"The spiral is a spiritualized circle. In the spiral form, the circle, uncoiled, unwound, has
ceased to be vicious; it has been set free." --Vladimir Nabokov
physical representations to the utterly abstract. They appeal to the eye and they speak
strongly to the soul. They are specific symbols to point to, and yet general enough to be
applicable to everyone.
Crowley said, "Everyone is a Star." This is a physical truth in two ways. Science teaches
us that we are all the stuff of stars. Every atom in the universe today was once part of
some great star made after the Big Bang, through which the Universe came into physical
Being. We are all the stuff of stars, manufactured in the fantastical demise of one of these
most ancient first inhabitants. The basic human form is also that of a five-pointed star.
Leonardo Da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man" and the pentagram from Agrippa's "Libri tres de
occulta philosophia" are excellent examples of this. Philosophically a star is our highest
ideal of ourselves, a symbol of perfection to strive toward.
The spiral represents a physical pathway; it is a trail leading inward and possibly back
out again. A spiral can go up or down. It can lead us to a higher state of consciousness
or a higher plane of existence. It can also lead us down into the depths of despair or the
darkest parts of our souls. In all these ways it is a journey, one we all must travel on the
way to self-knowledge. The spiral can also be seen in the way energy moves in the "cone
of power" during ritual. It represents the myth of the Descent of the Goddess and her
return from the underworld. It's a symbol of life and death and rebirth, it is a symbol of
process.
We are all of us in a process of living. A Wiccan is in the process of striving to become the
star. A UEWiccan strives to understand and make the best possible use of the process of
striving to become the star. A UEWiccan embraces the idea that the journey is equally as
important as the destination, we place them both at equal standing.
