First one is the sign of the planet Jupiter. ("Keep your eyes on Jupiter
such beauty in the sky....."). There are two different dates for
Maurice's birthday - 17. or 19. December 1941. In every case he is
Archer and Jupiter is the planet of the archers, - spreading positivity
to them in right constellation.
 This
is the sign of Paracelsus, often used as medical symbol. Paracelsus was
a doctor who pointed out the need of caring for natural life (own and
other life-forms).
 Then
there is Buddha. The main message in Buddhism is the taking away of
personal needs and wishes by meditation to eliminate the personality and
reaching a stadium of freedom (freedom of rebirth). Maurice (and for
some time, the whole or parts of the band) did and do meditation. A
result of that is, that Maurice is able to deal with many of his
masterpieces as they would not be important, something what has been
done and now it is ready. So he ever was free for experiments and new
ways of music.
 From
Iril Kolle in Norway I got the following:
1) - Mostly known is the Bird Phoenix (from the ashes....) "The
phoenix is a mythical bird that represents immortality or the rebirth of
hope. It was supposed to be a beautiful, purple-red bird fabled to live
500-600 years in Arabia. It arose from the ashes of a funeral pyre to
live through another lifetime" ..and .. "The phoenix just before
its death sang a last song and it was then placed upon a funeral pyre.
The pyre was made from aromatic herbs and exposed to the sun. The fire
was not lit by human hands but by the power of the sun's energy. When
the fire settled amongst the ashes a small worm was born. From this the
new phoenix would rise anew reborn".
2) - The bird in general as a symbol / mythological creature: - "The
bird is an animal almost universally exalted and accepted as
symbolically being associated with the soul, as a messenger of the gods,
a carriers of souls, an oracle or seen to possess the spirit of loved
ones whilst also being a symbol of good or evil. The Ancient Greeks
actually developed a science from the study of birds and their
activities called 'Ornithomancy' and since then, birds have continued to
feature heavily in folklore across the world even in the 20th-century
imagination. It is no surprise that the modern Western super hero
'Superman' has the special ability to fly and is also given a name that
indicates supreme powers. Perhaps this is because man has long wanted to
be able to fly. Take the story of 'Icarus' as just one such further
example."
3) Icarus: "In Greek mythology Icarus was trapped on an island
inside the labyrinth. Also within the labyrinth lived the
Minotaur, a beast which was half man-half bull. Icarus eventaully
escaped by making himself a set of wings from feathers that had fallen
into the maze, but poor Icarus flew too close to the sun and the wax
that held the feathers in place melted, and Icarus plunged into the
sea."
4) It COULD also be a BENNU or a BA, from Egyptian mythology: The
Bennu bird was an imaginary bird resembling a heron. It had a two long
feathers on the crest of it's head and was often crowned with the Atef
crown of Osiris (the White Crown with two ostrich plumes on either side)
or with the disk of the sun. Meaning: The Bennu was the sacred bird of
Heliopolis. Bennu probably derives from the word weben, meaning "rise"
or "shine." The Bennu was associated with the sun and represented the Ba
or soul of the sun god, Re. In the Late Period, the hieroglyph of the
bird was used to represent this deity directly. As a symbol of the
rising and setting sun, the Bennu was also the lord of the royal
jubilee.
5) The goose: The goose is a bird with an ancient mythology and a
mixture of symbolism. It was a sacred bird in Rome's temple of Juno. The
snow goose is also associated with Boreas, the North Wind in Greek
mythology. The snow goose is also the totem for the winter solstice in
the Native American medicine wheel.Most people have heard of the
legendary Mother Goose whose stories and rhymes were designed to quiet
children. Myths, fairy tales, and other stories capture the imagination
of children and adults alike. The goose is thus a totem reflecting a
stimulation of the childhood thrill and belief in stories and legendary
places. The story(s) we most loved in childhood often a reflect the life
quest we have come to take upon us in this lifetime.
My guess would be Phoenix or Icarus, since both includes wind and fire.
Iril Kolle |
|
 This
is the caracter "Ankh", the old Egyptian symbol of life. For Maurice,
Egypt was the place where it all started and it all will end, best shown
on the cover of Raise! Iril Kolle in
Norway says:
PS: There seems to be some disagreement when it comes to the Ankh symbol
(read "life");
1) It doesn't just mean life but resurrection, because the Ankh is
put together by a T-shaped cross and death, and that this is supposed to
symbolize re-incarnation and is "the key to the gates of life and
death".
2) Others mean the symbol is put together by the sun and that the
"T" is the horizon over the River Nile. An early version is supposed to
symbolize both sunrise and sunset.
3) Eternal Life, and when it's shown in the hands of royal people it
means "the gift of eternal life".
4) The key to the River Nile + the union between Isis and Osiris
5) Life AND immortality
6) Life AND man and woman
7) Holy matrimony between Gods/Goddesses
8) Different combinations of the above
The Hexagram symbol which is (also) the star of the jewish people has
many more meanings. Fundamental it is a Hexagram. In the Nsibidi script
of West Africa, the symbol meant ardent love. Maybe Maurice knew this.
All in all it is a very old mystic symbol in many cultures and religions
with a lot of spiritual meanings.
The one beside the star should be the candlestick of the Jewish
religion. I do not know what it means, but in the music of EWF there are
always songs about fire and sparkles, so light has a big meaning.
The eighth symbol is called Eye Of Horus. Horus was an old Egyptian sun
God with the head shaped like a falcon. It's found frequently in
Egyptian art. Also known as Egyptian Eye or Psychic Eye.
The statue of Shakespeare as symbol for the power of words and
intellectuality.
 The
symbol of all Christians.
 Then
there is Shiva, God of the Hindus. Shiva is the Dancing God, his message
is "Everything in this universe is a part of the big dance". Last years
physics experiments have somehow the same result. Nobody in our days can
say, that there are separated parts in this universe. The actual point
of view for this cosmos is, that everything is somehow connected with
everything and that everything moves. Forget the protons and electrons,
forget the planets and solar systems, they all are only aspects of one
and the same thing which is the "Eternal Dance".
 This
is the well known Kalimba, an African thumb piano. The kalimba is
clearly close to Maurice White's heart, he introduced it to millions of
listeners by making it a centerpiece of Earth, Wind & Fire's spectacular
concerts. |
