Consensus
The consensus that seems to hold in every conversation is that we live in complex times that are hard to describe. What we might use to illustrate this time?
Celtic knots are made by a series of overlapping or interwoven strands which have no clear beginning or end.
It’s not clear where they first originated and there are many different opinions regarding their meaning. The basic understanding is that the design may have its roots in Byzantine Constantinople, and that the knot symbolizes the unending cycle of life, as the interweaving of the strands illustrate the interdependence and interconnection of the physical and spiritual aspects of all things.
Apparently, in a true Celtic knot, the alternation of the strands which wind, weave and loop their way around each other create a knot that if pulled tightly should be immovable and unbreakable.
Might a Celtic knot, something embedded with meaning, that we inherit from long ago, be a good illustration of our times?
~ Neryl McCallum, 2020
One Response to “Consensus”
Hi Neryl,
There’s a retired Scoutmaster in me that values knots and their application.
I love the richness of the symbolism of the endurance, connectedness and interdependence of both physical and spiritual aspects aspects of life as you presented it. However, if contextualised, the profile of ‘our times’, as I see it, is one of declining mutuality between inhabitants and habitat— not an illustration of it.
One senses an emerging ferment for the ushering in of a ‘new norm’. Since contexts influence meanings, rather than being ‘an illustration of our time’ we could see the Celtic knot as ‘an aspirational challenge for our time’.
Thanks for giving me a new knot to to ponder.
with love
David