Somatics of Symbolism

 The Somatics of Symbolism

I have long taken quite an interest in symbolism, ever since Jordan Peterson made it make sense. Since then, I've also enjoyed Jonathon Pageau's work especially. What I've noticed is missing from a lot of talk of Symbolism, however, is an explanation of why certain things represent what they do. In addition, Struan has identified contradictory patterns in the symbolic matrixes of various religions, and Peterson/Pageau's explanations - I seek to explain why they might be considered to be contradictory.


Up and Down

  • The primary notions expressed through symbolism are those of the specific and general, concrete and abstract, as well as part and whole.
    • The defining aspect of all of these is that categories that are more specific, concrete, or parts of something all refer to something that 'covers less area'. Likewise, general, abstract, and wholes of something all refer to something that 'covers more area'. The example here is that of the tree and the forest. The forest 'covers more area' than the tree by necessity of their part-whole relation. Likewise, the abstract notion of 'dog' refers to more stuff than any specific (or 'particular') dog.
  • As a result of the preceding, symbolism across the world makes use of a lot of Up and Down Symbolism.
    • This comes from the perspective gained from being up high vs. down low. When down low, one can make out the details of things; discern their parts, and see smaller entities, with the drawback that one can see less stuff - which is in line with specific/concrete/part as explained above. Opposingly, being higher up, one becomes able to see more stuff, but can make out greater wholes rather than the parts and details of things. So for instance, one may be able to see the forest, but not make out the trees (its parts). In order to make out the trees, one may need to come down low, and in doing so lose one's ability to perceive the whole forest.
    • With this I wish to specify; it is not lowness and highness specifically that this metaphor draws upon, but the perspective that comes with being located at low or high altitudes.

  • Examples of low/high symbolism include:
    • Heaven vs. Earth
    • God vs. Mortal (Gods are seen as 'denizens of the sky' and mortals as 'denizens of the earth' - this is in many etymologies of the words)
    • In common parlance we speak of 'higher concepts' or 'higher principles' - these concepts or principles tend to be ones that have a more broadly reaching scope.

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