What Religious Statues Or Symbols Do You Have?

[Jun]

There's a beautiful wooden statue of Guan Yin from Japan (Zen style) at the center,.................

 

A statue of Kannon - in "Zen style." What did you mean by that?

 

There are 33 forms of Kannon - none of which is specific to Zen.

[HadouKen24]

I don't have any religious symbols per se in my apartment, but I have a currently unused tv stand that I'm planning to turn into some sort of shrine. I'm wavering between several options: an ancestral shrine, a blank shrine with a lamp signifying reason, or something else. Most likely, it'll become a shrine to Christopher Walken.

 

As far as jewelry, I've got a pair of wrist malas (love 'em because they're so discreet, not many know what they are in the US it seems), a small copper and brass dharma wheel pendant, an ankh pendant in hematite, and a chaos star pendant.

 

Holy crap, they make chaos star pendants? I gotta get one.

[Bluescreen]

Devalight - Thank you! I tend to shuffle it around a little periodically when the mood strikes me, playing with the symbolism and the aesthetics. I'd be willing to post a pic of it if you'd like to see it. And thanks to the stunning ignorance of other forms of spirituality of my fundagelical relatives, I don't have to hide it whenever they drop by. Which is good, because tearing it down and setting it back up is a frigging pain in the ass.

 

As for the chaos star, nah, it doesn't formally relate to chaos theory, that's just my personal bit of added meaning, in addition to some of the traditional meanings. You tend to see it usually as a symbol of the creative nature of chaos, often in Chaos Magick, but it's not restricted to that setting at all. (Fitting, no? <g>) I've seen a reference to the design in an old poem, where there's one army signifying Order with a banner with a single arrow, facing off against another representing Chaos with the eight-pointed star on their flag, but I can't find it again for the life of me.

 

Jun - I just meant that the style the statue is carved is, in my mind, reminiscent of some of the artwork produced by some of the Zen practitioners of the past. The wood of the statue is in its natural uncarved state at the base, which flows rather smoothly up into Kannon's folded arms, chest, hair, and face. The natural shape of the wood is a perfect fit, because it's rippled and gnarled in a way that suggests flowing robes. Plus, her face is carved in a style that I see in Japanese artwork, rather than that of India. The spirit of the piece seems to be akin to that in the art of making Buddha-strokes or enso.

 

HadouKen24 - Yup yup, they do make Chaos star pendants! Alchemy had the original design, then they discontinued it. (I had to import mine from a reseller in the UK who was willing to ship to the USA - Alchemy themselves are bloody useless if you live outside of Europe.) But someone else seems to have picked up the design, because it's back in production and sold by dealers in the USA not associated with Alchemy. Hit http://www.abaxion.com/qp015.htm for a copy of my pendant. Abaxion's got a few other variants on the Chaos star now it seems. I've bought stuff from them in the past, never had a problem, though their shipping used to be hella slow.

[Deva]

Devalight - Thank you! I tend to shuffle it around a little periodically when the mood strikes me, playing with the symbolism and the aesthetics. I'd be willing to post a pic of it if you'd like to see it. And thanks to the stunning ignorance of other forms of spirituality of my fundagelical relatives, I don't have to hide it whenever they drop by. Which is good, because tearing it down and setting it back up is a frigging pain in the ass.

 

Bluescreen: Sure, I would like to see a picture of it. It's good you don't feel the need to tear down your shrine for the xians. Thank you for the link to the Chaos Star necklace.

[Robbobrob]

Besides the shelves of religion and spirituality books, I have a wooden Buddha statue, a small Green Man relief, a tiki god from Hawaii, many dragons (Taoist symbol for change), a Pirate ship, and several angels.

And I wear a yin/yang necklace.

 

My avatar is actually a picture of my wife's tatoo, a cross between a yin/yang and Hopi tribal art. She also has a Sun tattoo with the Virgo symbol in it, and the moon and stars.

[L.B.]

I wear a wrist mala as well, and a string of yellow and amber plastic beads that just happens to look 'religious'. I am definitely on my way to purchasing more items that reflect my spirituality to complement the scores of books on various and sundry spiritual topics I already own.

 

I love the idea, BTW, that Xtians supposedly frown on 'graven images' and they vilify the Cat-licks and others for their 'idolatry', yet you can go to any Xtian store and get fish symbols, fake-crown-of-thorns plaques and pendants, and certainly the biggest Xtian idol of all... their infallible Bahble.

