The man takes the woman’s blade, and she takes his chalice, and neither of them is any less a whole person by themselves, but they’ve shared something of themselves that goes far beyond the physical, sexual aspects of their bodies. It’s something that each individual person may be very aware of or that may be completely subconscious, but any potential lover is measured against this ideal.Īnd when people fall in love, especially when two Soul Mates meet, this is the part that they give to each other. Likewise a man holds a chalice, linked to the core of his being, and seeks a divine feminine to match it. Each woman carries a blade, close to her heart, an ideal of a man worthy of her, a picture of masculine strength. So, to me, inside of ourselves we hold a piece of ourselves that is waiting for something, for someone. We long to connect to someone, our ideal to connect on the deepest of levels, spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically. But the symbolism I’ve explored is not only that.Įven though we are complete within ourselves, it is only natural for humans to be drawn to kindred spirits, and to seek out lovers. Every person is not strictly male or female, but has some balancing portion of that opposite sex within them. For one thing, each person is whole and complete in and of themselves, not codependent with their partner (whether or not that partner is the opposite sex or not).
Through meditation, I came to the idea that every woman has her own blade inside, and every man his chalice. Traditionally, the blade is considered male, a phallic representation of strength, and the chalice female, a vessel of life and the downward-pointing triangle of female anatomy.īut I offer an additional, not necessarily alternative, viewpoint. Although I was also familiar with the cup and the athame as Wiccan tools, along with wands, pentacles, etc, as symbols of the elements of fire and water, I hadn’t heard it in this context before (possibly because the only witches I knew were Dianic Wiccan, focused on the Goddess, with little or no attention to the male aspects). Although these preambles contain some interesting tidbits ("there are 200 million insects for every human being on Earth") and a few insights into spirituality, the book's most original and memorable contribution is its photos.I first came across the chalice and the blade as symbols watching DaVinci Code, in which they explain the Solomon’s Key symbol as being two triangles, one up, blade, one down, chalice. Each chapter begins with a few introductory pages about its theme. The seven chapters are mostly taken up with DeCambra's stunning photographs, interspersed with quotations from various thinkers and excerpts from the sacred texts of the world's religions. "Spirit is beyond science," the authors say in the last chapter it involves understanding the interdependence of life. (In one fascinating vignette, he explores na ve enthusiasm for science by describing the universal praise in the 1950s for DEET, which his mother used to spray directly on the family's dinner just before serving it.) The book then devotes chapters to seven "elements" that are necessary to sustain life: water, air, fire, earth, biodiversity, love and spirit. In this piece, the highlight of the written text, he describes his own transformation from a young researcher who believed that science could answer every problem to an environmental activist who came to realize that science often created as many problems as it solved. It opens with a somewhat overwritten and florid explanation of the evolution of life and then settles into a personal essay by Suzuki, a scientist and environmentalist.
This impressive coffee-table book invites readers, through word and image, to experience and reflect on the interconnectedness of all life.
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