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 Pomegranate symbolizes abundance, fertility, lusciousness, generosity and union. Used in
many cultures as a symbol of marriage, fertility, and love,
 was held sacred by most of the world’s religions as well as mythology and legends.
There are two cards in this tarot deck which contain pomegranates. These are the images he drew. The comments are my conclusions of the many interpretations of the numerous tarots decks. It is a novice opinion.
The pomegranate is a symbol of fertility, self nurturance and regenerative abilities in our own beings, mos
 t especially in the creative nature within and the ability to mother ourselves.THE HIGH PRIESTESS sits regally under a pomegranate tree, in the full knowledge of who she is and what she is priestess of; herself and the world she has created. She has gathered the portion of pomegranate seeds assigned to her. Wisdom enables her to know when and where to sow those precious seeds gathered in the process of living. And in what manner they will be distributed.She is the assured promise of feminity, self nurturer, abundance and creativity. She sits under the pomegranate tree in a place between dark and light having melded the two together within her being and therefore is confident of who she is and can sit in a place of enlightenment.
She wears a crown much like Egyptian deity Hathor sometimes called the cow goddess who was originally a personification of the Milky Way, which was seen as the milk that flowed from the udders of a heavenly cow. She became known as the Goddess of Joy, beloved of so many Egyptians.
The High Priestess also has the symbol of the moon or is it again the horns of the cow at her feet. A symbol we see under the feet of Our Lady of Guadalupe.The sliver of a moon or cow horns is also the way the first aleph was written, which represented the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet. It symbolized one but came to represent a 1000. 1 or 1000 is still 1 plus nothing else. One means “united” and there is nothing but unity. There is nothing but one. All else is simply the chopping up of the one. The symbol aleph has changed dramatically over time through many phases as language is fluidly organic.
 THE MOTHER FIGURE, the Empress wears a starry crown, and holds a scepter in her right hand representative of her power over life. The crown of 12 stars is her symbol of governing. She is the Queen of Heaven and earth. Her throne is in the midst of a field of grain. She rules over the seeding time and the harvest.She is wrapped in a garment of pomegranates, broken open and spilling their sweet juiciness over the land she rules. Her earth, the one she resides in, she, being the feminine part of each of us.
She casts those seeds upon the children in her house; children of Joy, Faith, Grace, Mercy, Hope, Peace and Unconditional Love. These children grow strong and healthy, pushing out the whiny, fearful, belligerent ones that want to stay in comfort within. She has much to teach us.
Greek Mythology In this myth Persephone is abducted by Hades, Lord of the underworld. The pomegranate represents life, regeneration and marriage.One day while out gathering flowers, Persephone noticed a narcissus of exquisite beauty. As she bent down to pick it, the earth opened and Hades seized her and dragged her down into his kingdom. Hades offered her four pomegranate seeds to satisfy her hunger. By eating the four pomegranate seeds, she tied herself to Hades—the pomegranate being the symbol of the indissolubility of marriage.
Inconsolable at the loss of her daughter, Demeter, goddess of the harvest, went into mourning and thus all green things ceased to grow. Zeus the highest ranking Greek god, could not leave the Earth to die, so he commanded Hades to return Persephone. It was the rule of Fates that anyone who consumed food or drink in the Underworld was doomed to spend eternity there. So for four months Persephone sits on the throne of Hades, and her mother mourns and no longer gives fertility to the earth. This is the Greek explanation of the seasons.
Zoroastrianism In Persian mythology Isfandiyar eats a pomegranate and becomes invincible. In “The Persian War” Herodotus mentions golden pomegranates adorning the spears of warriors in the Persian phalanx. The pomegranate possible originated in Iran and Afghanistan and was much used in the household and Zoroastrian ritual.Judaism Pomegranate seeds are said to number 613 one for each of the Torah/Bible’s commandments. There is a progression of the number of pomegranates used as the story unfolds in scripture. We of course, today know that the number of seeds vary in any given pomegranate, but the symbology of 613 is significant as that number reduces down to 1 “united” .
(6+1+3=10, 1+ 0 = 1) There is only one law, the law of love and it has been brought to us over and over again over the ages by all the great prophets, sages, seers, teachers, etc.
