Symbols - What does heaven look like
Grain
Grain can have the same symbolism as sand – that is grains of sand. Both can also be symbolic of atoms.
But the principle symbolism for a grain is the Soul. The symbolism combines the idea of a granary which contains numerous little souls which pour down onto the Earth, where they sprout and grow only to be cut down when they are full grown by the Grim Reaper.
The symbolism is quite apt as we have children and a stalk of corn also has seeds which can be used for the next harvest.
In this we need to remember the analogy of a software package developer. The master package is created and then lots of copies are sent out to be used. Souls are copies of a human being master package, and symbolically are stored in the Granary, to be sown as and when needed.
It is not unusual to see mixed symbolism in pictures where both the Granary and the Moon may be used - the Moon being another symbolic storer of souls.
In this version of the Tarot(right), the Moon is raining seeds onto the earth. The grain here is in the shape of the Jewish letter Yodh. Yodh or Yud is the smallest letter and much kabbalistic and mystical significance is attached to it. According to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus mentioned it when he says: "One jot [that is Jot, Iota or Yud] or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled." So souls will not stop being created until the ‘plan’ - the Great Work - is complete.
The Crowley Tarot [below] also shows the Yodh symbol as well as a crescent moon. The symbolism here is extremely concise.
Observations
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- Ancient Egyptian - The symbolism of the Sun and Moon
- Apuleius and Isis
- Baudelaire, Charles - L’ennui
- Blake, William - To see a World in a grain of sand
- Coehlo, Paulo - The Alchemist - The desert
- Count of St Germain - A Philosophical sonnet
- Crowley, Aleister - Book of Lies - The Gun Barrel
- Crowley, Aleister - Example Tarot cards
- Dionysos - Villa of Mysteries Pompei - The Liknon
- Frost, Robert - Never tell me that not one star of all
- Gogh, Vincent van - The Reaper
- Hawker, Robert Stephen - Ephphatha - High matins now in bower and hall
- Hawker, Robert Stephen - The Quest of the Sangraal - He dwelt in Orient Syria; God's own land
- Herbert, George - Peace
- Holderlin, Johann - Patmos
- Homer - The Odyssey - The Garden of Alcinous
- Indus valley - Mohenjo-Daro - 04 Great Granary
- Intelligences - PLANETS VENUS Ashtar and Ishtar
- Jeans, Sir James - The Mysterious Universe - The stage of life, why are we here?
- Jesus - Matthew 13 - Grain of mustard seed
- Joel 1:11
- Lalla - Royal swan, what happened to your beautiful voice?
- Lalla - The mill goes round and round in slow circles
- Magritte, Rene - Golconde
- Matisse - the Sheaf
- Mayan - Popol Vuh - 04 The Creation of the First humans
- Mesopotamian - Means of achieving spiritual experience 03 Prayer to the Gods of the Night
- Michaux, Henri - In the Land of Magic - The most interesting things in this country cannot be seen
- Mircea Eliade - The Maypole and the Sweep
- Mircea Eliade - Warramunga tribe and the Tree of life
- Moreau - Apollo and the nine muses 1856
- Neiye - Verse 01
- Nizami – Makhzanol Asrar (The Treasury of Mysteries) – from The First Discourse 01
- Ogotemmeli - Granary
- Ogotemmeli - On bad seed
- Ogotemmeli - The reaper
- Plutarch - De Iside et Osiride
- Qu’ran - Symbols and signs - Surah Al An’am
- Revelations 06 : 1-8
- Rider-Waite - 18 The Moon
- Rops, Felicien - Satan sowing tares
- Rumi - The Book of Love - This moment this love comes to rest in me
- Segantini - Dans les champs de riz 1898-1901
- Segantini - Ploughing
- Sing a song of sixpence
- Sting - Fields of Gold
- Stolz von Stolzenberg, Daniel - Viridarium chemicum 1624
- Tirgereh - Prayer to the Celtic goddesses
- Tranströmer, Tomas - Solitude II
- Various examples - 18 The Moon
- Warner Allen, Herbert - The Timeless moment