Daily Meditation: Monday, March 15, 2010

Sceptre and orb - symbolism

03/15/2010

Regal power has the sceptre and orb for insignia. Whenever we see someone represented with a sceptre in their right hand and an orb in their left, we know they are royalty. But what do we know of the deeper significance of these two objects? And do monarchs themselves really know of it? The sceptre is generally considered to symbolize authority and the orb the areas over which this authority is exercised. There is, actually, a further meaning. The sceptre and the orb represent the activity of the two principles, the masculine and the feminine. The masculine principle is always symbolized by a straight line (a sceptre, a caduceus, a spear, a sword, a pillar, a tree) and by the right hand. And the feminine principle is symbolized by a curved line (any hollow or rounded object - a sphere, a vase, a bowl, also a chasm or a cave) and by the left hand. Holding the sceptre and the orb signifies an understanding of the two principles and a knowledge of how to work with them.