The pomegranate was revered for its beauty and symbolized sanctity, fertility and abundance. The Song of Solomon “Peace” compares the temples (the sides of the head) of a bride behind her veil to the two halves of a pomegranate. What is in between are all the seed thoughts, thoughts of beauty, love, abundance. Are these the seed thoughts we allow to be held within our temple walls?
A pomegranate bronze likeness of the original clay lamp was found in the area of Beth Guvrin in Southern Judea, central Israel. It is in the classification of lamps known as the Daroms (hebrew, "South"). http://www.eganbronze.com/Pages/pomegranateoillamp.html.
Buddhism The citrus, peach and pomegranate were the three blessed fruits. Buddhist art uses the fruit to represent the essence of favorable influences.In the Buddhist legend the demoness Hariti, who devoured children, was cured of her evil habit by the Buddha, who gave her a pomegranate to eat. She is depicted in Buddhist art holding a child. In Japan she is known as Kishimojin and is invoke by infertile women for pregnancy.
In China the pomegranate is widely represented in ceramic art symbolizing fertility, abundance, posterity, numerous and virtuous offspring and a blessed future. A picture of a ripe open pomegranateis a popular wedding present.
Islam The heavenly paradise of the Koran describes four gardens with shade, springs, and fruits, including the pomegranate. Legend holds that each pomegranate contains some seed that has come down from paradise. Pomegranates have a special role as a fertility symbol in weddings among the Bedouins of the Middle East. A fine specimen is secured and split open by the groom as he and his bride open the flap of their tent or enter the door of their house. Abundant seeds ensure that the couple who eat it will have many children.Genesis 3 The garden of Eden “Pleasure” contains mankind and a river that went out and parted into four heads. This is the family of Noah “Rest” the 10th generation from adam “mankind” that built an ark with 3 wombs, which after the waters had risen settled on top of Mt. Ararat, which means the “curse reversed”.
The curse was reversed a long time ago when the family of Rest settled the whole known world. Now it is time to see our commonality, instead of our differences. We all have come from one of those four streams which came out of the one stream of life.
Those four streams were rejoined in the land of Egypt, the land of law. They have flowed in and out of each other continually until the waters can no longer be separated, except in our mindsets, dogmas and beliefs.
We are the pomegranate seeds and we each have a special role in this creation.
The Five Pomegranates see article in process up soon
Islam, Judaism and Christianity
Judaism comes through the line of Shem, “Conspicuous Position”, one of the 3 sons of Noah “Rest” in the 10th generation from Adam in Genesis 6, 7. The English words Shem and name are the same “conspicuous position”.
Judaism has the Torah as their guidance tool, book of the law.
Islam accounts for their genealogy through Ishmael “God Will Hear”, the 21st generation from Adam in Genesis (16, 1 + 6 =7 "Sacred Fullness). They trace to Mohammed from Ishmael, born of an Egyptian handmaid, Hagar in the land of Canaan "Humility" Genesis 13:12 to Abram “High Father” and Sarai “Dominating Head Person”, who were originally from Chaldea, land of the soothsayers, astrologers, seers.
Islam has the Koran as their guidance tool.
Abram “High Father” has a change of nature and becomes Abraham “Father of a Multitude” at age 99. His sister wife Sarai also has a name change from “Dominating Head Person” to Sarah, a word meaning something more like princess.
See also article The Five Pomegranates coming soon. click
Christianity takes the genealogy of Jesus through Mary’s father, Heli back to (click) adam, as son of God Luke 3. In Matthew he is son of man from Abraham, the 20th generation from Adam down to Joseph, whose family sur name is Joseph Ben Panther.Christianity has the New Testament as their guidance tool.
Adam "ruddy red-faced, Esau, Edom, adam" All of us came from adam “mankind”, no matter how divided the four streams that came out of Eden "Pleasure" seem to have become. No matter how confounded the languages are, there is only one stream of life and we all come from it. All religions originate in mankind, therefore they all came out of one of the four streams that flows out of Eden “Pleasure”. Those same four streams emerged out of the flood in the 10th generation and formed four streams of Rest.
