Sunday, February 5, 2012

The Anchor - As A Symbol


"One who has control over the mind
is tranquil in heat and cold,
in pleasure and pain,
and in honor and dishonor."

- Bhagavad Gita

The Anchor is a Symbol of both Hope and steadfastness.

When we look at an Anchor we see that it is a cross resting upon,
and securely balanced within, a crescent moon or bowl.

The cross has four points, and the number four represents matter.
Furthermore, the crossed lines of the cross represent spirit (the
vertical line) united with matter (the horizontal line). Hence, the
cross represents an individuals personal Incarnation. The cross
is a masculine Symbol which includes a person's Thoughts,
Actions, and consciousness.

The crescent moon, or bowl, is a feminine Symbol which
represents the womb. The feminine also includes intuition,
Emotions, and the Subconscious.

Therefore the Anchor is a Symbol for an individuals personal
Incarnation which is supported by, and rests within, their emotions,
intuition, and Subconscious.

With these Thoughts in mind, let us now explore the meaning of
the Anchor as a Symbol of Hope and steadfastness.

As a Symbol of Hope:

The rising Anchor is a Symbol for Hope. This is alluded to,
metaphorically, whenever we say that "our hopes are rising".

When a ship weighs, or raises, its Anchor it tells everyone that
it is leaving its current port-of-call and is on its way to a new
voyage, a new Adventure.

This is a metaphor for how each one of us feel when we finally
Decide to leave a stagnant portion of our life behind us in order
to begin a new journey, voyage, or Adventure.

We raise our Anchor and venture forth into a new era of our life.
We feel eager and alive and we are laden with Hope, excitement,
dreams, expectations, imaginings and aspirations. Our Spirit feels
light and free as we face the cleansing breezes which take us
to our next port-of-call.

The Hope we carry with us on our new voyage encourages us to
follow the course we have plotted out and carry out the plans
we have made. We are steadfast in our vision of the pursuit of
our new Dream.

Our new Hope prevents us from drifting in confusion as our
Thought processes are now focused on new Dreams, creations
and ideas.

Our new Hope keeps us focused on our vision, the Horizon,
where our new life, and new Adventure, awaits us. The Time of
planning is over and the Time of Action, and new experiences,
is now upon us.

As a Symbol for steadfastness:

The moment we drop our mental Anchor is the moment when we
Become steadfast in a Decision-making process. It is the moment
when we finally say to ourselves "here is where I stand" and "these
are the rules I will govern myself by".

This is expressed, metaphorically, when a ship drops its Anchor.
At that moment the ship becomes moored to a particular location
from which it will not move until the Time once again arrives for it
to sail at a moment of its own Choosing.

When a ship drops Anchor it grounds itself, and secures itself, to
a certain spot from which it will not move. It stabilizes itself from
the waves, tides, currents and various other movements which the
sea may throw at it.

Just as a ship that is not firmly Anchored is at the mercy of all
of the elements of the sea, so too is a person who is not firmly
Anchored at the mercy of all of the elements of chaos, hysteria
and uncertainty which surround him, or her.

Nearly every one of us has had at least one moment in our life
when we were absolutely, positively sure of a Decision we had
to make even though everyone around us doubted us and
screamed at us that we were wrong.

In this moment our certainty proved to be correct even though
we may not have been able to put our certainty into Words.

These kinds of Decisions can only be made by a person who
is firmly Anchored.

When we are properly Anchored we are able to trust confidently
in the skills and knowledge which lie latently concealed deep
within us. Skills and knowledge which lie in the subconscious
realm of our inner-self; our God-within; our Atman.

This confidence, self-assuredness, and trust in oneself is the result
of solid, secure and verifiable conclusions, clarity of Awareness,
and Lessons learned from Past experiences.

When we act with such steadfastness we are not being simply
stubborn; we are securely Anchored and are acting with positive
Arrogance and true knowing.

When we are properly Anchored we are able to remain steadfast,
sure and steady; we are able to "hold fast" during emotional,
unstable and confusing Times; we are able to steady ourselves
during our weakest moments and most trying experiences; we
are able to confidently maintain stability, firmness and tranquility
within and amidst all of the chaotic emotions which are tossing
themselves all around us.

On the other hand, when we are not sure of ourselves, or when
we are in a situation which is foreign and strange to us, we find
ourselves adrift and at the mercy of the tides and currents which
toss us to and fro and we say to ourselves "let's try this" or "let's
try that", unsure of what will work and what will not work;
simply relying on guesses and empty Prayers and not on
steadfast facts, skills, knowledge and experience.

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My Email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.

Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.

© copyright Joseph Panek 2012
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17 comments:

RitaRose said...

