Cap and bells

The cap and bells is the cap of the Jester.  It has two side pieces and a central portion.  The three sections may be of different colours of may simply be Red - the colour of Fire and thus a symbol of having been through Purgatory.

The two side pieces are the twin horns.  In effect it is a badge of office, that indicates the person is permanently in touch with the spiritual world via the two tunnels - the two paths to the figurative Sun and Moon, thus the horns/side pieces are also the twin tunnels.  The colours used may be red and blue indicating the path of the Sun [red] and Moon [blue].

But the third central portion indicates enlightenment and the opening of the Crown chakra.  It also indicates permanent access to the Stars, the Planets and the Intelligences represented by the Signs of the Zodiac.  So anyone wearing this headdress is indeed a very very powerful person.

In this case the bell has a functional use.  All magicians and shamans of this level of competence used to wear bells to help in an out of body experience. The bells are used like a beacon – a call back system so that the person does not forget to come back or get lost.  It is worth adding that bells are also often heard during spiritual experiences - tinkling noises and musical chimes, adding to the symbolism.

Observations

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• Exodus 28 - Aaron’s bells
• Flamel, Nicolas - Uraltes chymisches Werk A Eleazar 1760
• H Reussner - Pandora Basle 1582
• Ikkyu - Elegy
• Keats, John - From The Cap And Bells
• Norse - Loki and Heimdall’s fight over the singing stone
• Norse - Tollund Man
• Poetic Edda - Grimnir's sayings [Extract]
• Redon, Odilon - Les Noirs 1
• Stolz von Stolzenberg, Daniel - Viridarium chemicum 1624
• The Twelve Keys of Basil Valentine - Key 12
• Yeats, W B - Selected poems - Cap and Bells
• Zosimos of Panopolis - The Mushaf as-suwar - 7th Book of the Mercuries picture 22