ref. spiral quote
brian carroll
well to the vortex as described in the recent interview...]
symbols and their meanings
jack tresidder p.145, c.2000
isbn 1-900131-98-6
patterns and graphics > lines of force:
the power of the spiral
"from the earliest times, the spiral has been a dynamic
symbol of life force, cosmic and microscopic. spiral forms
are seen in nature from celestial galaxies to whirlwinds and
whirlpools, from coiled serpents or conical shells to human
fingertips - and (as science has discovered) to the double-
helix structure of DNA at the heart of every cell.
"in art, spirals are one of the most common of all decorative
motifs, ranging from Celtic double spirals in northern Europe
or the volutes on Roman capitals, to the whorls in Maori
carving and tattooing in the South Pacific. Maori whorls,
which have sexual symbolism, are based on ferns and show
the close links between spiral motifs and natural phenomena.
"carved on megaliths, spirals suggest a labyrinthine journey
to the afterlife, and perhaps a return. spiralling snakes on the
caduceus - and double spirals in general - suggest a balance
of opposing principles - the meaning of the yin-yang motif,
which is itself a form of double spiral.
"Vortex forces in wind, water or fire suggest ascent, descent
or the rotating energy that drives the cosmos. by adding
wheeling momentum to a circular form, the spiral also
symbolizes time, the cyclic rhythms of the seasons and of
birth and death, the waning and waxing of the moon, and
the sun. like the yogic "serpent" at the base of the spine,
the springlike coil of a spiral suggests latent power. the
uncoiling spiral is phallic and male, the involuted spiral is
female, making the double spiral a fertility symbol.
"The spiral as an open and flowing line suggests extension,
evolution and continuity, uninterrupted concentric and
centripetal movement, the very rhythm of breathing and
of life itself."
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