Symbols - What does heaven look like
Shuttlecock
An interesting symbol as it combines the concept of the Crown - an enlightened person with the idea of not being in full control of what happens to you. In a sense although you are enlightened, you are still a sort of pawn in the game being batted from one side to the other.
Although shuttlecocks are today made of plastic, the original shuttlecock had a cork to which feathers were attached to form a cone shape, so plenty of symbolism could be attached to the shape - the cone - the feathers anf the cock, and the fact that being a cork it would stay above the Water.
The meaning of the symbolism would depend a little on which way up the shuttlecock was placed. Finally, here is the definition from Wikipedia which is useful in showing the added symbolism that could be attached:
A shuttlecock (also called a bird or birdie) is a high-drag projectile used in the sport of badminton. It has an open conical shape: the cone is formed from 16 or so overlapping feathers, usually goose or duck and from the left wing only, embedded into a rounded cork base. The cork is covered with thin leather. The shuttlecock's shape makes it extremely aerodynamically stable. Regardless of initial orientation, it will turn to fly cork first, and remain in the cork-first orientation. The name shuttlecock is frequently shortened to shuttle. The "shuttle" part of the name was probably derived from its back-and-forth motion during the game, resembling the shuttle of a loom; the "cock" part of the name was probably derived from the resemblance of the feathers to those on a cockerel.
and it flies over a net.
Observations
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