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Artist Chris Bennett describes his Gothic style as "descending from a style originating in 15th century Germany called Middle Gothic." Author Anne Rice popularized this style in her Vampire novels though she gave her characters an English feel instead of German. The Gothic movement was a response to the repression of Christianity and the movement had to develop as underground: a Pagan revival of sorts. Many members of this ‘Middle Gothic’ movement were, then as now, artists, poets, musicians and thinkers who questioned the paradigm that created their society. They tended to use Paganism as "a ‘Sword of Illumination’ to light the path through a world that is dark, asleep, and blind."
Mr. Bennett’s designs are meant to be a Symbol to other Goths for Self Empowerment and Solidarity.
The Ankh, with its looped top, is an ancient Egyptian hieroglyph representing the Womb, and, translated, means Life. It is a symbol found widely in Egyptian art, where gods and goddesses are shown clutching the Ankh, the key to the afterlife and immortality. This symbol was also known as the "Key of the Nile:" which provided the desert with Life giving water further reinforcing the image of Fertility and Reproduction. It symbolizes the ability for life to evolve and be successful, and reminds us that life on Earth is simply one aspect of Creation, and that we are all Eternal Beings.
Seen by the Ancient Egyptians as the Key of Life, this amulet is worn for Good Health, Prosperity and Long Life, symbol of Life Everlasting and Eternal. We see that life goes up from the Earth into Heaven, as with the Christian cross. Yet life also circles back down from Heaven to Earth, life rain and rebirth. It has been suggested that the circle is the Feminine Principle of the womb, of gestation and fertility. The cross and root is the phallic masculine principle of Potency in creation. Together they symbolize both the cycle of life, and the cycle of the universe as man and woman, god and man, heaven and earth all joined together. So also it has been suggested that the ankh is a sandal strap, a Magical Knot, a symbol of sunrise and a symbol of the purifying elements of water and the Nile. It is held in the hands of all the gods, and used by craftsmen and kings alike. Crafted in pewter, about 1.5 inch, comes with black cord!
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