There’s something irresistible about a good symbol—a sign, a mark, a hidden message that seems to whisper, “There’s more here if you just look closely enough.” From ancient alchemical glyphs to modern-day internet memes, humans have a long-standing obsession with symbols. But why? What is it about the cryptic, the coded, and the mysterious that pulls us in and refuses to let go?
The Alchemist’s Obsession
Alchemy is a crucible of symbolic fixation. For alchemists, symbols aren’t just shortcuts for complicated concepts—they’re codes to unlocking the universe’s secrets. The basic ouroboros is a snake devouring its own tail. On the surface, it’s a simple, almost crude image. But it represents eternity, the cycle of life and death, and the idea of something constantly recreating itself. For the earliest alchemists, this wasn’t an abstract thought; it was a clue for transforming base metals into gold—or more importantly, transforming themselves in the process.
With a modern understanding of atomic structure and element formation, we can now produce literal gold through nuclear transmutation. This involves bombarding mercury or bismuth atoms with neutrons in a nuclear reactor or particle accelerator, causing them to shed protons and transform into gold. However, the process is highly inefficient and prohibitively expensive, highlighting the practical limits of material manipulation. But for alchemists, the literal transformation of base metals into gold was only part of the quest. The symbols and rituals they employed provided a framework for understanding not just the physical world, but their own spiritual journeys. They were chasing hidden meanings in matter and, perhaps without fully realising it, within themselves.
The Psychological Pull
A few centuries later we have Carl Jung, the Swiss psychologist, rummaging through alchemical texts like a modern-day treasure hunter. Jung believed that alchemy’s symbols were deeper than medieval hobby—they were expressions of the unconscious mind. He argued that symbols like the philosopher’s stone or the four alchemical stages (nigredo, albedo, citrinitas, rubedo) mirrored the process of individuation, or becoming one’s true self.
For Jung, symbols weren’t just decorative or mysterious; they were functional. They helped people process complex, often contradictory feelings that couldn’t be easily expressed in words. That’s part of why symbols still resonate today—they allow us to grapple with things that logic alone can’t untangle.
Symbols in the Modern World
You might think we’d have outgrown our love for symbols in the digital age, but if anything, we’ve doubled down. Emojis are a new form of shorthand, condensing complex feelings and reactions into tiny, instantly recognisable images—a simple 😂 can convey layers of amusement, sarcasm, or even passive-aggression depending on the context. Memes operate on a similar level but often with even richer, more nuanced symbolism. Image macro memes like pictures of cats, wojaks, or brainrot absurdism aren’t just jokes; this is flexible, evolving symbology that gets reinterpreted to comment on everything from pop culture trends to political debates. Even hashtags function as symbols, turning a simple phrase into a rallying cry, a movement, or an abject irony, like #Blessed, #MeToo or #BlackLivesMatter, embedding deeper societal issues into concise digital expressions.
Our modern symbolic language doesn’t stop there. Logos, brand icons, and even user interface designs embed layers of meaning in simple forms—think of how the Apple logo represents more than just a tech company; it’s become a symbol of innovation, creativity, sleek design, consumerism, capitalism. These symbols thrive because they offer immediate recognition while inviting deeper, sometimes personal interpretations, tapping into that same ancient human desire to find hidden layers in what we see.
Even conspiracy theories, with their labyrinthine webs of hidden messages and secret codes, tap into this same symbolic hunger. People want to believe that there’s more beneath the surface—that the world isn’t just random and chaotic, but ordered by hidden forces waiting to be discovered.
Personal Symbolism: The Lady and the Unicorn
Symbols don’t have to be universal to be powerful. Sometimes, they’re intensely personal. Take The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, for example. On the surface, they’re beautifully woven medieval artworks depicting the five senses. But spend enough time with them, as I have, and you start to see your own reflections staring back. The unicorn, the lady, the enigmatic sixth tapestry labelled À mon seul désir (“To my only desire”) – they all become mirrors, reflecting not just medieval ideals but my own questions about desire, meaning, and the elusive nature of understanding itself.
And maybe that’s the heart of it. Symbols don’t just point to something “out there” in the world—they point inward, offering us a way to map our inner landscapes. They’re both a puzzle and a guide, challenging us to interpret while reassuring us that meaning exists, even if it’s just the meaning we assign.
The Endless Chase
In the end, our obsession with symbols might boil down to this: we’re meaning-making creatures in a world that doesn’t always offer easy answers. Symbols give us a way to bridge that gap. Whether it’s an ancient alchemical glyph, a unicorn in a tapestry, or a modern meme, each symbol is a doorway—an invitation to look deeper, think harder, and find connections in places we never expected.
So maybe the question isn’t why we chase hidden meanings, but what would we be if we didn’t?
