Ancient Pinecone Magic and Symbolism

 

Images of pinecones, sacred eyes and not least, the thyrsus, the ancient Greek magic wand, have been associated with the pineal gland (named after the pinecone), since ancient times and pop up in cultures all over the world:

For the Aztecs and the Assyrians, pinecones were a symbol of spirituality, immortality and enlightenment, for the Celts and the Greeks, they represented fertility and regeneration.

Even though the ancient Egyptians, in general, didn’t seem to regard the pinecone as anything exceptional, the Egyptian God Osiris, carried a staff tipped with a pinecone, as did the Greek god of wine, Dionysus, the only difference being, that whereas Osiris carried a staff of two intertwined serpents, representing spiritual consciousness, Dionysus carried a staff created from a giant fennel stalk.

 

 

The Pine Tree and the Pinecone

 

 

Pine trees, which belong to the ancient group of plants called gymnosperms, are one of the oldest plant species on earth, dating back to more than one and a half million years.

 They produce cone-shaped organs known as pinecones, the design of which forms a perfect Fibonacci sequence; with 8 sets of clockwise spirals and 13 sets of counter-clockwise, 13 divided by 8 equals 1.6: The Golden Ratio.

 

 

The cones can remain on the tree for up to ten years and store and protect the tree’s seeds by closing up in winter, keeping the seeds safe from cold, dark weather, winds and any animal which might try to eat them and open up in the warm weather, releasing the seeds, which will eventually become new pine trees.

The pineal gland takes its name from the pinecone, owing not only to its shape but to how, just as the pinecone closes its scales when it’s cold or dark and opens itself  up again when the warm weather returns, similarly, the pineal gland regulates melatonin levels to keep people awake during the day and asleep at night.

Pinecones and the pineal gland have been seen as the highest symbol of enlightenment since ancient times.

 

The Pineal Gland

 

 

Ever since the Greek physician and philosopher Galen (129 – 216 AD), first documented his findings about the pineal gland; located between the two hemispheres of the brain, it has been the subject of intense research, fascination and disagreement.

Do we really know all the mysterious activities of this complicated cone- shaped gland, which, by the way, was named by him after contemplating on some pinecones he came across on his daily walk?

 Contemporises of Galen were of the belief that the pineal gland controlled the flow of “psychic pneuma, an ethereal substance known as “the first instrument of the soul.”

 Galen disagreed, stating that the pineal gland was just a gland that controlled blood flow.

 

The Wandering Soul

 

 

Originally, ancient Greeks, believed the soul resided in the liver, later they changed their minds and moved it to the pineal gland.

That was, until Pythagoras and Plato, informed them otherwise and that actually the soul was to be found in the brain.

However, a while later, Empedocles, Democritus, Aristotle, the Stoics and the Epicureans, were certain its abode was in the heart.

“The seat of the soul and the control of voluntary movement – in fact, of nervous functions in general, – are to be sought in the heart. The brain is an organ of minor importance”

Aristotle Ancient Greek Philosopher 384–322 BC

 

 

 After being put on the back burner for a few centuries, the controversy over the pineal gland and the soul, again raised its head in the 16th century, when anatomist Vesalius (1514–1564), stated, in no uncertain terms, that nothing airy-fairy or ethereal flowed through the ventricles of the brain.

Then, along came French philosopher and mathematician, René Descartes (1596–1650), the 17th century “father of Western philosophy” (and fan of Plato), who was totally obsessed and bewitched with the pineal gland.

“There is a little gland in the brain in which the soul exercises its functions in a more particular way than in the other parts”

 Rene Descartes French philosopher, scientist and mathematician 1596 –1650

 

 

In his 1664 “Treatise on Man”, Descartes claims man has both a physical body and also a non-physical or “immaterial” mind, which interact with each other.

He then delved deeper into how and where this interaction took place; he decided it all went on in the pineal gland, which he thereafter referred to as “Seat of the Soul”.

All this “toing and froing” rather reminds me the story of “The Wandering Womb” of and yes, it’s a Greek story!

The pineal gland is considered by many to be our biological third eye; the “epicenter of enlightenment” and its sacred symbol, throughout history, all over the world, has been the Pinecone.

 

The Third Eye

 

 

 “In every man there is an Eye of the soul which is far more precious than ten thousand bodily eyes, for by it alone is truth seen. The Eye of the soul is alone naturally adapted to be resuscitated and excited by the mathematical disciplines.”

