Dear Discoverer (great name that!),
It is exciting, isn't it.
I really resonate to your sunflower symbol. Here, in the part of France where I live, there are breath-taking fields of sunflowers which turn their heads to follow the path of the sun across the sky. One of the first things I did when we bought our holiday home here (now our main residence) was to buy a vase large enough to stand on the floor by my desk and hold at least five huge sunflowers. For me sunflowers embody brightness, generosity, light, abundance, learning, summer sun, glowing, lots of pollen for honey bees and seeds for wild birds in winter .....
Regarding the significance of symbols, I rather liked (no really loved) how Jack asked us let the symbol speak to us and tell us what wisdom it had to offer us. Hence the significance(s) that you associate with your symbol(s) is probably of far greater importance than anything I can share with you.
The first symbol I got (meditation in the theatre) was a bright, glowing moon. I was a bit disappointed as I thought it was a bit of a cliche. However when I let it speak to me, I found all sorts of wonderful meanings that I could attach to 'my' symbol. For me the moon is light and bright = enlightenment; then it magnetises (tides etc)= I want to become an more effective magnet through this course; for me it also means harmony and balance (as a counterpoint to the sun) and a few other things too.
I printed out a photo from the internet which came closest to my 'vision', wrote my 'personal wisdoms' underneath it and have put it on my visions-board, my goal board too (as I want to be more centred and less polarised as a short-term goal). This was rewarding for me and by the end of the exercise I had so much dopamine, seratonin and endorphins coursing through my blood that I was on a total high. I really felt connected to my highest power.
My second point, and one that I would really like to explore academically, is whether my inner guidance is actually non-verbal. This seems more and more evident to me. Hence the ease I have in generating and learning from symbols. Also I seem to get my best insights when I am Holosyncing, walking, or generally keeping my conscious mind otherwise occupied. I remember reading about 20 years ago, that previous generations spent large tracts of their day doing repetitive actions e.g. washing clothes, digging in the garden, chopping wood, tossing hay, you name it. The article went on to explain that sustained repetitive actions put our mind into a quasi-meditative state, which makes the brain receptive to guidance, messages, visions, and insights.... Over the years, I have kept this nugget of information alive, and I do notice that I am at my most mentally creative and insightful when my brain is minimally occupied with routine, repetitive tasks. Jack talks of having insights in the shower.... well I have epiphanies in the shower. All my best ideas come while cleansing my body under a refreshing spray. Could it be my conscious mind is 'busy' showering, letting my non-verbal intelligence make itself heard?
Here's hoping you get lots of wisdom from your personal symbols, Discoverer!
French Claire
PS. Returning to my moon-shine symbol, last Saturday we had our 'Portes Ouvertes' or Open Doors Day at the high school where I currently work. The Chinese tutor was painting Chinese characters for parents and students.... She offered to 'characterise' me, looked me carefully up and down, and wrote two symbols which translate into English as "moon" and "light". That really made me think!
