Symbols and Gifts of the Holy Spirit

I've been working on a project for a publisher, which required finding flower and animal symbols for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Gifts of the Holy Spirit

 General Symbolism

Columbine:

The columbine has colored sepals and spurred petals, giving the appearance of a bunch of pigeons. Formerly the columbine was known as Culverwort, the Saxon word culfre meaning a pigeon. In fact, literally, ‘columbine’ is derived from the Latin word columba which means “like a dove” or “dove-colored,” from the mythological perspective, its petals symbolize the seven gifts of the spirit. The wild columbine has only five petals; however, early artists maintained the symbolic meaning by painting seven flowers on one stalk.

Dove:

The dove has long been seen as the symbol of the Holy Spirit, stemming from Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan, when a dove was believed to have appeared over his head (John 1:32-34). In symbolic terms, a flock of seven doves is seen as the seven gifts of the Spirit.

Wisdom

NOTE: In Judeo/Christian symbolism, the owl is NOT a symbol of wisdom, but a harbinger of evil. Owls and wisdom are a North American construct.

Iris:

The flower symbolism associated with the iris is faith, wisdom, cherished friendship, hope, valor, my compliments, and promise in love. Irises were used frequently in Mary Gardens, a garden in which all the flowers have some attribute of our Lady. The blade-shaped foliage denotes the sorrows, which “pierced her heart.”

Heron:

When pictured with a white stone in its beak, the heron is an image of discretion, and the wisdom obtained through the Christian practice of silence. The heron's habit of standing on one leg earns it a reputation for contemplation, vigilance, divine or occult wisdom, and inner quietness. Early Christians, believing that herons shed tears of blood under stress, made this bird an emblem of Christ's agony in the garden and the sweat of blood He endured there (Lk 22:44).

Understanding

White Chrysanthemum:

While there isn’t a flower that is directly associated with understanding, white chrysanthemums symbolize truth and loyal love. Since the gift of Understanding, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, allows us to know how we are to live as followers of Christ, by perceiving truth, and perfecting our speculative reason in the apprehension of truth, therefore knowing self-evident principles, it seems appropriate to use a flower that represents truth, self-knowledge, and love. Since white chrysanthemums aren’t specific to any particular season, blooming even into winter, they are representative of the idea that the gift of wisdom is one that can “bloom” in any season of our lives, from spring to winter.

 Bees:

Again, there is no specific Christian symbol for understanding, but bees are symbols of hope, intelligence, inspiration, life source and as an emblem for those who seek inspiration from God. Since understanding requires inspiration from God, they seem like a good choice for understanding. They have often been considered messengers from God (gods in pagan cultures), but St. Ambrose and St. John of Chrysostom, for both of whom were noted for their gift of Understanding used them as their personal signs. Bees are also symbolic of spiritual gifts in general.

Piety

Wild geranium:

Historically, the wild geranium was associated with steadfast piety. The word "geranium" is derived from the Greek source "geranion" or "geranos," meaning crane (See animal symbol). The Greek genus refers to the flower stem's craning neck or sometimes the shape of geranium seed-heads, which resemble a crane's bill.

Crane:

As with some of the other Gifts of the Spirit, there is no specific animal associated with Piety. However, piety, often called reverence, is associated with deep sense of respect for God and the Church. A pious person recognizes his or her total reliance on God and stands before God with humility, trust, and love. The crane, because it is believed to “stand watch” over its fellow cranes, protecting them from danger, as well as standing guard over itself, seems fitting. It was believed that cranes held a stone in one claw, so if it fell, they would awaken from slumber. Likewise, a Christian must carry Christ at all times and if the person should fall asleep in sin, the “stone of Christ” will fall from his mind and the person must respond by “picking up Christ” again through the sacraments, the action of a pious person. In addition, the crane reflects the symbolism of the wild geranium, which is the symbol for piety.

