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Archive/God and His Symbols/Pelican.md

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+> Image: Pelican.
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+The pelican symbolizes self-sacrifice and redemption. According to ancient myth, the pelican would pierce its own breast to feed its young with its own blood when food was scarce. This imagery became associated with Christ's sacrifice on the cross, where He shed His blood for the redemption of humanity. Just as the pelican nourishes its offspring with its own life-giving substance, Christ offered Himself to save humanity from sin and death.
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+This self-sacrifice echoes the transformative power of the Eucharist, where the faithful partake in Christ's body and blood for spiritual nourishment and communion with Him. As the pelican feeds its young with its own substance, so Christ feeds His followers with His own divine life, sustaining and uniting them with Him.
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+Byzantine-Rite Churches sing this verse in their Holy Friday service:
+	"Like the pelican, you gave life, O Word, to your dead children, wounded in your side, you let life-blood flow, letting fall life-giving drops of blood on all."
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+The pelican embodies divine providence and care. God, the loving Creator, provides for His creatures. The pelican's willingness to sacrifice itself for its young exemplifies God's abundant provision, His constant presence, and His readiness to satisfy the spiritual hunger of His children.
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+At least one folktale portrays a pelican's young dying, to then be resurrected by the parent's blood. This of course mirrors the resurrection of the dead and the hope of eternal life.

Archive/God and His Symbols/Symbol.md

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+> Image: an arrow.
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+We are all quite familiar with signs. A sign represents an abstract concept. A black rectangle with a white arrow on it, with black text on it saying "ONE WAY" is a sign that represents the abstract concept of cars travelling in one direction, without the need for cars to be travelling. Right signs, rightly interpreted and heeded, prevent fatal accidents.
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+A symbol, like a sign, is not a thing itself. However, unlike a sign which is straightforwardly interpreted, symbols are quite often confusing and complicated. They are tied up and packed together, full of connotations. The arrow on the one way sign is a symbol - what it is a symbol of depends on its relationship to other symbols.
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+An arrow can indicate direction of movement - maybe intended direction (normative) or actual direction (positive). An arrow can indicate a location that should be travelled to. It can indicate, counterintuitively, the direction the wind is coming from. Drawn realistically it is a symbol of war and battle.