The Peace Sign Symbolizes Destruction

My sister Kaisu was working on a school paper last weekend. She chose to study the symbolism in Finno-Ugric clothing and came up with an interesting discovery. Personally, I never thought or heard of this before. But the peace sign actually symbolizes destruction because it has the tree of life upside down. This is not just northern symbolism from runes, but is there in many cultures around the world.

The plain circle symbolizes earth, and if the tree was up, it would really symbolize peace and life. Upside down, it means death and destruction. In the sixties, some students started using the peace sign as we know it for protesting nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons obviously bring death to Earth, so the sign was appropriate. But now the sign is understood to mean peace, love and unity when the symbolism really means the opposite.

Of course, socially, the upside down tree of life symbol has now a total connotation of positivity and peace. But this would still be more accurate:

Pretty interesting wouldn't you say!

Fairylicious Paintings by Josephine Wall

I just found the most beautiful, fairylicious paintings ever. Josephine Wall was born in the UK in 1947 and has painted since her childhood. Along with an extensive online gallery with tons of pics, she has some really good things to say on her website too:
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"Artists have been given a fabulous gift, but with it come great responsibilities. We have the chance to change the world by portraying images of how life could be and how it should be. No message is more powerful or has more impact than an image created by an artist driven by a desire to preserve all that is good in our world, and to vanquish all that is against nature. Yet another theme dear to my heart is to include a message encouraging conservation, as I wish that mankind would do everything possible to protect our precious and beautiful planet, and heal the damage we have already inflicted."
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"My main concerns are pollution and de-forestation. I wish that man would no longer be ruled by greed, but just enjoy the simple things of life – most of which are free. We seem to be living in a throwaway world where skill and craftsmanship are undervalued."
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"Why do artists nearly all have a great passion for, and appreciation of, Nature? I believe it is due to their sensitivity and ability to observe more closely and be open to act as a channel for the energy of Mother Earth."
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You can also get her paintings as wallpapers! Just go here. As I've been putting this post together and drinking my morning tea, going through all Josephine's pictures, I must say I'm pretty fairied out at this point -- which is excellent considering my plan for this Friday night! Kaisu and me are going to downtown Helsinki to create a fun little dimension of hooping and poi, with music blasting from a speaker, and basically do some serious hilarious street performing. I'll let you know how it goes!
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Which painting is your favorite of all these? Two that strike me the most are the sixth one, The Spirit of Flight, and the second to last one Aurora (painting the dawn). Yesterday we just talked about this with Kaisu while looking at the sunset sky -- how the Creator is the greatest artist with perfectly beautiful and eccentric eye for colors :) I like what that says about Him.

Hopi Prophecies :: The Earth is your Mother, She holds you

A shelf my hubby made years and years ago :)

"The earth is your mother, she holds you.

The sky is your father, he protects you.

The rainbow is your sister, she loves you.

The wind is your brother, he sings to you.

Never a time this was not so. Hoka-hey-ho."

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"When the birds fall from the sky and the animals are dying, a new tribe of people shall come unto the earth from many colors, classes, creeds, who by their actions and deeds shall make the earth green again. They will be known as the Warriors of the Rainbow."

Earth Now

Fog hangs heavy

and smells like 

questions

of a fairy

as she sees

her earth now

teardrops have 

adventures.

All curled up 
in the corner
of my heart

sadness sits

anchored

to a possibility.

Brushing

my tangled

dreams,

can’t we just

sneeze out

all greed

and live like

human beings? 

My little sisters in action: photo by Minna, model Kaisu.