Knowledge

This one was tough, since there isn’t any animal or flower that has been used for the gift of Knowledge per se so I just made a couple of choices that seemed to fit appropriately.

Apple:

 The apple has long been associated with the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Bible, so it seems like it would be a logical choice for an emblem of the gift of right knowledge.

Whale:

The whale is symbolically considered to be the keeper of “deep” or “hidden” knowledge because of its ability to plumb the depths of the ocean. Since the gift of Knowledge allows us to understand the deeper meaning of Christian teaching and come to experience God by entering into the depths of a relationship with him, the whale appears to be a good choice for the gift of Knowledge. In addition, whales (or leviathans) were known to the writers of Scripture, so they aren’t a modern or North American totem.

 

Fortitude

Garlic:

In traditional flower and plant meanings, the garlic flower is the primary symbol of courage and strength, which are the underlying meanings of the gift of Fortitude. It may have been chosen because of the “strong” smell of the plant, but it has been used for centuries to represent courage.

Black Poplar:

The black poplar is a secondary plant symbol for courage and endurance, most likely because it is planted to reinforce riverbanks and to protect fields.

Lion:

The lion has long been associated with the virtues of courage and strength, the underlying meaning of the gift of Fortitude. In addition, the lion is often a symbol for Christ (such as Aslan in The Narnia Chronicles) and, as such, is considered to be the source and summit of our own Christian courage.

 

Fear of the Lord

Flowering Almond:

Fear of the Lord is not only a difficult idea to illustrate, but there aren’t any clear-cut plants for flowers that have been used for the gift. However, in the Summa Theologica II.II, St. Thomas Aquinas says that the gift of Fear of the Lord corresponds to the virtue of hope and the flowering almond (not the common almond tree, but the flowering almond) is the flower symbol for hope. Therefore, it seems not too great of a stretch to use it as the symbol for Fear of the Lord.

Falcon:

While there isn’t a specific animal associated with Fear of the Lord, in medieval Christianity, the falcon is a general symbol of the Holy Spirit and represents a Christian convert who now has the hope of salvation. When a falcon is pictured wearing a hood, it represents hope in the light, which is Christ in spite of the surrounding night (2 Sam 22:29; Psa 112:4; Is 42:16; John 8:12). Renaissance printers used the logo of a hooded falcon along with the words "Post tenebras spero lucem" (After darkness I hope for light) as a symbol for hope, so, going along with St. Thomas’ teaching that Fear of the Lord is associated with hope, the falcon is a logical illustrative choice.

Counsel

Hyacinth:

As with some of the other Gifts of the Spirit, counsel doesn’t have a direct flower plant associated with it. However, counsel corresponds to the virtue of prudence. With the gift of counsel/right judgment, a Christian knows the difference between right and wrong, and sincerely and consistently chooses to do what is right. In flower symbolism, the hyacinth in general represents constancy, while the blue hyacinth expresses sincerity and prudence.

Swallow:

The swallow has long with associated with prudence, prayer, and fidelity. In addition, it is often seen as the symbol of the Prodigal Son (Lk 15:11-32), who exercised “right judgment” in returning to his father’s house. In like manner, the Christian exercises “right judgment” when returning to the sacraments after sinning.

Griefwalking Visited

The Anchoress has a link to Terry Teachout's piece on his mother's death.  Today, my own griefwalk is close to the bone, so I will let their words speak for me.

"You know how I feel today?" I asked my wife. "Empty. Absolutely empty. Like my taproot had been torn out of the ground."

Self-Love

I just read a short book entitled Love Yourself as if Your Life Depends on It. It is just what the title implies--a book giving yourself permission to love yourself.

I was struck by one passage in which someone told the author he was wrong; that we must love others first and then ourselves. The author pointed out that was backwards, but it made me realize that statement was just another example of how we misuse Scripture to meet our own biases. (It's not money that is the root of all evil, but the love of money.  Big difference.)

