Fishes

The symbol of two fish has ancient roots, appearing independently in various cultures. In Babylonian mythology, it symbolized divine love and fertility. The Greek word for fish, "ichthys," later became an early Christian acrostic for "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior."

Minos (Gr.). Tiie great Judge in Iladcs. An ancient King of Crete. Miolner (Scand.). 'V\w stonn-hammcr of Thor (See "Svastica") made for him hy the l)\vai-fs; witli it the God conquered men and gods alike. The same kind of magic weapon as tlie Hindu Agnojasira, the fire- weapon.

The humble image of two fish, a motif recurring across disparate ancient traditions, offers a surprisingly profound lens through which to examine the human condition and the spiritual quest. Blavatsky, in her expansive lexicon, touches upon myriad symbols, and while "Fishes" itself is not a primary entry, its resonance within her work and the broader esoteric corpus is undeniable. Consider the Babylonian Fish-God Oannes, emerging from the primordial waters to impart knowledge, or the Greek myth of Aphrodite and Eros transforming into fish to escape the wrath of Typhon. These narratives hint at a deep-seated association of fish with the divine, with origins, and with the bridging of realms.

In the Hermetic tradition, the principle of duality is paramount. The celestial and terrestrial, the active and passive, the spiritual and material—these are not seen as mutually exclusive but as interdependent aspects of a unified whole. The two fish, swimming in opposing directions, can be seen as a visual metaphor for this dynamic interplay. One might represent the descent into matter, the other the ascent towards spirit. The spiritual work, then, becomes not the annihilation of one for the other, but the harmonious integration of both, recognizing their co-creation of reality.

Similarly, in Hinduism, the cosmic dance of Shiva and Shakti embodies this very principle. Shakti, the feminine creative energy, and Shiva, the masculine consciousness, are inseparable. Their union, their dynamic tension, is the source of all existence. The two fish could represent these primal forces, their apparent opposition merely a facet of their essential unity. The goal is not to choose one over the other, but to understand how their interaction generates the universe.

The Buddhist understanding of suffering, rooted in attachment and aversion, also finds a parallel. These are dualistic states of mind, the clinging to what we perceive as desirable and the recoiling from what we deem undesirable. The path to enlightenment involves transcending this binary, recognizing the impermanent and interdependent nature of all phenomena. The fish, in their opposing currents, might symbolize the very attachments and aversions the practitioner seeks to release.

Even in the seemingly simple Christian symbolism of the ichthys, there is a profound duality. Christ, as both divine and human, bridges the gap between God and humanity. The disciples, as "fishers of men," are called to draw souls from the sea of the world—a world rife with dualistic struggles—into the fold of spiritual salvation.

For the modern seeker, the symbol of the fish serves as a potent reminder that the perceived divisions in our lives—between work and play, between the inner and outer worlds, between the self and the other—are often constructs of the mind. The esoteric wisdom embedded in this ancient image encourages us to look beyond these surface oppositions, to seek the underlying unity that binds all things, and to find the stillness at the center of the swirling currents. It is a call to recognize that true liberation lies not in escaping the dualistic nature of existence, but in understanding its illusory boundaries.