Inspired by my North & South, East & West thread.
I asked:
BTW, I'm sure there are some studiers of symbology and theology (like myself) amongst y'all, who know why we say north, south, east, west more often than not, why it is that order that trips off the tongue most readily, rather than the clockwise order north, east, south, west or any other combination. I will not reveal until a few have answered.
And to ny delight someone answered correctly very quickly, Rick Robson when he wrote "the same movement when the catholic people make the whole cross gesture."
To which I replied
CORRECT!!! I am a Roman Catholic, and this is age-old knowledge amongst us. Now, when a Catholic blesses him/herself (makes the sign of the cross) it is made from an observer's viewpoint i.e. as if the Catholic blessing him/herself is the cross - important to remember for the east & west.
So, North (Father) head; South (Son) heart; East (Holy) left shoulder; West (Spirit) right shoulder.
I then included a second ritual, the significance of which, many protestants might never notice:
Four fingers of right hand is how a Catholic blesses himself; thumb and first two fingers of right hand (3 digits to represent the Holy Trinity) is how an Eastern Orthodox Christian blesses himself.
There was the famous scene in the film Zorba the Greek about this, when the locals in the Orthodox church saw a Catholic woman in church bless herself with four fingers and to them backwards i.e. N,S,E,W
Because apart from the difference in the digits used, the Orthodox touch the right shoulder first not the left. N,S,W,E
So, the next ones;
1. Who knows why the fish was a symbol for Christians in the very early days of Christianity?
2. Why is the footrest on an Orthodox Cross tilted in that direction? Up at right, down at left (as viewed from the cross i.e. Jesus right and left)
3. Why are left and right in heraldry reversed for the observer? Sinister (which means left refers to the right of the shield as you look at it) Dexter (which means right, refers to the left of the shield as you look at it)? (answer is already given above in No. 2)
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