The Hidden Meaning of Snowflakes

Snowy Season

Last night a remarkable thing happened in my hometown. It snowed! Filled with childlike wonder, I stepped outside into my garden and stood in the freezing dark, watching the large, goose feather sized snowflakes dancing in their downward waltz, illuminated by the lamp posts on my street.

Memories of making snow angels in my youth came rushing back to me. Everything seemed so much quieter and peaceful. Snow falling can bring that happiness to us.

Winter Angel Cloud

Back inside my home, I sipped on a large cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows, and a painting by Pieter Bruegel, the great Flemish genre painter, came to mind -- "Winter Landscape with a Bird Trap". In this scene, peasants ice skate and frolic on the frozen pond. Like the artwork of fellow artists of his generation, and generations before and after him, his paintings had hidden meanings which were revealed to the viewer if they took the time to look for them.

Centuries before us, students were taught stories from classical history, mythology, and the Bible. Symbolism was also an important subject. Painters like Rembrandt, Titian, and Botticelli recreated these stories and symbols on canvas. Each artist brings their own interpretation to their work, and a unique perspective to our world.

Divine inspiration takes it shape in many forms: a sculpture, a painting, an architectural element, a poem or story, a photograph, a song.

Of all the gifts we have been given, the greatest one lies within each and everyone of us. And that is the gift of our Higher Self. Self realization, the awakening of our Higher Self, is our gift to Spirit, and to our world.