The Watchtowers And Paganism

Calling in the Guardians of the Watchtowers is usually done at the beginning of opening the Circle in a Wiccan ritual. It is my understanding that Guardians of the Watchtowers are called in so that the guardians of each cardinal direction will protect and bless the circle. According to Minnie Eerin, as written in The Magical Circle School Resource Library, each cardinal point houses an elemental. East houses the Sylph which is an air elemental, while West houses the Undines which is water elemental. Now it gets tricky. For the Northern Hemisphere, south is the home of fire and the elemental salamander. North is the Earth element with the elemental Gnomes being housed. It is reversed in the Southern Hemisphere. Other traditions have different entities guarding the cardinal directions. These entities include angels, daemons, faeries, or deities.

His symbols are the laurel crown, the lyre, the tripod, and the navel stone. He is the god of the sun, medicine, music, prophecy, and archery. His sacred animals are the wolf for its cunning character and power, the lizard and the raven.

While it is true that a curse is a spell and a spell must be done in coordination with a hex it is not as simple as that. The word hex originally comes from the German word hexe meaning witch. Though rarely used in current times, a form of hex can be seen throughout Pennsylvania quite commonly. Originally used by Pennsylvania Dutch Witches that practiced Pow-wow Magick, the hex sign is a brightly colored disk that was placed on the sides of buildings or barns to ward off “evil.” These signs can also be used with positive energy to attract good fortune, health and fertility. These signs were made using images specific to the purpose of the hex, including shapes, pentagrams, swastikas, hearts, flowers, animals, and the moon. As the practice of Pow-wow dwindled the Hex signs began to be part of local culture and are now used on just about anything as a form of decoration rather than a magickal tool. Another form of a hex is the hexagram. This symbol can be seen as early as the Bronze Age and is made by superimposing a triangle over a reversed triangle. This symbol can be seen in many religions, notably the Star of David in Judaism and part of the Seal of Solomon. Pagans sometimes use the symbol to represent the male and female aspects, fire and water, as well as the idea of above and below. It has been employed in Ceremonial Magicks to banish spirits in the Seal of

One of the most significant associations between religion and this world renown novel is the connection between the ‘eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg’ and God himself. The ‘eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg’ are first introduced in chapter two, and the literal presentation of this symbol is that it is a billboard of an oculist (eye doctor), and its purpose is to serve as an advertisement to this doctor's business, “But above the gray land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it, you perceive, after a moment, the eyes of Doctor T.J Eckleburg”. (Fitzgerald 23) In chapter eight, Mr. Wilson is talking to his neighbor, Michaelis, about the events that occurred right before Myrtle's death, ““I spoke to her," he muttered, after a long silence. "I told her she might fool me but she couldn’t fool God. I took her to the window"..."and I said ‘God knows what you’ve been doing, everything you’ve been doing. You may fool me, but you can’t fool God!’" Standing behind him, Michaelis saw with a shock that he was looking at the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg.” (Fitzgerald 160) Wilson had found out that Myrtle has been having an affair with another man, (Tom) and explains that the eyes on

The most prominent one are the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg. This is a sign that some oculist set up for his practice and then forgot it when he moved away (26). These eyes are described as “his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days, under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground”, because the sign stares down on Fitzgerald’s characters as they pass underneath (26-27). They “watch” over the Valley of Ashes. At some point these “eyes” start to represent the eyes of God. After George finds out about the affair he tells Myrtle that “God knows what you’ve been doing, everything you’ve been doing. You may fool me, but you can’t fool God!” and points to the Dr. T. J. Eckleburg sign (170). When Michaelis is trying to calm down Wilson, after Myrtle’s death, they are staring out the window at the Dr. T. J. Eckleburg sign and Wilson tells Michaelis “God sees everything”, but Michaelis assures him by saying “That’s an advertisement”

The eyes of T.J. Eckleburg in George Wilson mind are symbols for the eyes of God.

Other Pagans bring ancient religions into contemporary worship, such as Greek, Roman, or Egyptian mythology. In these different mythologies, there are many gods and goddesses with different jobs of everyday life, like the Greek god Helios who drove the sun with his chariot around the world everyday. Though the gods all have different names from the different cultures, they’re all about the same deities. The Greeks and Romans learned from the Egyptians, using cultural diffusion. In everyday life, Pagans who chose this path will pray to certain deities for help or guidance on what they rule over. Often, Pagans will choose a couple certain deities to focus their worship on, whether because of a spiritual bond or because of a coven’s pre-chosen path.

1929 "At San Diego, California, there is a small piece of land, on which, in the year 1929 there was built a house, which is called and known as Beth Sarim. The Hebrew words Beth Sarim mean 'House of the Princes'; and the purpose of acquiring that property and building the house was that there are those on earth today who fully believe in God and Christ Jesus and in His Kingdom, and who believe that the faithful men of old will soon be resurrected by the Lord, be back on earth, and take charge of the visible affairs of earth. The title to Beth Sarim is vested in the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society in trust, to be used by the president of the Society and his assistants for the present, and thereafter to be forever at the disposal of the

the Bible does it give a date as to the birth of Jesus Christ. How did

These symbols are the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg representing God watching over, the hot weather showing the change in the plot and setting up future scenes and the Valley of Ashes stands for

They could also be symbols for Hypnos, the Greek god of sleep, or the Oneiroi, Hypnos's sons.

The huts represent the desire to preserve civilization. The Chief of the island insists that building the huts is the most important aspect to survive. The symbol of the fire is used to divide civilization from savagery. Some would use the fire as a signal fire and

Fire can represent courage and enthusiasm, but also anger and jealousy. Water can represent love and creativity, and instability. Earth can represent patience and strength, but also laziness and boredom. Lastly, Air can represent diligence and optimism, but also frivolity and boasting. These Four Elements were common to all people.

The reason this figure have four hands is to show the power or universality of this figure. When I saw this four arms in a circular frame, what first came to my mind is that each hand represent a cardinal point i.e. North, South, East and west. Therefore, the shiva Nataraja symbolizes four major points of the world or a spiritual

As a religion with its unique beliefs and practices, Gnosticism certainly has its own symbols. The Ouroboros is a Greek word meaning “tail devourer,” which is an ancient symbol depicting in the form of a serpent eating its own tail. The symbol is first seen as early as 1600 years BC in Egypt as a representation of the sun, and in Gnosticism, it is related to the solar God Abraxas. The Ouroboros signifies “eternity and the soul of the world.” (Token Rock) It is usually drawn in black and white, which enhances the Gnostic belief of duality. In christianity, the snake is a symbol of evilness and temptation, whereas Gnostics see it as a liberator who brought knowledge to Adam and Eve. They honour the snake. Apart from the Ouroboros, the Ankh is