIAMOND
Pure spiritual light.
DISC
[A revolving disc) A force in action on the nature.
DOG
Devoted affection and obedience.
DOVE
Peace.
DUCK
The soul or inner being.
EARS
The place of inspired knowledge or of inspired expression.
EARTH
It corresponds to the physical plane.
ELEPHANT
Strength (sometimes illumined with Wisdom, sometimes removing obstacles).
ETHER
It corresponds to the spiritual plane.
FALCON
Keen sight.
FIRE
It corresponds to the psychic plane. It can also indicate a dynamic action.
White fire: aspiration.
Red fire: tapasya.
Blue fire: spiritual knowledge who purifies.
FISH
The vital mind.
«The fish is always the moving vital mind making all sorts of formations.» (Sri Aurobindo).
FLIES
Something small in the smaller vital.
FLOWER
The blossoming in the consciousness.
FLUTE
The call of the Divine Love.
FROG
Modest usefulness.
FRUITS
The results of the sadhana.
GOAT
Lust; agility.
GLOBE
Universality, integrality, infinity.
HARE
Prudence.
HOUSE
Generally, a place of rest and safety.
HORSE
The vital energy in man, the Life-Power.
«The horse signifies the powers of the individual being, which must be controlled (bridled).» (Mother).
[Journey on a horse] A progress or a movement in life, work or sadhana.
INCENCE STICK
Self-consecration, adoration.
JOURNEY
A movement in life or a progress in sadhana.
JUNGLE
Some un-regenerated part of the vital nature.
LAKE
The being in its individual consciousness.
LAMB
Purity.
LION
Power, vital force, strength, courage.
LOTUS
Opening of the consciousness to the Light.
Red or pink: the Avatar.
White: Aditi, the Divine Mother.
MILK
The flow of the higher consciousness.
MOON
Spirituality; sometimes also spiritual Ananda.
«The moon as a symbol in vision signifies usually spirituality in the mind or, simply, the spiritual consciousness. It can also indicate the flow of spiritual Ananda (nectar is in the moon according to the old tradition).» (Sri Aurobindo).
MOUNTAIN
The ascending planes of the higher consciousness.
«The mountain is the symbol of the embodied consciousness based upon earth but rising up towards the Divine.» (Sri Aurobindo).
«The mountain always represents the ascending hill of existence with the Divine to be reached on the summits.» (Sri Aurobindo).
NIGHT
Ignorance.
«The Night is the symbol of the Ignorance or Avidya in which men live just as Light is the symbol of Truth and Knowledge.» (Sri Aurobindo).
OSTRICH
Rapidity of movement.
PARROT
Fluency of speech.
PEACOCK
Spiritual victory.
PEARL
The Infinite in the exceedingly small.
PELLICAN
Devotedness.
PIG
Obscure movement of the vital.
PIGEON
Peace.
PYRAMID
The aspiration.
RAILWAY
Rapid progress.
RAIN
A descent.
«The descent of the Grace or of the higher consciousness which is the cause of the riches, the spiritual plenty.» (Sri Aurobindo).
RAINBOW
The sign of peace and deliverance.
REINDEER
Endurance.
RIVER
Some movement of the consciousness.
SEA
The higher consciousness felt through the vital.
SHIELD
Protection.
SKY
Some mental plane.
«The sky is a symbol of the mental consciousness (or the psychic) or other consciousness above the mind» (Sri Aurobindo).
SNAKE
Generally, a movement of falsehood.
«The nature of the falsehood is indicated by the nature of the snake and the plane where it appears.» (Mother).
«The snake is not the symbol of power but of energy, and just as there are obscure and perverted energies, so too the snake can be the symbol of unregenerate and anti-divine forces.» (Mother).
SNOW
Purity, silence and peace.
SPHINX
The Sphinx is a symbol of the eternal quest that can only be answered by the secret knowledge.» (Sri Aurobindo).
SQUARE
Complete creation.
STAR
A promise of the Light to come.
«A creation or formation or the promise or power of a creation or formation.» (Sri Aurobindo).
SUN
It corresponds to the supramental plane or, in some cases, to the inner truth.
«The Sun is the Truth from above, in the last resort the supramental Truth.» (Sri Aurobindo).
SWAN
The individual soul on the higher plane.
TEETH
[The falling of teeth] «The disappearance of the old or fixed mental habits belonging to the physical mind.» (Sri Aurobindo).
TIGER
A power of vital nature.
TRIANGLE
A triple principle.
TOBACCO
Tamas.
TRAIN
A forward movement.
[Journey in the train] The passage from one consciousness to another.
[At full speed] Rapid progress.
TREE
The universe.
The subconscient vital.
VINA
Harmony.
WATER
[A big expanse] A state of consciousness or a plane.
Fluidity, plasticity, suppleness, purifying principle. It corresponds to the vital plane.
WATERFALL
The descent of the divine forces upon the physical plane.
WHEEL
The higher consciousness in its dynamic action.