Peace and Flowers Claymatic Necklace

Symbolic images can communicate an essence of their meaning even to people from different cultures and religious faiths. For example, walking the labyrinth has become a popular event although few realize that they are re-enacting a symbolic Christian pilgrimage or the route that Theseus took to kill the minotaur, half-bull, half-human beast, that King Minos is supposed to have kept at the heart of a labyrinth in ancient Crete. One can appreciate the beauty of the gardens of the Taj Mahal without being of the Islamic tradition which views these gardens as images of paradise containing cypress trees, symbolizing death, and fruit trees, symbolizing life.

In Japanese Zen Buddhism, gardens are made to symbolize the whole of creation, while many use this symbolism in rituals to celebrate Mother Earth.