15.The Symbol

What's a symbol?

In my previous article I talked about the discovery of symbolism, but one question remains: what really is a symbol?

According to the Treccani definition, the word comes from the Greek word symbállein ("to put together"), and originally denoted a sign of recognition: two parts of a broken object that, when reunited, testified to a bond of friendship.
Over time, the symbol became much more: any element capable of evoking ideas greater than its mere appearance. A lion evokes strength, the fox cunning, the dove peace. Thus a gesture, an object, a character can become bridges to invisible or hard-to-express realities.

René Guénon, in Symbols of Sacred Science, writes:
"After all, every expression, every formulation, whatever it may be, is a symbol of the thought it outwardly translates; in this sense, language itself is nothing but symbolism."

This phrase has always resonated within me: language itself is symbolic, and everything we communicate is already an interpretation of a deeper meaning.

My encounter with symbols

In 2009, a colleague gave me a book as a gift: The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. I was not a fan of novels, but I decided to give it a chance. That reading opened up a world for me.
I discovered that behind the adventurous stories lay the beauty of symbols, the search for the hidden side of reality.
Of course, daily life had often pushed me toward the concrete: work, economic security, duties. But that book reminded me that there is also another dimension: that of fantasy, of colors, of ancient knowledge.

It was then that I approached the Masonic path. I thought it was a forgotten tradition, but instead I realized that it was more alive and relevant than ever. From there I began to study, to read, to become more and more passionate. And still today, after so many years, I continue to find new keys to life through those tools.

A road to myself

Thus my first steps into symbolic language were born: from a desire to discover, to go beyond the surface, to look at things from different perspectives.
Through symbols I began a journey that is not only made of theory, but of inner transformation: a journey toward a deeper knowledge of myself and the world.

How about you?

This was my gateway into the world of symbols-a journey that continues to this day and accompanies me on my journey of growth.
But each of us has our own signs, our own reminders, our own "lost symbols" just waiting to be found.

What about you, what symbols do you recognize in your life?
Are there objects, images, or experiences that, beyond their form, hold a greater meaning for you

Sources of inspiration

Réne Guénon Symbols of Sacred Science

Dan Brown The Lost Symbol

AI image inspired by René Magritte" The Betrayal of Images (1929)."