We are told that we must love our neighbor as ourself.  It doesn't say to love ourself as we love our neighbor.  The love of self has to come first, sort of like putting on the oxygen mask before assisting others.  If we don't love ourselves, we really can't love others.

 Now I'm well aware of this intellectually, but emotionally it's another story.  I've been so inculcated to focus on sacrifice and suffering (a theme I explore in my latest book, Facing Adversity with Grace, which is now available both as a paperback and Kindle!), it's hard for me to really understand what loving myself looks and feels like.


I know what it means to put others first, to sacrifice for them, because I've been taught well how to do that.  But me? I don't really know how to go about doing it.  I do things for myself, but is that really the same as loving myself?

So I'm starting by asking the question: Is this really the most loving thing I can do for myself right now?

• Is eating that delicious and tempting cherry twizler the most loving thing or would an apple be more loving?
• Is letting the dishes go another day because I'm worn out the most loving thing or would having a clean kitchen in the morning be more loving?
• Is taking time to play the most loving thing for me right now or is doing the laundry?
• Is visiting a friend the most loving thing or should I be praying and meditating?

The answers are usually quite clear, but they are beginning to surprise me, since I tend to assume the hardest, most difficult thing I don't want to do is always the right response. I'm starting, slowly, to have a bit more compassion for myself.  Which may be the beginning of learning what true self-love looks like.

Griefwalking Observed

A friend of mine asked me how long I had been griefwalking, but before I could answer, she said, "My dad has been gone now for four years and five months.  I know when people would ask me how I was I would just lie and say I was doing great because that's what they wanted to hear."

Very true.  It's been a little over four months and most people's tolerance for grief is over and done with. Four months is a long time; long enough for them to forget, but the reality is that I am still grieving, not as much as I did, but walking in grief is still part of my days.  Take Friday night. I was driving to a friend's house and without thinking I drove to the last place where Mother had been, the night she died. When I "woke up," I was startled to realize where I was and how I'd gotten there, but my mind had become so deeply engrossed in grief, my body just took over and steered the car on autopilot.

That incident is just one of a number of things that I've observed in myself these past months.  If I don't keep a firm focus, my mind will fly wildly, dragging my body along with "interesting" consequences. For example, some days it's hard to do much more than the absolute necessities of life. I find these days often follow a day or two when I think I've made great strides and am beginning to congratulate myself on how much progress I've made.  It's as if I  take three steps forward and then three back in a sort of stutter-step dance of body, mind and emotion.

I've also found that my emotions are much more deeply tied to the weather than they had been in the past.  A dark, gloomy day like today has a greater capacity to drape over my soul than before. As clouds gather in the sky, rain falls in my heart as well.  Conversely, a bright sunny day will lift my spirits, but oddly enough, sometimes the brightness is almost too much to bear. It's as if I can't bear too much light all at once and sometimes I find myself hiding inside, where the light is more filtered. Perhaps it is because the bright light casts too harsh a shadow and I cannot  to see the stark contrast between dark and light quite yet.

So I'm learning to be a bit more compassionate toward myself; to allow myself to have the occasional day when I really can't do anymore than make a cup of tea and go to bed. Because griefwalking, like life itself, is process and while I don't want to lose any more of my life to the process than I have to, I also want to honor the process itself by granting it the time it needs. 

Forgiveness

From a piece I wrote on forgiveness in this month's issue of Catholic Answer from OSV.
 

We need to understand that forgiveness doesn’t eradicate the law of cause and effect. Forgiveness doesn’t erase consequences. Take for example, a husband who has an affair and brings home a sexually transmitted disease to his wife.  His wife may forgive him, but they still have to deal with the medical repercussions of his adultery and probably with trust issues and other emotional aspects stemming from the affair. 

 Just because a sin is forgiven, the effects don’t disappear, either for the person doing the forgiving or the one being forgiven. To understand this better, think of the Cross.  Jesus forgave those who crucified him, but he still died on the Cross. The mere act of forgiveness didn’t change the physical reality of the action.

