InDesign » Candle

Meaning of the Amnesty candle,continuation, part 3

WasteOfMind — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 20:57:56 +0000

amnesty international candle

For example the fire in Buddhism is the last reincarnation in the process of death and solution in cosmos-body becomes soil, soil absorbs with water, water with fire. Mythology gives us example not just of birth and renewing of world in fire. In Edda of ancient Viking fire burns out the world in the time of god fight with the beasts. In the Christian picture of the world fire is connected with the infernal sufferings and with the divine holiness. Pictures of hell are always connected with scorching heat and shadows falling from the unseen fire, hellish fire is always placed somewhere underneath(Evil holes in Divine Comedy by Dante). Sufferings of sinners in Christian religion are exactly connected with burning of fire tongue, there is no escape from it. Holy fire is completely different from punitive fire. John the Baptist says about Jesus Christ:”He will christen you with Holy Ghost and fire.

Kierkegaard wrote:”Christianity – it is the fire, lighted by Jesus, this light needs to be supported…this fomentation of a human being by the passion…-this fomentation is oriented to give birth to conflict between father and son, between daughter and her mother… Lighting with the aim to pull them from each other, to create separated person- this is the will of god. Christians put the fire always on top, using it as a source of fire, but not as a source of warmth.

Descent of the Holy Ghost is shown as tongues of fire. But this kind of fire does not burn. Jerusalem’s fire during celebration of Pesah is also harmless. Pilgrims wash their face in such fire. The realm of god glows like fire of candle, it does not burn. Punitive fire is also connected with burning. Sanctuary is also connected fire, it is harmless, it gives light, which sometimes burn eyes. In Buddism such kind of fire has negative symbolic restriction. Fire was the last watcher on the way to Nirvana. Nirvana means the dying down fire on the language Sanskrit. In Islam fire is associated with sin and craft of evil. Koran agrees with the free embodiment of intellect :angels are created from light, gins-are made of the clear fire, and the human beings are created of dust. The most popular function of fire is cleansing. There is a ritual of cleansing for foreigners, ritual of deprivation of their skills.

There was a ritual of exorcism in New Britain. Clearing fire was lighted in Europe against fatal diseases such as plague. The night before Catholic Eastern people used to put out candles in church and to light them up with the help of flint. Big Eastern candle and other candles were lighted up with this fire. Resembling rituals were carried out by African tribes. Every Year North-American Indians clear their fields before collecting of harvest. This holy fire put in altar eats up all crimes except of killing. It seems fire rituals divide nations from each other. In these rituals human being connects himself with fire, he creates essence similar to the sacred one. In other cultures scarifying does not bears such tight connection with fire. Hellenes and Christians used fire as symbol attending the divinity. Fire was was hated by Muslims and Mongols. Fire was dangerous and fearful for Slavs. They treated it like a person. There is visible incompatibility of fire of Catholics and Muslims, which pray in cold temples, do not seeing in fire anything good except of tortures and fears. Change of nations and cultures leads to modernization of human being which does not see any mystic symbols in physical events. Losev writes about electricity: ”Boring is the scene of electrical light. You can not love with electrical light, looking on this light you just look for victim. You can not pray with electric fire. It is stupid to replace fire of candle with electricity. ” Social essence of fire In legends and philosophy destiny carries connection of fire between politics and authority. Fire has such properties as liveliness, continuity, vitality. There is an element of unexpectedness in fire. The fire is connected with the truth which solves the conflict between question be or not to be. Looking through fire is similar to being in the new world, to excel ourselves, to become superhuman with another social function. Variation of use of fire in religious rituals are different. In Jerusalem temple of God Resurrection. Taking part in such kind of mystery leaves a strong trace in experiences of human being. He perceives this trace as trace of sacred , he connects it with mystic tradition. Looking at candle of fire man thinks about sacred fire. Fire turns him to the center of scene. It becomes more than simple source of light, it becomes source of knowledge. Gaston Bachelard writes:”Fire is something deep and personal. It lives in heart. It lives on heaven. It breaks through material as a present of love. It hides in the bottom of material. It has the ability to carry out the contrasts of good and evil. Fire is the confluence of Hell and Heaven, of endearment and torture. It gives felicity and wants you to be respectful. Fire is contrary, that is why it is one of the universal beginnings of explaining the world. Fire creates the desire of changes ,a wish to be enclosed with the time. Such kind of dream is really exiting and dramatic, it enlarges horizons of human destiny, connects small with huge, hearth with Vulcan , existence of piece of world with the being the whole world. ” Connection of fire with act plays an important role in life of human beings. Fire is the most strong symbol of mass. It is the most important tool for destruction .