[Mike D]

Even when I was a Christian I never had any religious paraphernalia around my house... I always thought of it as clutter and cheap junk and just sort of scary. Who wants to walk into a house and see a gaudy portrait of jesus on the mantlepiece (even worse if it's a bloody portrait of the crucifixion!) or crosses everywhere or other shit like that? Yikes. I like to think I have some taste, also I guess I am pretty much a minimalist when it comes to interior design... just give me a contemporary looking couch, a plasma TV, a couple of tall tropical floor plants and I am done!

[woodsmoke]

/threadjack

 

Guan/Kwan Yu was also a character in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He was a powerful combatant and very loyal to Liu Bei. His signature weapon was what we know now as the Kwan Dao. In the novel he split a man in half for disrespecting Liu Bei.

 

He also happens to be one of my favorite playable characters in the Dynasty Warriors video games.

 

Bah, Gaun Yu's a pushover. Wei Yan would wipe the floor with him.

 

Wouldn't even have to worry about doing it, either, as the only one left to avenge him would be Guan Ping.

 

Seriously, what's up with that second generation? Xing Cai has more and bigger testicles than Liu Chan and Guan Ping combined.

 

/end threadjack

[hereticzero]

I have a statue of Dionysus and Pan with his, uh, pointer in the air. I also have a few xtian relics left over and a Quan Lin figurine. Waiting for Buddha to arrive for my garden.

[Evolution_beyond]

I have a dancing shiva

 

This sort of thing:

 

[xandermac]

I have a fairytale table. It has a church, easter bunnies, jesus, angels, a gargoyle and Santa.

[MultifariousBirdLady]

Wow, I had no idea that so many other theistic ex-Christians had so many different religious items in their homes!

 

I definitely like such things. I love studying religions and religious art is part of that. I have statues, pictures, or posters of several Greek Gods (makes sense as I'm a Hellenic Pagan) but I also have some Buddhas (including a collection of postcards with various Tibetan Buddhist Bodhisattvas on them), some Hindu Gods, a few Lucumi (Santerian) images of the "saint" side of various Orishas, a couple Garudas, a few Christian images or mini-statues -- which range in style from a tiny folding Eastern Orthodox style icon set of Jesus and Mary to a cheap plastic Mary night light -- plus animals associated with some of the Greek Gods or which have special significance to me. Deer, dogs, elk, foxes, goats, owls and other birds are most common. My kitchen is full of chickens. I even found a nifty goat-headed wall hook which holds my keys. A visiting friend who is an orthodox Jew once exclaimed, "Avodah zarah! It's everywhere!" (Avodah zarah = "foreign worship.")

 

I have many shelves of books on religion of particular kinds, or in general, or on related themes (i.e. "the psychology of religion").

 

I haven't had any relatives other than my parents or sister visit in a very long time because they're too far away. My parents and sister both know exactly where I stand religiously at this point, so they expect to see what they do if they come over. We used to have big fights about it, though, and my mom would even do things like forbid me from taking a Pagan book I had been reading into my sister's hospital room when she was giving birth. In fact, when I moved home after college and set up an altar in my bedroom, they almost threw me out of the house. They backed down while I was packing the car.

[Deva]

I haven't had any relatives other than my parents or sister visit in a very long time because they're too far away. My parents and sister both know exactly where I stand religiously at this point, so they expect to see what they do if they come over. We used to have big fights about it, though, and my mom would even do things like forbid me from taking a Pagan book I had been reading into my sister's hospital room when she was giving birth. In fact, when I moved home after college and set up an altar in my bedroom, they almost threw me out of the house. They backed down while I was packing the car.

 

Welcome to Ex-Christian Kriosa - I think I may have seen one other post by you. You are almost describing my house! When I walked away from xianity I explored all different religions. I am most drawn to Hinduism and Buddhism. I love the image of Garuda, among others. The Hindu images are so expressive of reality to me.

 

That's rough that you ran into so much opposition to setting up an altar!

[SilentLoner]

I have some small Egyptian god statues, Anubis and this other one that might be either Ra or Qebehsenuef. Keep them cause a friend of mine actually got them in Egypt.

 

I also have a small Buddha statue.