This is precisely why Catholics believe in the concept of Purgatory. We may be forgiven our sins, but that doesn’t mean that all the temporal effects are removed.  We still have to live with and work through the cost of our trespasses.  Neither extending or accepting forgiveness can change that reality.  In fact, sometimes we have to live a lifetime with the consequences of our actions, a constant and painful reminder of what we have done.

Prayer Update for May 2012

I kept track of my prayers for the month of May, for my own edification as much as anything. I've decided to continue through June, since several things are still "pending," but the official May results are:
11 Yes
4 No
9 Unclear or unanswered.

As I've said before, the "yes" tend to be small and urgent, the "unanswered" are much more major and involve other people and complicated situations. However, of the 8 "unanswered" that I've moved to June, 5 of them ultimately have to be either a "yes" or a "no" without doubt.  One, well, it could be one of those forever not entirely clear things.  As for the other two, if I am changed, it may be that they would become moot, so we shall see.

I'll keep you informed!

Sunday Gratitude

It was a complicated week, as evidenced by the fact I didn't blog as much as I wanted. So here's to a new week with joy throughout.

1. For a new book that is out, even if it isn't available on Amazon yet like it's supposed to be. (Boo. Hiss.)

2.  A hair cut that is flattering...and some new blonde streaks that "miraculously" appeared to give it all a summery feel.

3. A dear friend who prayed with me and encouraged me on a hard day.

4. For some indication that a deeply damaged relationship might experience healing on some levels.

5. For Elijah, who fell in love with a pink piggie banks on his 6th birthday and reminded me that pink piggie banks are pretty darn wonderful.

Frustration

My book, Facing Adversity with Grace was released on June 1,but it's still not appearing on Amazon. Hoping it will be truly available very soon.

Grace Under Adversity

A reflection from my book Facing Adversity with Grace which will be coming out June 1.

When I began writing this book, I was looking for answers to some of my own deepest questions. It’s often that way with my writing. I am seeking as much to learn as to teach; to explore as much as to explain. Many times I find that when I reach the end of a book I have answered the questions I posed to myself at the beginning—in this case “Why do we have to suffer?” “What’s the point of suffering?” “Does God want us to suffer?” I wish I could say that I found all the answers I was seeking, but as I finish writing about saints and how they coped with their suffering, I still find myself, despite myself, wondering why we have to suffer at all....

On the one hand, I know intellectually that uniting my suffering with that of Christ has a salvific effect on creation and I accept that. In the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius of Loyola explains that “Jesus says ‘I want to overcome all diseases, all poverty, all ignorance, all oppression and slavery – in short all the evils which beset humankind.’” Since he said he came to bring abundant life, that has to be true. However, it is only through us and our work that this can be accomplished. If you believe, as I do, that we must be the transformation we hope to affect, then Colossians 1:24[1], which John Paul quotes at the beginning of Salvifici Doloris, has profound implications. As I said in the first chapter, I trust it is up to us to renew the earth and transform humanity. As I understand it, when we cooperate with the Divine in our suffering, we are transformed (hopefully for the better!) and through our transformation, we become a means of change for others as well. In becoming a new creation, we open the way to creating a new heaven and new earth. In the end, if we don’t do it, no one will.

Now I really do believe this, and when I’m feeling spiritually magnanimous I ponder such things (and even write about them), but when I’m really hurting, with the kind of pain that penetrates body and soul, all I want is for the pain to go away—sooner rather than later.

That’s why I was so moved by Pope Benedict XVI’s response to the young Japanese girl that I referenced in the first chapter. Her question was simple—Why do I have to suffer? The Pope didn’t respond with a complicated treatise on the historical roots of suffering or how it relates to salvation. He didn’t quote Scripture or even his predecessor. He simply said:

I also have the same questions: why is it this way? Why do you have to suffer so much while others live in ease? And we do not have the answers but we know that Jesus suffered as you do, an innocent, and that the true God who is revealed in Jesus is by your side. This seems very important to me, even if we do not have answers, even if we are still sad…”[2]

---

[1] I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.”