From Plato’s work “Republic”

The third eye, also called the mind’s eye, inner eye, eye of the soul and eye of reason, is an invisible eye, usually depicted as being located on the forehead, said to be the connection between the physical and spiritual worlds.

When the pineal gland awakens, or, in other words; your third eye opens, it’s said you gain access to all manner of mystical goings on such as, religious visions, clairvoyance, out-of-body experiences, seeing into the future, tuning into higher dimensions, astral travel, in short, you are in a deeper state of consciousness.

 

 

“The eyes of my soul are always open, always awake”

  Dionysios Solomos, 1797-1857, Greek poet

 

How the Third Eye Operates

 

 

There is actual scientific explanation for these third eye or out-of-body experiences; the pineal gland is called the “third eye” for many reasons, including its location deep in the center of the brain and its connection to light via the circadian rhythm and melatonin secretion.

Your pineal gland (or the third eye) awakens when it picks up higher frequencies or higher energy, this changes the chemistry of melatonin; the higher the frequency, the greater the change.

 They do say that all of us have the ability to open our third eye, it’s just that the “know- how”, has been lost through time.

Many people today are striving to regain this ability through consulting gurus and learning the art of meditation.

 

Pinecone Symbolism

 

 

In Ancient civilizations worldwide, the pinecone was everywhere: in architecture, sculpture and art.

The pinecone, since antiquity, has been a symbol of festivity, as they still are today; you only need to look at any Christmas card or Christmas scene, to realize the ancient tradition of the pinecone as a symbol of festivity is alive and kicking!

Could this mean there maybe some truth behind the belief that, “The Twelve Days of Dionysus”, a no-holds-barred celebration of the birth of the Greek god of wine and fertility, held just after the winter solstice, the month of Poseidon in Ancient Greece, climaxing with the epiphany of the God Dionysus to the people, is actually the source of what we now know today as Christmas?

 

 

There are many ancient mid-winter rituals, feasts and celebrations from various cultures which have been incorporated into the Christian Christmas of today; however, the Dionysian festival of ancient Greece has, by far, the most corresponding aspects.

 

The Thyrsus – The Staff of Dionysus – Greek god of wine:

Symbol of Fertility –  Prosperity – Immortality and Hedonism

 

 

In Greek mythology, wherever he went with his band of merry followers, Dionysus (Bacchus), god of wine, was never without his thyrsus, a wand or staff of giant fennel covered with ivy vines and leaves, sometimes wound with a ribbon but always topped with a pine cone.

The reason a large fennel stem was used, apart from the fact it smoldered rather than burned, when used as a torch, was in honour of Prometheus, who, in Greek mythology, brought the gift of fire to mankind.

Prometheus himself was a frequent guest at Dionysus’ crazy sessions.

 

Magic Wands in Ancient Greek Literature

 

Magic wands were first mentioned by the ancient Greek writer, Homer, in his works; “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey”, where they were put to use by three different characters: Hermes, Athena and Circe.

 In The Iliad, Hermes, messenger of the gods, utilized his magic wand, the caduceus, either to put people to sleep or to wake them up.

 

 

 In The Odyssey, Athena, goddess of wisdom and warfare, used her wand to pile years onto Odysseus and then to once again return him to his youth.

 

 

Circe, ancient Greek sorceress and enchantress, used her magic wand to turn Odysseus’s men into pigs.

 

 

Let me just add here, that, the magic word, abracadabra, often spoken with great gusto and the wave of a magic wand, also originated from ancient Greece; from the name of the Gnostic god, Abraxas!

 

Dionysus and his Followers:

Maenads and Satyrs

 

 

The female followers of Dionysus, maenads, were wild, drunken women, dressed as Adriane, wife of Dionysus, with leopard skins draped over their shoulders.

His male devotees, satyrs, were men with goat-like features, in a permanent state of arousal.

 

 

Dionysus and the Eleusinian Mysteries

 

Dionysus and his cult, gathered together in the woods, all of them carrying with them a thyrsus, for religious rituals and fêtes, which can only be dubbed as rave parties!

At some point, way back in antiquity, Dionysus was linked to Demeter, goddess of the harvest and her daughter Persephone, Queen of the Underworld, as Dionysus was himself a god of fertility.

It’s said Dionysus and his cult, often attended the Eleusinian Mysteries, held in honour of Demeter and Persephone, only here he was known as Iachos, son of Zeus and Demeter or Persephone.

There’s some disagreement amongst historians about this, some think it was just a mix up of names as Iachos, sounds similar to Bacchus; the Roman name for Dionysus.

