Symbols are something that we use everyday and are often overlooked in our modern life. Symbols have the ability to convey whole thoughts, concepts, or even ways of life. Symbols can elicit great emotions, cause us to rally together in support or to fight against something. Symbols are used everyday to help keep us safe, whether we are on the road driving, walking across the street, preparing food. Symbols help us to identify one another and the groups that we belong to. Symbols can be powerful and thought provoking.

Just take a second and look around you and see all the symbol around you. From company logos, to the ring on your finger. Each one these symbols can and does convey far more than just the literal meaning itself. One of the most common is a wedding ring. What does it mean to you? Is just the metal and possible jewels that make it up, or does it signify much much more to you? What about the parts of the ring the metals that it was made from, the stones that were chosen. Each of the elements can further change, and reinforce the symbolism of the ring.

In the not so distant past, we used to take these sort of things into consideration. Giving a bouquet of flowers wasn’t just something nice we would do, but it would hold a whole message within. If you receive a red rose, do you see it as a symbol of passion and love, or is it just a pretty flower that smells nice? Did you know that if you receive a yellow tulip that they are saying they are hopelessly in love with you? What if you were to receive rhododendrons with marigolds?  To learn more about the meanings of different flower you can start by visiting this page from aboutflowers.com.

Just as with the flowers the symbolism of the materials used for a pen or other items can raise it from being just pretty to having value that will last for generations. The type of wood, the color, the metal, the style of the pen all of these individual elements all combine together to form something greater than the individual parts. The gestalt of the item.

So you might be wondering just where it is that I am going with all this, well, I am going to start posting about the various woods that I am working with. Their histories, legends, cultural significance, all the interesting (well at least interesting to me) tidbits that I am learning. Sure, sometimes I have chosen a wood because it looks awesome, others I have sought out because of where they come from. One thing that is for sure is that as I have spent time on the internet researching wood each one is very unique and a great story to tell.