Symbolism of the Cross

Photo by John Fraim

Intersection of Sequence, Cycles & Correspondence (From a work in progress)

I Lost My Mind /Cecile McLorin Salvant

The cross has great religious symbolism. Yet, viewed from the perspective of sequence and correspondence, the horizontal and vertical lines creating the cross represent the intersection of linear and non-linear time. In this sense, the vertical line represents the movement from the past on the left side of the vertical line towards the future on the right side of the vertical line. And, the vertical line intersecting the horizontal line represents the present. 

In terms of our investigation, the beginning of the horizontal line on the left represents the beginning of a sequence or cycle while the ending of the horizontal line on the right represents the ending of a cycle sequence. In this scenario, opposition symbols reside at the beginning of the sequence on the left and at the end of the sequence on the right. But similar (not oppositions of symbols) reside in the present defined by where the vertical line of the cross, intersects with the horizontal line. 

The cross might find it’s true meaning not in the symbol of a particular founder of a religion or a nation. Like Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, Mohammed, Ghandi, Malcom X, John Coltrane. And so many others who make their claim close to the symbolism of the cross in history. 

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Perhaps the true meaning of the cross does not point to a particular person who has created a nation we live in or a religion we practice today. Perhaps it’s true meaning involves an understanding of the essence of time and its presence as well as movement in life. More than it being a reference to any human form. Rather, always a reference to the intersection of linear and non-linear time in that time or state we call the moment in time. Captured. 

An intersection between the movement of linear and non-linear time as there is linear time moving from the past on the left side of a horizontal line to the right side of this line. Let’s just say the Past on the left side of the horizontal line moving into the Future on the right side of the horizontal line. 

In our investigation, we have offered a number of what we consider cool, participatory ideas, or, as Marshall McLuhan might put it, “probes” that lead more to participation in a ideas rather than hard, answers on a certain subject. The ideas involve the order events and symbols play out over time from the past into the future. This seems a candidate to be the medium of the modern world that Marshall McLuhan might have envisioned. 

Photo by John Fraim

Linear time of the past moving into the future creates oppositions through the beginning and ending of cycles and sequences. But the non-linear time of the present is very powerful using powers like synchronicity and ancient idea of the correspondence of symbols, pulling together similar events and thoughts of a particular moment in time. This is the vertical line of present time intersecting the horizontal line of the movement of time from past to future. There is commonality in the present of time. There is opposition in the movement of time. 

One must understand just these few ideas to understand the way events and things move through life. It is not some haphazard prediction as the entire perspective is based on looking at both the horizontal and vertical part of the cross. The visible world above the horizontal line. And, the invisible, psychological world, below the horizontal line of the cross. 

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The true symbolism of the cross.

The horizontal part of the cross represents linear time from past to future as it moves from left to right through time between opposite symbols. The vertical intersection in the symbol of the cross represents not the linear movement of time between opposites. But rather, that particularly special moment in that moment of the present. When one (for once) saw life in a different way. From a different perspective. When one was fully alive in the present of life. 

Within this present of life, there was no longer the constant battle between dualities. The battling symbols of one’s life. But the correspondence and pulling together symbols through the old natural power of correspondence, or simply calling together all symbol representations of the same thing. No symbol that questions its identity allowed in this group. 

That aspect of time called the present is the great power behind an ancient idea of symbols as to the correspondence or similarity of symbols in the present moment and the duality of symbols in the movement from past to future. The movement of time of course. The idea that commonality might best be found in that phenomenological space called an understanding of the symbolism of the cross briefly sketched out in the above. 

An idea for writing stories. And interpreting stories told to you by others. Sometimes, powerful others who can blast their message to you 24/7 with the light of a Vegas casino. They – the popular narrative – might own the daily view of the world through their infiltration of about all forms of media. This should not be all that surprising to anyone paying just a little attention as to what is going on today.

In the end, this entire work presented in a cool, participatory form of various probes or questions. Answers were something we sought to avoid in the above. Just questions. Our mission would be accomplished by the number of questions we started rather than the number of answers we provided. 

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