Symbolic Evolution

Before we used symbols or markings to communicate, approximately 350,000 years ago, people used pigments made from things like ochre or manganese to communicate family or social ties/groupings. 250,000 years later, they upgraded to personal adornments, such as jewelry, to help communicate these concepts. By approximately 40,000 years ago our ancestors were creating 2 and 3 dimensional objects to depict the world around them. By 8,000 years ago man had begun creating basic symbols to communicate, which developed into the complex written languages we have today.* Many ancient cultures, like the Egyptians, the Norse, and Eastern cultures, used symbols that not only were used to write words, but also had deeper and more extensive, even magical, meaning as well.
Since then, the symbols we recognize and use have changed and evolved with us, our experiences, and our needs. Some have evolved to expand their meaning, some have had their meaning completely changed, and others have or are becoming irrelevant in our current world. Some symbols are pretty much universal. If someone says the word heart, your first thought is likely the symbol we are taught to draw from childhood, rather than the anatomically correct version that beats within us all. If you drew what we know to be a tear drop shape and coloured it blue, others would recognize it as water, however, colour it red, and they would likely think blood instead. We can use these kinds of symbols to communicate general concepts to people, even when we do not speak the same language.
We don’t usually consider the origins of the symbols we use, especially the ones we use every day, like the alphabet we write with. However, despite our daily use that can make them feel common and not that significant, they do have power, which we can tap into. We know that worlds have power, and not just when spoken. We use the written word in spell work every time we write a spell ourselves, write something down and burn/bury/carry it to manifest or let go of things, etch it into a candle, or however else you use words in your practice. If you create sigils you may be using letters or symbols to form them.
Some symbols, while having a generally accepted meaning (to which there are many books available on the subject depending on your use), can also have more personal meaning that depends greatly on your own personal beliefs and life experiences. This is especially true in dream interpretation. For instance, two people may have a similar dream about a spider, but the first dreamer may be afraid of spiders and see this as a symbol of being trapped or caught in a web of deceit (being lied to), while the other dreamer may not mind (or even like) spiders, not be afraid, and interpret it as a sign that they are “weaving” their own destiny, or to take control of their own fate. The emotions that a symbol or sign elicits has a direct affect on how it will be interpreted by the seer/user of it. This is why some symbols that have been deliberately changed or “hijacked” by certain groups have evolved from a more positive or neutral state to now evoke a strong negative response instead. A prime example of this is the swastika. This symbol, derived from the Sanskrit word svastika, is at least 7,000 years old. Originally it represented prosperity, fortune, and well-being, and was used in many religions including Hinduism, Odinism, and Buddhism, and was even found on pre-Christian European artifacts**. It is extremely unfortunate that this beautiful symbol has been used to represent such vulgar and despicable crimes against humanity. I hope one day that we can cleanse it of this negative connotation, and help it reclaim its former peaceful vibration.
There are plenty of magical alphabets out there that one can use in their practice as well. While these symbols have been created by others, and may not have any significant meaning to us at this time, if we learn them and use them consistently we can create a bond with them that will only deepen over time. That said, we can create these bonds with any symbol we use consistently and with intent. Choosing to learn a magical alphabet can also help keep your work private, even if you use or wear them in public, as well.
I really enjoy working with symbols. I love using my runes and rune cards, I quite enjoy sigil magic, and, as you may already know, reading and writing are passions of mine, so symbols are a very important part of my life as well as my practice. How do they fit into your life? Your practice? Do you give much thought to how you use them in your practice, or are they just a form of communication for you? Do you think symbols, warped over time, can regain their positive vibrations after being used to represent such heinous acts? I would love to know.
 
 
*Info taken from https://humanorigins.si.edu/human-characteristics/languages-symbols
**Info taken from https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/history-of-the-swastika