However, regardless of what name he went under, he did attend, as always, accompanied by his entourage of singing, drinking and dancing nymphs and satyrs, carrying their pinecone –topped magic wands; the thyrsus, without which they went nowhere.

 

 

The Thyrsus was said to grant them supernatural powers, as well as turning water into wine when used by Dionysus,

It was also a symbol of freedom; Dionysus used it to destroy anyone intent on wrecking his wild parties, or anyone opposed to his cult.

This he managed by transforming his staff, the thyrsus, into a weapon, by hiding a steel spear-head amongst the leaves, which was not only extremely dangerous but was said to provoke madness.

 

Jesus Performed Miracles with a Wand (or Staff)

 

 

In early Christian art, Jesus looks rather different performing miracles, than in later icons.

Frescoes of Jesus were rediscovered in the catacombs on the Via Anapo, dating back to the second half of the third century AD.

 The catacombs consist of a long main gallery with cubicles and niches, some completly covered with frescos depicting themes taken from the Old and New Testaments.

 

 

In the above image, on the left, Jesus, with his wand, raises Lazarus from his tomb, on the right, again, Jesus with his wand, performs the miracle of the loaves and the fishes.

Below is the bigger picture of the frescos in the catacombs on the Via Anapo, showing scenes from the Old and New Testaments.

 

 

Below are the 5th century wooden doors of the Church of Santa Sabina on the Aventine Hill in Rome, here Jesus uses his staff to multiply loaves and fishes and also, to turn water to wine.

 

 

Pinecones at the Vatican

 

 

Pinecones pop up all over the place in Christianity; the Pope himself carries a staff adorned with a carving of a pinecone and many churches have candle holders and lamps carved in the shape of pinecones.

 

 

 Also, the way the three crowns are stacked one on top of the other, atop the crossed keys of the Coat of Arms of the Holy See, found on the Vatican flag amongst other places, makes them suspiciously resemble the shape of a pinecone.

 

 

In fact, it has been said, that the name, “Holy See,” itself, could be to be a direct reference to the third eye.

 

Pinecones in Art

 

 

They may not be immediately obvious; however, if you look closely enough, pinecones appear in numerous ancient pieces of art, sculptures and architecture:

 

Angor Wat

 

 

 

 Angor Wat in Cambodia, here there are many examples of pinecone symbolism, the most obvious being the building with huge towers carved like pinecones.

It is the largest religious monument in the world, originally constructed as a Hindu temple, dedicated to the god Vishnu for the Khmer Empire by King Suryavarman II.

It eventually became a a Buddhist temple towards the end of the 12th century and is now described as a “Hindu-Buddhist” temple.

In Hinduism, several gods and goddesses are shown holding pinecones and Shiva, the god of destruction, has a hairstyle resembling a pinecone.

 

 

The Fontana della Pigna (Pigna)

 

 

 

 Fontana della Pigna or simply Pigna, an enormous, bronze pinecone, almost four meters high, which rumour has it, once stood on top of the Pantheon, where it served as a lid for the building’s vault, near the Temple of Isis.

The sculpture now resides in a large niche in the wall of the Vatican, facing the Cortile della Pigna, in Vatican City, Rome, Italy.

 

The Braschi Antinous 2nd century:

 Statue of Antinous: a Greek Youth from Asia Minor

 

 

The huge statue of Antinous, holding a Pinecone-tipped thyrsus, also stands in the Vatican, Rome, Italy,

 Known as the Braschi Antinous, it was discovered at Palestrina near Tivoli and was exhibited in the Palazzo Braschi in Rome until 1844, hence its name.

Antinous, a Greek youth from Asia Minor (Modern day Turkey), the favorite lover of Hadrian, Roman Emperor from 117 to 138, accompanied Hadrian on his annual trips to the Eleusinian Mysteries in Athens.

It was during one of these visits, in September 128, to the Great Mysteries of Eleusis, that Hadrian was initiated into the position of custodian.

It’s thought but not proven that Antinous was initiated at the same time.

 

The Emblematic Hand of the Mysteries

 

 

The above bronze hand dates from the late Roman Empire and bears the symbols, such as a cockerel’s head and a pine cone, a symbol of mystery cult of Dionysus.

 

The brightest star: The All Seeing Eye

 

The brightest star, the All Seeing Eye, also referred to as the third eye, still plays an important role today in religious beliefs and spiritual practice and is a revered and powerful symbol for secret societies such as the Freemasons.

 

 

The Fascination Continues

 

 

Pinecones have been a major part of human societies and cultures since the days of the ancients, today, they continue to fascinate, inspire and captivate human imagination.