Symbol Dictionary L
Labarum:
This is the symbol that Constantine claimed to have seen in a vision in
the sky, which converted him to Christianity. It is known as the “monogram
of Christ.” Later records of the story change the symbol to a cross.
Constantine later ordered this symbol placed on the shields of his soldiers.
In fact, this symbol belonged to the god Mithra, honored by the soldiers
of the legions. Constantine’s claim that it represented Christ was
an attempt to assimilate the symbol and thus Christianize his soldiers.
Barbara Walker, in her book, The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And
Secrets (1983), claims that “a series of holy signs from Philae
show that the labarum evolved from the Egyptian ankh.” See Ankh.
Labrys: This double-bladed ax was used as a ceremonial weapon, representing
the Goddess by her various names Gaea, Rhea, Demeter, and Artemis. This
deity was worshipped by the Amazonian and Scythian warrior women of ancient
times and the ax was used in her honor. Barbara Walker, in her book, The
Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets (1983), points out that
“In modern times the labrys has been adopted by lesbians as a symbol
of reminiscence, in jewelry or art, of the all-female community of Lesbos
and its founding mothers who worshipped only the Goddess in nature and
in each other.”
Labyrinth:
Also called Dromenon. The Labyrinth represents a journey of death and
rebirth and is used as a spiritual tool for symbolic rebirth of the spirit
and soul. Originally meaning “House of the Double Ax” from
the ceremonial Labrys, the Labyrinth was used as small visual representation
over the entrance of sacred caves used for the purpose of rebirth ceremonies
or life-sized path carved or drawn onto cave floors. From the Labyrinth
evolved the maze and has been a sacred symbol to Gnostic, Pagan, and Christians
alike, who used it in floor designs and hedges. Barbara Walker, in her
book, The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets (1983), says,
“Early labyrinthine designs on coins, caves, tombs, etc. referred
to the earth-womb… such labyrinths were meant for ceremonial walking.”
See Labrys.
Ladder: The Gnostic tradition called it axis mundi, Mithraic Mysteries
called it klimax, Egyptian tradition called it “Ladder of Set,”
and Christianity called it “Jacob’s Ladder” and “Ladder
to Paradise.” The ladder is a symbol for the soul’s path to
heaven, and back again. It is used in Shamanistic death and rebirth ceremonies
and is climbed by sages, prophets, kings and bodhisattvas. Asians tribes,
who place it on graves, and Egyptians, who reserved the ladder for pharaohs
and prophets, believe that souls ascend to heaven on a ladder. In India
the ladder’s rungs were made of wooden sword blades; in China they
were knives; in Asia there were fourteen rungs for the fourteen days of
dark waning of the moon, in Gnostic tradition the soul-ladder had seven
rungs for the seven heavens. At the top of the ladder it was believed
the seeker would meet their deity, and the ladder was also a symbol of
the marriage between God and Goddess, as the sexual innuendo of the title
klimax suggests. Barbara Walker, in her book, The Woman’s Encyclopedia
Of Myths And Secrets (1983), explains, “Priest-kings in antiquity
climbed soul-ladders to meet the Goddess on the occasion of their hieros
gamos and also after death, when their souls returned to the Mother who
bore them.” See Sacred Marriage.
Lamb: See Animals.
Lantern: Particularly important to Buddhists, for whom the “light
of lanterns symbolizes the Buddha’s wisdom and knowledge,”
according to Rowena and Rupert Shepherd in their book 1000 Symbols: What
Shapes Mean In Art And Myth (2002). In China they are also connected with
fertility, and a lit lantern is used as a fertility charm. During the
Chinese Lantern Festival and Japanese Bon Festival lanterns are believed
to attract the souls of dead ancestors. Similarly, in pumpkin lanterns
are light on All Hallow or All Saint Eve (October 31). Christ holding
a lantern symbolizes “the light of the world.”
Laurel: See Trees.
Leopard: See Animals.
Left Hand: From the Latin words sinister “left” and dexter
“right,” the left acquired negative connotations, as well
as being associated with witchcraft, while the right, dexterous, acquired
positive connotations, like skilled, righteous, and correct. In French
left, gauche means clumsy or stupid, the English translation is gawky,
the Italian mancino means deceitful, the German link means wrong and perverse,
the Anglo-Saxon lyft means worthless and weak. This bias toward the right
comes from a patriarchal devaluing of the feminine, traditionally associated
with the left side. Barbara Walker, in her book, The Woman’s Encyclopedia
Of Myths And Secrets (1983) asserts, “All myths aggree that the
right side was male, the left side female.”
Lent: The fast of Lent is a Christian tradition of abstaining during the
month of March, in recognition of Christ’s sacrifice. In actuality
this tradition evolved from the Saxon tradition of Lenet-monath (one lunar
month during the “lengthening” of days), which was copied
from the Roman Matronalia (Fest of Mothers). Women held these Roman fertility
rights in the sacred groves of the Aventine and Palatine hills, where
they sacrificed to Consus, the harvest-god, and fasted and practiced abstinence
in preparation for the April fertility festival of Ceres.
Leo: See Zodiac Signs.
Lesbians: The word lesbian is derived from the female-only Greek island
of Lesbos, inhabited by Amazons. Lesbos was dedicated to the worship of
Aphrodite and Artemis in the 6th century B.C.E. and these deities were
honored with charis (music, dancing, philosophy, poetry, art, and romance).
