Consider, for a moment, how the mind-body-spirit connection relates to the power of breath work.
Why does breath work, well, work? To explain it in one particular way:
Different states of consciousness and emotional wellbeing (or the lack thereof) have correspondences with different paces, depths, and qualities of breath. The typical flow downstream is that one quality of mind will create a related quality of breath. When our emotional self experiences anxiety, the breath reflects that. When the emotional self experiences joy, or calm, or deep wellbeing, the breath reflects that. It is Hermetically so how the outer reflects the inner.
So, then, breath work is about consciously wielding this process to our desired benefit, in an act that I would consider alchemical transmutation. Even if our emotional state is, for example, tense and stressed, we control the breath, and breathe as if we were experiencing calm and deep wellbeing. Eventually, the emotional self reflects what the breath is telling it that it is.
We breathe how we desire to feel.
How does the power of symbols relate to this?
With the example of breath work, we discuss how different states of breath have what we can deem sympathies to different states of mind. Across different levels of reality, one energy or quality can express itself. By altering one level of reality, we create its likeness across the other levels. We can choose positive thoughts to alter our emotional state; we can choose calming breath to alter our emotional state — but do you see how affecting one of reality’s “levels” incurs changes in the others?
(This, by the way, is how astrology works — one level of reality, the macrocosm, affecting another, the microcosm. As above, so below. Consider magic, then, to be reflected in the caduceus: the many different loops of the intertwined serpents reflect different levels of reality. The serpents are the vibratory strings across existence. Plucking the string, and creating a specific vibration, at one location, will cause alterations at the different locations or “knots” of the caduceus, or reality. This is Hermetics.)
So, as for symbol: like states of breath and emotions, symbols have sympathies with varying “configurations” of the Spirit. A symbol is a natural key for a higher spiritual essence/archetype. By altering the physical realm via symbol, we alter the spiritual realm in a way that has sympathy with that symbol, just like altering our breath can change our emotional state.
This is talisman usage. This is magick.
The ancient term for these symbols or talismans is sunthemata. They are tokens that have correspondences to certain divinities.
The ancient term reflecting this system of correspondences between varying levels of reality is sumpatheia — or sympathies.
There is really no limit to how far you can take this. The principle of sympathies means that we will absorb our environment. The people and energies we surround ourselves with. Choosing to be in nature — our spirit will adopt the qualities of the elements that surround. This is our natural-born creative power. The world is our sandbox, and it is truly turtles all the way up.
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Though I learned about sunthemata and sumpatheia from Liz Greene’s Jung’s Studies in Astrology, here are some other resources on the topics for those interested:
THE CLOSET MYSTIC 