WHAT IS A SYMBOL

With

no

need

to

go

deeper

in

the

semiotics

of

either

symbols

or

semiology

of

its

interpretation.

It

is

convenient

establish

the

basics

to

allow

us

to

give

the

first

step

into

this

philosophy.

We

have

to

keep

in

mind

that

the

occidental

culture

suffers

of

a

sceptical

and

relativistic

spirit

which

began

with

Ferdinand

de

Saussure

(1857-1913)

and

other

philosophers.

With

their

sociology

of

communication,

they

only

study

the

symbol

as

an

element

of

humanistic

relationship

leading

us

to

a

false

symbolic

rationalism

and

many

times,

to

an

open

contempt

for

the

hermetic

knowledge inherited from the culture of our ancestors.

We

could

define

as

exoteric

symbology,

all

gestures,

signs,

marks,

anagrams,

emblems,

shields,

icons,

codes,

linguistic

signs

and

pictograms,

given

that

their

interpretation

is

monosemic

and

univocal,

because

they

are

a

communication

tool

that

usually

replace

the

spoken

language.

The

word

symbol

comes

from

the

Greek

“Symbolon”

and

its

meaning

would

be

to

juxtapose

one

thing

with

another,

so

we

would

qualify

as

esoteric

symbology,

the

symbol,

the

allegory

and

the

myth,

which

by

their

essence

are

polysemic

and

directed

to

the

psyche

of

the

human

being.

Based

on

their

concepts,

they

lend

themselves

to

more

than

one

interpretation

depending

on

the

observer

and

their

previous

knowledge.

For

this

reason,

a

merely

epistemological

study

of

the

symbol

is

basically

impossible.

Generalizing,

it

can

be

stated

that

for

a

correct

interpretation

of

principle,

it

would

be

necessary

to

know

the

basis

of

the

culture

that

created

it

and

its

interpretive

development,

since

a

monochrome

and

minimalist

observation will lead us to a wrong interpretation.

The

symbol

has

to

be

observed

as

a

whole,

a

work

in

itself

in

which

the

sum

of

the

parts

is

not

equal

to

the

whole,

it

is

manifestly

superior.

The

symbol

must

be

analysed

with

the

subconscious

and

intuition,

what

feelings

or

what

sensations

inspires

us,

a

vision

of

the

elements

that

make

up

the

symbol

and

finally

a

visual

impact

of

the

whole,

this

will

open

an

intuitive

channel

allowing

us

to

create

a

concept

or

idea

that

will

lead

us

to

the

understanding.

It

must

never

be

observed

from

a

dogmatic

state

or

with

preconceived

judgments.

VALSAN

says:

that

a

symbol

does

not

express

or

explain,

it

only

serves

as

a

support

to

rise

from

meditation

in

the

knowledge

of

metaphysical

truths,

its

ambiguity

veils

and

reveals

the

reality

and

its

polysemic

character

allows

its

interpretation

in

different

orders

or

planes

of

reality.

That

is

why

each

human

being

penetrates

according to his abilities in the intimacy of the symbol.