Thank you for the explanation of symbolism of anchors. I have been drawn to them lately and even pointed out anchor necklaces and bracelets for relatives looking for holiday gift ideas! I had a feeling that the things an anchor represents were probably missing in my life. And very much so, I see that there are some things I need to be reminded of.

Ichi Vazquez said...

Wonderful. This is exactly what I somehow needed to read. Thank you :)

Unknown said...

I, likewise, have been tied to anchors and after reading this, I feel it is very precise in what's currently in my lifespan.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful thoughts Joseph.

Gail said...

ty so much for the explanation of the anchor..very deep and enlightening..

Aveline said...

We were walking on the beach with my partner and we found a little golden anchor in the sand. I knew it symbolised something, we got its message just when we needed it.

The Blended Splendid said...

I was looking at a brass anchor object, window shopping on an expensive e-shop on my iphone late at night. It was an unusual design. I thought it was cool and would look good in my ocean themed bathroom. I remember looking at it and just admiring it in the picture. I had looked at a lot of objects in e-shops on my phone that night but that item I really thought would be nice to have. The next day, I went thrift store shopping which is where I buy most things. I found a candle holder made of brass and configured exactly the way the anchor on the website was! I found that if I unscrewed the candle holder part, it was exactly the same unusual design. I know it's unusual because knowing decor accessories is kind of my job. For over $40 less I manifested the item the very next day. I found your website because I've since become more seriously interested in manifestation, controlling my thoughts with meditation and awareness and have been feeling like a loose buoy drifting out to sea for a long while. I feel like the universe is giving me a wonderful message/knowledge. I knew a bit of what an anchor might symbolize for me, but your page has put it so well. Thank you!

Unknown said...

I had a silver anchor charm given to me I liked it so much I painted it purple my favorite color,unfortunately someone vacuumed it and it was destroyed.For some reason I am so attracted to the anchor and it's symbolism my 35 birthday is next month and I need to have one in my possession and i dnt know why except that it represents me

Unknown said...

I. Love it

Inquisitive said...

Thnx, my entire life ive had this little 14kg Anchor. I dont even know where i got it from and i was just curious... Curiousity eventually led me here. But i still wonder where i got it from or who gave it to me. Knowing that i would grow to be exactly what it symbolizes. Im 17 now btw

The Asmann Family said...

I found a small silver anchor in my purse about a year ago. Like it fell off of something and into my purse! It was not mine and it was unknown to me where it came from. I put it in my wallet and every so often I find it somewhere in my house. Tonight I found it on a throw blanket that I was using. I truly have no idea how it got there! There is some message that this anchor is bringing me and I decided to search for symbolic meaning of an anchor.⚓️

Unknown said...

Great post. I had a dream with a anchor and your thoughts are just aligned to what I was looking for

busybee said...

Fantastic Timing.....I luv the anchor metaphor ..it's amazing how you put this all together.....just simply greatness...tku so much

Unknown said...

In cemeteries I have seen many anchors with broken chains on tombstones. I took this to mean that the soul was now free from the earthly body that anchored it, hence allowing passage to heaven.

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing. Anchors have been everywhere in my awareness lately. Intriguing and funny because I live near the US Naval Academy. Anchors all around, but I didnt really connect with them until recently. Very helpful exploration of the symbol both in its active form and more solid, steadfast form.

ThoughtsTo Vent said...

Perfectly explained all meanings with logical explanation!!

Unknown said...

Thank you for the symbolism of anchor. I recently changed my life and my views on life. For the past year I have lived alone and I've gone back to my roots of praying I'm doing the best I can to get healthy walking everyday eating right and spending a lot of time alone..etc. On my walks I saw a gravestone that had an anchor on it.. 2 days later I bought a tea bottle at the store and on the top of the bottle cap had a very tiny anchor on it.. about a week later I took a drive out of town and saw an anchor on the outside of someone's house.. a few days later I was watching a TV show and this woman was putting a picture on a shelf and it was an anchor... A few days after that another TV show over at a friend's house and a little girl wearing a shirt had an anchor on it. I can't help but feel that someone on the other side is trying to tell me something. Now if I lived in Florida or someplace like that then I would think nothing of seeing anchors all over but Ilive in the Adirondack mountains so to see anchors here and that close together in time I've been trying to find out exactly what this may mean for me or is a loved one trying to tell me something. I believe someone is trying to tell me that they are pleased with the choices I've made, to live alone, go back to my faith and I'm adamant about certain relationship decisions. Living alone for a year is not easy, loneliness creeps in but perhaps someone is trying to tell me to steadfast in what I'm doing and good things will come. Thank you for your explanation symbolism for the anchor as it has helped greatly and wondering why someone, perhaps a loved one on the other side might be trying to tell me something.

Mystic Angie said...

Thank you so much for this symbolism of the anchor. I was in the middle of a deep meditation when the angels gave me a gift of an anchor.