This island produced the famous poet Sappho (unfortunately only a small
portion of her original work survived). The history of lesbianism is as
varied and different as there are cultures and women in the world. In
general, a patriarchal society discouraged independent female relationships,
however, a belief in a lack of female sexuality at other times has created
exceptional freedom for women to live and be together (for instance, thanks
to Queen Elizabeth’s claim that women were not sexual, lesbian relationships
in the form of “Boston Marriages” were common during the turn
of the century). In general, patriarchal structures are ignorant of female
sexuality, which bred fear and violence toward all women, lesbians in
particular. Barbara Walker, in her book, The Woman’s Encyclopedia
Of Myths And Secrets (1983), states, “Christian Europe regarded
lesbianism as ‘a crime without a name,’ and sometimes burned
lesbians alive without trial.”
Libra: See Zodiac Signs.
Light: Many mystical journeys include a time of darkness and discovery,
at the end of which the seeker sees the great light of illumination (often
experienced literally). Man, Myth And Magic: The Illustrated Encyclopedia
Of Mythology, Religion And The Unknown (1995), edited by Richard Cavendish
says, “In most traditions darkness precedes and is older than light,
and when light came into being it penetrated a darkness that was there
before it, just as the rising sun banishes sleep and the blindness of
night and brings the daytime for activity. We pattern the basic rhythm
of our lives on this alternation of night and day… In religion,
legend and symbolism light is primarily connected with good and with creative
power.”
Lightning: Lightning is a tool of God in many myths. Ancient European
and Indian creation myths tell of a Heavenly Father consummating Mother
Earth with a lightning bolt. Many gods have wielded the lightning bolt
including Zeus (Greek), Jupiter (Roman), and the original Dyaus Pitar
(meaning Father Heaven in India). Lightning also was a symbol of a descending
from heaven to earth as Dumuzi, Leviathan, and Dionysus did and later
inspiring the “fall from grace” stories of Lucifer and Satan.
Among the basic assumptions at play here is that God is fiery in nature
and the Goddess watery.
Lilith: See Goddess.
Lily: See Flower.
Lingam: The Lingam is a Hindu symbol for god in general, Shiva in particular,
and is represented by a penis (either life-sized or large pillar-like)
and is the counterpart to the feminine yoni. Barbara Walker, in her book,
The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets (1983) says, “The
lingam-yoni is still the supreme symbol of the vital principle, representing
male and female genitalia in conjunction.” An ancient custom of
Greece, Rome, the Middle East, and Hindus is to have brides and priestesses
(also called temple harlots) undergo a ceremony of the lingam in which
they enter into sacred marriage with God (Shiva) through ritual penetration.
See Jewel in the Lotus and Yoni.
Lion: See Animals.
Little Red Riding Hood: This fairy tale is based on the archetypal characters
of the triple goddess (Maiden, Mother, Crone). Little Red Riding Hood
is the red-cloaked maiden (Diana of paganism), sent on an errand by her
mother (the mother), to visit her grandmother (the Crone). On her way
she is interrupted by the threatening wolf, (also the Crone), but is rescued
by the woodsman (representing any number of Forest Gods). Barbara Walker,
in her book, The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets (1983),
sees that “The Hunter was originally le Chasseur Maudit, or pagan
Lord of the Hunt; while the man-eating She-Wolf or grandmother was a western
form of the Kalika.” See Dog.
Logos: Logos is the idea that the supreme deity could create anything
that was wanted by simply calling its name, including other goddesses/gods,
universes and creatures. Barbara Walker, in her book, The Woman’s
Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets (1983) explains, “The Logos, then,
was divine essence concentrated in a Word and made manifest, as Jesus
was called ‘the Word made flesh.’” Logos was popular
among patriarchal religions because it gave male deities the power to
create, which had until then been reserved for the Goddess. Logos has
passed from Tantrism to Neoplatonic philosophy to Christianity, but originated
with the Egyptian concept of hekau, Word of Power. The original Deities
invested with the Word of Power were Goddesses, Hecate, Kali, etc., who
created sacred languages (Sanskrit), mantras, and alphabets. The original
Word, the tone that created the universe is Om, and claimed in mythology
to be spoken by Kali as an “invocation of her own ‘pregnant
belly’“ (Walker). Kali’s Om is not specific to Egypt
and appears in the name of many goddesses like the Celtic Moon-mother
Omh (She Who Is); Sheban Moon-temple of Marib Aum (Belly of the World);
Lydian called their Goddess-queen Omphale; Greeks called their temples
omphalos; the Greeks honored Om as the last letter of their alphabet,
Omega (meaning “Great Om”) See Om and Name.
Lorelei:
The Lorelei is the name of a famous rock of the Rhine River. Barbara Walker,
in her book, The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets (1983),
explains it is “anciently identified with a Water-siren or River-goddess
who lured men to death by drowning.”
Lotus: See Flower.
Lotus
Position: Sitting cross-legged with each foot on top the opposite knee.
This Tantric yoga pose is practiced for meditation. Celtic Gods were also
depicted in the Lotus Position as were some figures made by Pagan Scandinavians.
Barbara Walker, in her book, The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And
Secrets (1983), points out, “The medieval church denounced this
cross-legged pose as a relic of paganism, and declared all who sat cross-legged
were working sorcery.”
Lucifer: See God’s Underworld Guardian.
Luna: This Latin titled for the Moon-goddess is consort to the Gnostic
Sun god Sol. Barbara Walker, in her book, The Woman’s Encyclopedia
Of Myths And Secrets (1983) asserts, “Together they represented
fire and water, whose combination produced the Blood of Life.” Many
creation myths tell of the Moon as the ultimate, first Creatress, who
created the world out of her primal ocean of chaos.
Lunar
Calendar: See Menstrual Calendar.