 

I keep those three in my room, so I don't get too many comments on them.

[Taphophilia]

I have a few crystals left over from my New Age phase.

 

Though, if you ask my 13 y/o son, he'd say his copy of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, as he pretty much worships it and considers it holy.

 

Taph

[Deva]

Reviving this thread for post of picture of my altar (a little blurry sorry to say):

 

 

 

 

I have another small statue of a seated Buddha that is unfortunatly out of the picture. The two photos on the right are J. Krishnamurti and Nisargadatta Maharaj. The seated figure is Maitreya Buddha, the statute on the left is Kali.

[The Sage Nabooru]

I have a statue of Saraswati, one of Tara, and two of Guan Yin - one in resin and one in jade.

 

I have a brass offering-bowl, a Buddhist prayer....thing (it's like a piece of wood with five little Buddhas carved on it), a little water vase, several incense burners (I'm a sucker for the stuff even when I'm not being religious), and two brass candleholders that look kinda like branches.

 

I am waiting for some member of my family - either my mom's brother or sister, or any of my dad's various siblings, to see it and usher their kids out of the room in horror. Strangely my grandparents couldn't care less about it.

[Heavenslaughing]

From the family I lived with in India, I have a proper domestic mandir. It includes the incense burners, tilak, oil, bell, statues of Shiva and Saraswati, and a relief of Lakshmi and Ganesh. On rare occasion, I'll do puja as part of my connection with that family.

 

I also have rather a lot of Transformers. At a U. of Chicago cafe, Optimus Prime once beat out a slew of other gods in a contest of deities. I wonder what future archaeologists of my home would conclude that we worship?

[Guest Zenobia]

Where to start...?

 

When I was a christian we did not believe in crusafix's or icons or any paintings of jesus - we considered them to be graven images. So thankfully, nothing christian is hanging around my home now either. The only thing I have from those days is my Star of David which I have included on a charm necklace which has many talismans including an ankh, special stones and beads, runes, figures of Bast...

 

On my altar, I have statues of Bast, Sekhmet and Anubis... as well as other items which would freak out any "true believer"... such as my crystal ball, a systrum for devotion to Bast, several ceremonial containers filled with oils and herbs which I make myself. Home made-insense, black candles and other colors...

 

I have a bookshelf devoted to the study of the ancient ways. I don't like to refer to it as "occult" because that has a negative connotation to me. Many books on the origins of our so-called "christian" holidays which were stolen from much older religions. I've lost count of the books I have on spirituality, mysticism, witchcraft, magick and ancient religions, goddess religions. Tarot cards, runes and other items of divination.

 

My walls hold a collection of swords, daggers, spears and other weapons of ancient times as well as classical art - a large bas relief of Paris and Helen escaping to Troy. Several Egyptian papyrus paintings of Isis, Tutankhamen and Ra.

 

I wear a "Jewitch" penticle - that is a 5-pointed star inside a 6-pointed Star of David.

 

Our bedchamber has matching "Isis" lamps in an art-deco style as well as wall niches for statues of Diana and Hercules. A dried crown of flowers from Beltaine when I was crowned May Queen this year

 

In the living room I have carved waterbuffalo horns which I bought in Thailand, with dragons and tigers on them. A bust of Minerva/Athena stands between the horns. Two giant statues of Bast also stand beside our entertainment center - which I painted in a Roman motif with a golden figure of a Roman Cavalryman on one of the cabinets.

 

Outside a giant pentagram with chimes hanging from it, another large statue of Bast in the garden along with a headstone for one of my cats who died - engraved with an ankh.

 

In the kitchen I have a bookshelf overflowing with glass jars filled with herbs, powders, resins, seeds and other items used for making potions and insense, spellcrafting or simple kitchen witchery Two marble mortal/pestle sets , a black cauldron.

 

There is much more I haven't mentioned. I love collecting these items because they remind me that the christian world has not always existed - there have been many other gods which have long been forgotten. They are so vibrant and imaginative, and I like the positive energy they bring into our home.

[Skankboy]

I've got an old "Jack Skellington" figure crucified to my wall. That count?

[Emme]

I have an elephant I got from a buddhist friend for luck, but that's not very obvious. I also got two pictures of a couple of indian godesses dancing. I don't put any religious value in them though, I jus think they're pretty!