There is barbed wire on the other side.

Meaning of the Amnesty barbed wire

Barbed wire is the wire composed of two zinc-coated strands twisted together and having barbs spaced regularly along them, it is a humanly erected barrier between two divisions of land, used to mark a legal or other boundary, to keep animals or people in or out, and sometimes as an ornament. The advent of barbed-wire fences on the plains transformed the cattle industry, ending the open range to a large extent and making possible the introduction of blooded cattle. The transformation was not without protests, which often led to bloodshed. In the 20th cent. barbed wire gained importance as an instrument of defense through its use in wartime for entanglements and obstacles. Barbed-wire fences have been replaced in some applications by other types, e.g., woven-wire fences. Barbed wire was adapted for military use during the Boer War and used in enormous quantities during World War I. Although barbed wire is often used for security, agriculture still accounts for 90% of it use Barbed wire means being stuffed in a really bad situation with no way out. To see barbed wire in your dream, represents difficulty in breaking through or getting your point across to someone. To dream that you are caught in barbed wire, suggests that you are feeling trapped and restricted in some relationship. You find yourself confined to specific boundaries.

Meaning of the Amnesty candle,continuation

WasteOfMind — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 11:35:53 +0000

amnesty international candle

Flame of the small candle is very admirable, we can not take our eyes off it. Many of us still believe in magic of burning light of candle, which can keep off bad powers and cover us from misfortune. Praying and hoping we put candles to icons. And they cry for people, melting, they burn out to ashes. We know from history about the flame of wax house which neutralizes conflict situation, creates atmosphere of communication, peace and relax, clears harmonizes neofield of human being and room space. Usually the amnesty candle is shown in black, sometimes it drawn in white on the black background.

Black candles are considered as attributes of black mass since olden times.

Black color of candles lays a ghost, heals difficult diseases, takes up and destroys negative, removes limitations. It is used for induction of deep meditation sense, opens deep levels of unconscious . Black candles are also used for destructive magic. White color symbolizes purity, truth, sincerity , wisdom . It inspires the spiritual enlightenment , purification. White is used for clairvoyance , healing, peace, chastity , divineness and protection. It equalizes all other colors. Ecclesiastical candle is the ecclesiastical heritage of orthodoxy. It is the symbol of the spiritual unit with the holy mother-church.

Candle is also evidence of believe, of involvement with the god light. Candle expresses affection and flame of human love to the god. Burning life- its symbol, visible sign, it expresses our hot love and goodwill to somebody for whom we set the candle.

But if the love is not real the candles do not mean anything, our sacrifice is useless.

Unfortunately it happens too often. Many people who set candles for health, for rest, for success of any case, they do not love people for whom are candles, they even do not know them.

Some of us think about god, godmother, holies and saints just entering the church and just for several seconds and minutes, they think it is enough to set a candle in front of icon, our raying will come true just quasi god and saints need our candles. Then they think if they set candles in church or in their homes in front of icon, so god will excuse them for lie, for deception , for injuring other people. Such kind of people are mistaken! Without love to god, without love to our neighbor and to ourself, without execution of commandments of the god- there is no need for candles.

Light as a mythological and philosophic symbol.

Light is always beginning of physical understanding and manifestation of thing.

Ancient Greeks often used fire rituals. In this ritual fire of altar was connected with the moving of sun around it. They thought flame from fire gets high along with the smog of sacrifice to the god heaven. Fire for ancient Greeks was connected with the life sense of god, with his absence. In the mysteries, said Plutarch, ancients were happy not just because of abundance of wine and roast, but because of hope and believe in presence of favorable god.

