Pagan Symbolism in Christian Art I

First and foremost let me begin this hub by saying, I love art.  I'm an artist myself, so as such I have nothing against art.  However, as an artist I've become more aware of the subtle symbolism found in a lot of art pieces; and one of the worst offenders is 'Christian' art.

Worry not; I don't intend to go all 'DaVinci Code' on my readers.  For this series; however long it may be, I will show a painting or two of 'Christian' art, and pointing out the various pagan symbolism found in each piece.

Now then, let's get this show on the road!

The first painting we'll be looking at is Hendrik van Balen, I's "The Holy Trinity" created in 1620; oil on canvas.

Look at the painting above; take a good long look at it. It's a pretty good painting, right? Yeah, it's a very good painting!

It's also so full of symbolism that it's almost amusing. Okay, so where do I begin? Well, I think I'll start with the most obvious one; then move on to the next obvious one. Alright, so look at the image again; and pay close attention to the area where the dove is. Notice anything about it?

Now take a look at the image to the right. Notice it now? Why yes! The dove (Holy Spirit) is inside of the pagan symbol called the Yoni aka the Female Delta aka the Vulva. To put it terms that are even more blunt, the dove is inside of the feminine sex symbol. So this alone should be raising some major red flags.   This symbol was/is considered one of the more important symbols in Paganism; more likely because the symbol represents the source of all life (according to certain pagan beliefs.)

Heck, even the dove itself forms a female delta - triangle.  So, two feminine sex symbols in a Christian painting. 

Now we come to the next obvious form of symbolism. In the painting we see Jesus Christ dressed in red; his right hand holding a staff raised into the air, and his left hand is pointing down to the earth. "Oh, that's no big deal!" I hear some of you say. Really? Is it not? Does it disturb no Christian that Jesus Christ is taking the near exact same pose as the Magician?

Oh, wait, who the hell is the Magician? I hear some of you say. Tarot, and the Magician is arcana number 1 of the major arcana. Now I'm not going to go into major detail about this arcana; only give a little glimpse.  According to the story of the Tarot, the magician is the first person that the fool meets.   The magician seems to have the power to bring down things from Heaven to earth, but the story also reveals that the magician is a grand trickster of sorts.  The story says that he might have tricked the fool.

All of these traits fit the anti-Christ, so the fact that we have a painting of Jesus being replicated in that image is disturbing indeed. 

Art work can be a wonderful thing, but one should be a tad cautious, because art can also hide deep symbolism, and either intentionally or unintentionally pervert something holy. 

Rest assured that soon I'll find another work of art of examine and expose to the light.