Pictures of
the Convento de Cristo (Convent of Christ)
Tomar - Portugal
Page 3
Photo 4 Details of
the window with 108 square lozenges.
The artichoke symbolically represents the deconstruction of our mental constructs and thought processes and symbolically it shows us how to reach the heart of the artichoke. The example is a simple one. It shows us that one needs simply to take away all past mental and thought constructs and their processes...In other words by peeling off the hard leaves of the artichoke one ends up discovering its tender heart.... So the artichoke symbolizes the means of "emptying" all the egotistic clutters before revealing the Presence of the Higher Self or the God Presence within, which has its center in the mystical heart of an adept. Hence we understand why so many artichokes adorn and decorate the window of the 108 lozenges on the wall.... Peeling off each one of the leaves of so many artichokes may take many incarnations and that is why the window with the 108 lozenges has replaced the Trunk of the Tree... the artichokes are the “ingredients” that allows the transmutation of the hard to the soft…the rough to the tender…and simplicity...The symbol of the artichoke is the Portuguese equivalent of the esoteric meaning of the "Thistle" for secret societies in Scotland...(such as the Knight of Saint Andrew)
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