Along of all sources of light exactly fire differs from other with it social role, with it real personification of physical sense of mystic ideas, with its ability to manipulate these ideas in level which was given to human to manipulate fire.

Fire like animal needs prey:he feeds itself with bushes, dry grasses, bird dung, it can grow and cause other lights, but it can also die. Its growing is unlimited, in the same time you can stop it, its all parts can live undependable. It becomes lower while getting no food, it becomes small like a bee, like a fly, it can be reborn from blade of grass, it can become wide like a swamp. Fire is animal, in the same time it does not resemble to anyone of them, it has no foot, no body, but it is faster than antelope, it has no wings, but it flies in the sky; it has no snout, but it breathes, howls, growls; it has no hands, no nails, but it owns the whole world…Fire does not choose anyone and it is ready to devour even these who feed it, it is cleverer than hyena and more bloodthirsty than panther, but its presence is beautiful: it eases cruelty of the cold nights, relaxes the tired people and makes them strong. People own the world just in part, stretching from owners into victims. Because of this, power over fire is connected with involvement and assistance of gods. Connected rituals and symbols become method of immersion in the special condition of spirit, it becomes instrument of individual and social mobilization.

Fire is jolly, restless, inexhaustible. It is almighty, exterminating. Everything disappears in it and everything resign itself. There is self destroying instinct in its tender hugs and kisses, it wishes to absorb everything and absorbing to destroy itself.

There is a real pagan, satanic triumph all-knowing and blind destiny. Clever light is given in a kind of perfidious flame and its power is invisible but suddenly it becomes apparent with unlimited energy. Fire is a eternal creation and eternal death and destruction, there is nothing to do except of excepting it.

Physical light or electricity is versatile, high-strung and not specified in its movements, it is capricious , insidious, self-willed, majestic, wrathful, hysteric, glancing and incredible.

Meaning of the amnesty candle

WasteOfMind — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 21:59:03 +0000

amnesty international candle

Intro

In 1963, Peter Benenson, founder of Amnesty International, wrote to a local member and artist to say that her design, a candle in barbed wire, had been chosen for Amnesty’s first ever Christmas card because of “its simplicity and the effectiveness of its symbolism”.

Diana Redhouse

The artist was Diana Redhouse, who had responded to an article by Benenson describing the plight of people imprsoned for the political views, it led to the setting up of local groups known as threes, which wore allocated three prisoners each, one from the East, one from the west and from the developing world.
Redhouse became the secretary of the small group in Hampstead in north London.
Diana was born in London to Jewish parents of Polish/Russian origin. She took a clerical job until World War II, when she was one of the limited number of women conscripted into the army. She had always been artistic and she created touring exhibitions promoting the work of the army, a job she loved.
After the war the army helped her gain a place at St Martin’s School of Art in London. Around this time she became involved with the anti-fascist groups.
Her Jewish background was formative in developing her social conscience. Although she described herself as “not religious at all” she lived in an environment where Zionism and socialism were linked She met her future husband, Alexander and did not continue her career.
In the 1970 she attended jewelery and enameling classes, which led to 20 years of productive work characterized by strong, bold designs. She and Alex died in 2004.
Her involvement with Amnesty reminds people that individual actions can make a difference, and that it is “better to light a candle than to curse the darkness, the Chinese proverb on which the Amnesty symbol is based.

Amnesty International logo design

Today, the Amnesty International candle is said to be one of the most widely recognized, non-comercial symbols in the world. But where does this symbol come from? And what does it mean?

Meaning of the Amnesty Candle

The logo combines two recognisable images to convey complex notions: barbed wire and a burning candle Today, the Amnesty International candle circled in barbed wire has come to be associated with everything uniquely powerful about the work of the movement and its supporters. I wonder how many prisoners in how many prisons also combinet these two symbols barbed wire for repression, and a burning candle for defiance. It inspired one of the quotations “Those who would give light must endure burning: or the quote from Nietsche: “Was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich starker.” What does not kill me makes me stronger.”