The division in the Rest family caused a confusing of the languages, a Tower of Bable "confusion", due to separation; a division that is still true today. We let our interpretations cause strife and division because we are sure we know. Maybe we don't know.
We have the incredible ability to know what is going on around the world, moment by moment, differences of languages are no longer valid excuses for war and separation.
Perhaps we could return to Eden “Pleasure”, if we came together as one people. Then we could once again live under King Solomon "Peace", drinking the spiced wine, the juice of the pomegranate. Song of Solomon 8:2. CLICK
Perhaps we can discover our true heritage, if we forget about who is right and who is wrong, which was the first instruction in the Garden of Eden. Do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Don’t judge what is good and evil, what is right and wrong, for in that day you will lose your innocence and be forever banned from the Garden of Eden “Pleasure”.
This word pleasure is the same word Abraham “Father of a Multitude” spoke when God said in his 99th year he would have a son. That son’s name would be Isaac “Laughter”. click And Abraham said “I am waxed old, am I to have pleasure, ie. Eden? Is not Laughter, pleasure?
His sister wife Sarai heard and laughed within herself. Their son Ishamel “God will Hear” had been laughing at his parents; that is throwing the seeds of laughter at them.
The law of sow and reaping never fails. God will not be mocked. The three of them bore witness: one laughed at the two who would bring for the fruit. One of them laughed out loud and one laughed inside and bore the son, laughter. The sheer energy of the laughter from "God Will Hear" empowered, impregnated and produced fruit.
Abram “High Father” had a character change and became Abraham “Father of a Multitude” and then he bore a son named Isaac “Laughter.” No matter what our religious belief, we can all learn from this lesson in Genesis.
God said the covenant was with "laughter". Laughter is good medicine.
Perhaps a good look at the seeds between our temples is worthwhile. Are they pomegranate seeds full of the goodness, the juiciness of life or are they thoughts of gloom, doom, and death, judgment, punishment and slaughter?
I can’t look in your head, I can only look in mine and discern what is there. It is the only fruit field I have authority in, to prune, water, tend to or neglect.
This is the saint pictured in window 14b right next to Saint Anthony of Padua. The one hundred twenty-fifth anniversary commemoration book of the parish, published in 1966, erroneously identifies this panel as picturing “St. Francis of Assisi.” Any Franciscan would immediately recognize that this is NOT St. Francis. St. Francis is never shown with a gray colored beard, he is always pictured with the legendary white cord with the three knots (representing the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience). St. Francis is often pictured with the "stigmata" or the wounds of Christ in his own flesh. The saint pictured in our window has none of the usual telltale symbols that would identify him as St. Francis. The saint in this window holds some type of fruit in his left hand and has no Franciscan cord. Perhaps the author of the anniversary book assumed it was St. Francis because he appears next to St. Anthony in the adjoining panel. A little detective work was able to reveal that this is St. John of God. St. John of God is often portrayed with a pomegranate with a cross coming from it.
The pomegranate is a symbol of charity; the cross coming out of the fruit is a symbol of the spirit of sacrifice that springs from charity. St. John of God lived an exemplary life of sacrifice, charity and service to those most in need. The most obvious clue that this is John of God is that the window was a gift of St. Catherine's Hospital--St. John of God is the patron saint of hospitals. What more appropriate gift could the hospital have given than this! www.mhtbrooklyn.org/en_windowsonmainarcaderig...
Other Sacred Events
Coronation of Henry and Catherine on June 24, 1509. The union of the pomegranate and the rose united the Tudors to the Spanish royal house.
http://www.reformation.org/king-henry8.html
'Dante in meditation holding a pomegranate'
 Ink and pencil on paper, drawn about 1852
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, Paul Mellon Fund This drawing shows Dante holding a pomegranate, symbolizing his journey to Hell (by analogy with the story of Proserpine, who ate a pomegranate while in the underworld). Because Proserpine returned to earth every year, the pomegranate was used in Christian symbolism to denote immortality. Perhaps its inclusion suggests that Dante's fame will, after all, be lasting, despite warnings against this that are found elsewhere in Dante's writings (canto XI of 'Purgatorio'.)
It is a study for a watercolour 'Giotto painting the portrait of Dante', which is not included in this exhibition.
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