Bidirectional Loop-Back Symbolism in Ancient Icons

Dr. Steven B Halls | August 2025

This material was originally posted to Facebook on 2025-08-03 - view original post.

That'll do, pig. Pigs with bagpipes are common. It's a bidirectional symbol with downward and upward flow, and the bagpipe has a loop-back curve, and the pig is often drawn with a bent back. So pig is equivalent to: curved-beak-bird, Luna, conche, crook, and many animals doing loop-backs with their necks, like the bird in image B.

Pigs with bagpipes are a bidirectional symbol with downward and upward flow, the bagpipe has a loop-back curve, and the pig is often drawn with a bent back, making it equivalent to curved-beak-bird, Luna, conche and crook, with retort flasks from alchemy carrying the same meaning.

I'm also showing retort flasks from alchemy. Whoever made image B knew that all these examples have similar meaning. Paisley with a curl at the top also comes to mind.

Image D and G have 'the three' with an upward flow on one side, and a bagpipe on the other side, (and a center flow symbol in the middle). https://ca.pinterest.com/stevenbhalls/bagpipe/ https://ca.pinterest.com/stevenbhalls/pig-hair-boar-hog/ https://ca.pinterest.com/stevenbhalls/flask/ https://ca.pinterest.com/stevenbhalls/back-bent-hunched/

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