First one is the sign of the
planet Jupiter. ("Keep your eyes on Jupiter such beauty in the sky….."). There
are two different dates for Maurice’s birthday – 17. or 19. December 1941. In every case he is Archer and Jupiter is the planet of the
archers, –
spreading positivity to them in right constellation.
This is the sign of
Paracelsus, often used as medical
symbol. Paracelsus was a doctor who pointed out the need of caring for natural life
(own
and other life-forms).
Then there is Buddha. The main message in Buddhism is the
taking away of personal needs and wishes by meditation to eliminate the personality and
reaching a stadium of freedom (freedom of rebirth). Maurice (and for some time, the whole
or parts of the band) did and do meditation. A result of that is, that Maurice is able to
deal with many of his masterpieces as they would not be important, something what has been
done and now it is ready. So he ever was free for experiments and new ways of music.
From Iril Kolle in Norway I got the
following:
1) – Mostly known is the Bird Phoenix (from the ashes….) "The phoenix is a mythical
bird that represents immortality or the rebirth of hope. It was supposed to be a
beautiful, purple-red bird fabled to live 500-600 years in Arabia. It arose from the ashes
of a funeral pyre to live through another lifetime" ..and .. "The phoenix
just before its death sang a last song and it was then placed upon a funeral
pyre. The
pyre was made from aromatic herbs and exposed to the sun. The fire was not lit by human
hands but by the power of the sun’s energy. When the fire settled amongst the ashes a
small worm was born. From this the new phoenix would rise anew reborn".
2) – The bird in general as a symbol / mythological creature: –
"The bird is an animal almost universally exalted and accepted as symbolically being
associated with the soul, as a messenger of the gods, a carriers of souls, an oracle or
seen to possess the spirit of loved ones whilst also being a symbol of good or
evil. The
Ancient Greeks actually developed a science from the study of birds and their activities
called ‘Ornithomancy’ and since then, birds have continued to feature heavily in folklore
across the world even in the 20th-century imagination. It is no surprise that the modern
Western super hero ‘Superman’ has the special ability to fly and is also given a name that
indicates supreme powers. Perhaps this is because man has long wanted to be able to fly.
Take the story of ‘Icarus’ as just one such further example."
3) Icarus:
"In Greek mythology Icarus was trapped on an island inside the
labyrinth. Also
within the labyrinth lived the Minotaur, a beast which was half man-half bull. Icarus
eventaully escaped by making himself a set of wings from feathers that had fallen into the
maze, but poor Icarus flew too close to the sun and the wax that held the feathers in
place melted, and Icarus plunged into the sea."
4) It COULD also be a BENNU or a BA, from Egyptian mythology:
The Bennu bird was an imaginary bird resembling a heron. It had a two long feathers on the
crest of it’s head and was often crowned with the Atef crown of Osiris (the White Crown
with two ostrich plumes on either side) or with the disk of the sun.
Meaning: The Bennu
was the sacred bird of Heliopolis. Bennu probably derives from the word weben, meaning
"rise" or "shine." The Bennu was associated with the sun and
represented the Ba or soul of the sun god, Re. In the Late Period, the hieroglyph of the
bird was used to represent this deity directly. As a symbol of the rising and setting
sun,
the Bennu was also the lord of the royal jubilee.
5) The goose:
The goose is a bird with an ancient mythology and a mixture of symbolism. It was a sacred
bird in Rome’s temple of Juno. The snow goose is also associated with Boreas, the North
Wind in Greek mythology. The snow goose is also the totem for the winter solstice in the
Native American medicine wheel.Most people have heard of the legendary Mother Goose whose
stories and rhymes were designed to quiet children. Myths, fairy tales, and other stories
capture the imagination of children and adults alike. The goose is thus a totem reflecting
a stimulation of the childhood thrill and belief in stories and legendary
places. The
story(s) we most loved in childhood often a reflect the life quest we have come to take
upon us in this lifetime.
My guess would be Phoenix or Icarus, since both includes wind and fire.
Iril Kolle
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This is the caracter "Ankh", the old Egyptian
symbol of life. For Maurice, Egypt was the place where it all started and it all will end,
best shown on the cover of Raise! Iril Kolle in
Norway says:
PS: There seems to be some disagreement when it comes to the Ankh symbol (read
"life");
1) It doesn’t just mean life but resurrection, because the Ankh is put together by a
T-shaped cross and death, and that this is supposed to symbolize re-incarnation and is
"the key to the gates of life and death".
2) Others mean the symbol is put together by the sun and that the "T" is the
horizon over the River Nile. An early version is supposed to symbolize both sunrise and
sunset.
3) Eternal Life, and when it’s shown in the hands of royal people it means "the gift
of eternal life".
4) The key to the River Nile + the union between Isis and Osiris
5) Life AND immortality
6) Life AND man and woman
7) Holy matrimony between Gods/Goddesses
8) Different combinations of the above
The Hexagram symbol which is (also) the star of the jewish people has
many more meanings. Fundamental it is a Hexagram. In the Nsibidi script
of West Africa, the symbol meant ardent love. Maybe Maurice knew this.
All in all it is a very old mystic symbol in many cultures and religions
with a lot of spiritual meanings.
The one beside the star should be the candlestick of the Jewish
religion. I do not know what it means, but in the music of EWF there are
always songs about fire and sparkles, so light has a big meaning.
The eighth symbol is called Eye Of Horus. Horus was an old Egyptian sun
God with the head shaped like a falcon. It’s found frequently in
Egyptian art. Also known as Egyptian Eye or Psychic Eye.
The statue of Shakespeare as symbol for the power of words and
intellectuality.
The
symbol of all Christians.
Then
there is Shiva, God of the Hindus. Shiva is the Dancing God, his message
is "Everything in this universe is a part of the big dance".
Last years physics experiments have somehow the same result. Nobody in
our days can say, that there are separated parts in this universe. The
actual point of view for this cosmos is, that everything is somehow
connected with everything and that everything moves. Forget the protons
and electrons, forget the planets and solar systems, they all are only
aspects of one and the same thing which is the "Eternal Dance".
This
is the well known Kalimba, an African thumb piano. The kalimba is
clearly close to Maurice White’s heart, he introduced it to millions of
listeners by making it a centerpiece of Earth, Wind & Fire’s
spectacular concerts. |