[2] http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/in-historic-tv-qa-pope-benedict-speaks-about-suffering-comatose-persons-persecution/

Prayer results

The month of keeping track of prayer is almost over, so I'm looking at the list and thinking that perhaps I will do this again next month, especially since several of the big things I've been praying about don't have any indication of an answer.

So far, I've had 24 things on the my list.

9 Yes. These have included things like meeting a deadline easily, a friend finding work, a tooth problem turning out not to be serious, as well as having relief from grief and anxiety for a few hours and even for one entire day.  They also included asking for a surprise and getting two very unpleasant ones in the same day.  Technically, that was a "yes" to the prayer but the answer sucked.  They also contain a partial "yes" to a problem.  The problem wasn't solved, but the financial aspect of solving it was put off for another month. So, nine prayers have had a clear "yes" as the response.

3 No.  Flat out, straight out "no."  Both had to do with healing, a prayer that I have been praying for a long time, but I had asked again, specially, and again the answer was clearly "no." No question. As strong a "no" as if a door had been slammed shut.

4 Unclear. These are things that I've been looking for an answer and there seems to have been some change in the situations, but I can't tell if the movement is toward a "yes" or a "no." These mostly have to do with relationships with other people where things have changed, but what the change means and how that might relate to my prayer just isn't clear yet. One of these is leaning so far to the "no" that it almost topples over, but since it isn't an absolute NO! yet, I'm keeping it on the unclear list.

8 Unanswered. Now granted these tend to be rather major things, along the lines of learning life's purpose and resolution of the theft that I mentioned yesterday, so I guess I have to be patient. But because so many of these "big" prayers show no sign at all of any answer, I think I'm going to transfer them to June and see what happens.

I find the results so far to be intriguing.  The "yeses" have been for things that haven't exactly been life-changing, but more "daily bread for life's journey." The "noes"--well, I don't know if my lack of faith that there could be a yes has played into it or not.  But statistically speaking, they are fewer than any other category. 

The unclear are a bit puzzling.  Both because they are unclear and because I don't quite know what to do with them: should keep praying, accept the unclarity as a form of "no" or just what?

Finally, the unanswered are just that...unanswered. No sign. No hint.  No clarity.  So the lesson here may be persistence in the prayer, until, at some point, there is a clear cut "yes" or "no" answer. I can say that if the answer to these is a "yes," all the glory and honor will have to go to God because these are not things that I can do anything about on my own.  I can't affect any movement, change or resolution in any of them, which is one reason I'm going to keep praying. Either way these go, their answer has to come from God.

When the month is over, I'll give the final update, but given that we are so close to the end, I'm not really expected a lot of change. Unless, of course, I add another prayer and get an answer before the 31st. Or unless God works a May miracle!

Sunday Gratitude

Sunday and time to consider what I am grateful for.

1.  A clean counter.  Now this might not seem like a big deal to you, but I'm not the world's best at keeping counters clean so this is something to be thankful about. Cat on counter doesn't count.

2. The garage door opener acted up, but after a prayer to St. Joseph and a quick consult of the manual, it's working again.

3. The ability to look at some of the many things in my life, ascertain if they are things that make me feel good and happy or not and get rid of some that had unhappy memories. Not a lot, but a few.  For a hoarder by nature, this is good progress.

4. Basti, who doesn't try to go outside, barf on the rug, eat the flowers or dig in the garbage.  She just purrs...and cuddles now and then.

5. For time spent in meditation and prayer with an increased clarity about what I did wrong in the past and a resolve to do better in the future.

Oops.  I spoke too soon. Apparently Basti thinks the fountain is a cat watering station.