Engagement

A sculpture called Engagement in Helsinki, Finland, continues the pattern of masonic and tarot symbolism hidden in plain sight all over the city. Designed by Dennis Oppenheim, the esoteric themes are not only in the details of the sculpture, but also in the location.

Helsinki art museum introduction:

Dennis Oppenheim's Engagement comprises two diamond rings attached to each other. The rings are painted steel and the house-like diamonds are made of acrylic plates and have an electric light inside. The rings symbolize marriage while the houses symbolize the home and family. The dynamics of marriage requires that a balance be struck between two people with different backgrounds. Also, every union includes the possibility of a break up. In Oppenheim's piece, this dynamic arises from the small distance separating the rings, which lean away from each other.

Dennis Oppenheim is an American avant-gardist whose career began in the 1960s. He is known especially for his Land Art and performances, but his work includes installations and sculpture, many of which can be seen in public locations. Works from his Engagement series have also been temporarily shown in New York and Leoben in Austria. The Helsinki City Art Museum acquired Engagement in 1998. Nine metres high piece was erected in the central square in Ruoholahti by the canal and unveiled in the artist's presence on October 10, 2000. Ruoholahti is a new housing district near the city centre, built in the 1990s in a former industrial zone.

Engagement

Isn't it funny how the tops of the "diamond-houses" look like the masonic pyramid?

Masonic pyramid in the one dollar bill

Although the sculpture has this masonic motif, the main theme of the hidden in plain sight symbolism is once again about tarot.

The exoteric symbolism is obviously about marriage. This is a little hint for the esoteric level of the symbolism. Another hint is in the positioning of the rings. If you look at it from a certain angle, it resembles a pair of horns.

Marriage and horns, what have you got?

In tarot, the card of marriage is The Devil. The ruler of the card is Capricorn, the sign of Saturn. Horns and rings, get it?

Horns and rings

The location of the sculpture is carefully selected. There are two other Devil sculptures in Helsinki, Elias Lönnrot memorial and Work (one of the four pedestal statues of the Statue of Alexander II). On map, these three sculptures are exactly on the same straight line.

From left to right: Engagement, Elias Lönnrot memorial and Work

Elias Lönnrot memorial (upside down Devil)

Work

More examples of hidden in plain sight tarot statues on page Esoteric statues.

Pyramids on the map

One of the most well known symbols of the Freemasons is the masonic pyramid with the all-seeing eye. It's one of the many symbols referring to the ancient Egyptian roots of "the Elite" and the Cult of Aton.

"The Elite" was kicked out of Egypt long time ago, but they haven't forgotten their roots. Ever since they've been building "new Egypt" around the world.

Buckingham Palace, London

Canberra, capital of Australia

Hampton Court Palace, London

Washington DC

Abc the cat...

Atonistic art from Helsinki, Finland.

This statue by Pekka Nevalainen is called Abc the cat...

Helsinki art museum introduction:

"This jolly piece is named after the Finnish nursery rhyme about a cat climbing up a ladder. Located in the school yard, it has been welcomed with delight by the 7-12-year old pupils of this arts and skills-oriented primary school. In the piece, a strong grey cat has climbed a ladder to reach the top of a large red letter A. The artist has used several materials: the letter A is painted steel, the cat is made of grey fibreglass, the ladder of stainless steel and the base is poured concrete. The work was financed from the school's appropriations and was finished for the opening of the school in 1996."

The hidden in plain sight symbolism is around the theme of Israel. (Recommended to read first: Israel)

Let's start from the ladders. The ladders going up to the sky represent the Jacob's ladder, which is a common motif in masonic symbolism.

Masonic art: Jacob's ladder

But this is not just about masonry. This piece of art is about the Cult of Aton, of which masonry is just one branch.

Jacob was the patriarch of the bible, who was renamed by God as Israel. The name is a combination of three ancient deities Isis, Ra and El, Is-Ra-El - moon, sun and Saturn.

It's obvious that the artist knew about this fact. Just like Is-Ra-El, the three big letters in the statue are references to moon, sun and Saturn.

The letter C is self-evident. It's a crescent moon, plain and simple.

The letter A is about the sun god Aton. A for Aton. It's painted in red, which is reference to the ancient power base of "the Elite" and the Cult of Aton - Lower Egypt.

Red was the color of Lower Egypt. The Nile Delta was surrounded but the Red Land (the desert) and the crown of Lower Egypt, known as Deshret was the Red Crown.

Deshret - the Red Crown of Lower Egypt

In the letter A you can see the familiar form of the masonic pyramid with the detached capstone.

The letter B in this monument is not really about "B". (Wonder why it's lower case?) It's about the astrological sign of Capricorn, which is very similar to the lower case "b". Capricorn is ruled by Saturn.

Moon, sun and Saturn = Is-Ra-El.

And what about the cat on the statue? Could this "big cat" (or "Is-Ra-El cat") be about the lion of Judah?

The lion of Judah

More hidden in plain sight symbolism on statues on page Esoteric statues.

More about the sun cult of "the Elite" on page Cult of Aton.

Elias Lönnrot memorial

There are many tarot statues in Helsinki, capital of my home-country Finland, but this one is the most fascinating of them: Elias Lönnrot memorial.

The Helsinki Art Museum's introduction:

Elias Lönnrot (1802-84) was a Doctor of Medicine, a linguist, a scholar of the Finnish language and a collector of Finnish folk poetry. He was the professor of Finnish language and literature at the University of Helsinki in 1853-62 and also played a key role in developing Finnish and improving its status in the 19th century. Lönnrot published extensively; his works extend from articles on medicine to `Kanteletar' (1841), a collection of Finnish folklore, and `Kalevala' (1835, 1849), the Finnish national epic, whose poems he also collected and edited. In addition, he edited a Finnish-Swedish dictionary (1880).

Already during his lifetime Lönnrot won national acclaim. He also received numerous awards. In 1899 the Finnish Literature Society organized a competition for a memorial for Lönnrot. The memorial was commissioned from Emil Wikström, the winner of the competition. The final proposal (1901), however, differed considerably from the original draft. It was clearly influenced by Eemil Halonen's competition entry which had finished second. Wikström's sculpture was cast in bronze in Brussels and unveiled on October 18, 1902.

The work combines realistic sculpture with poetical and fantastic themes. It depicts Lönnrot on one of his folklore-collecting journeys, writing down the mythical words and poems he has just been sung. Beside the clearly realistically depicted Lönnrot are two personifications of poetic spirit. On Lönnrot's left is Väinämönen, the symbol of `Kalevala's' epic and magic verses, rising from the head of Vipunen, represented in bas-relief. On the right is Impi, symbolising the lyric poems and songs of `Kalevala' and `Kanteletar'. Wikström intended to add Tapio, the forest god, as a protector of cattle but due to high costs the idea had to be abandoned.

After the memorial was unveiled, Wikström was criticized for depicting both Lönnrot and the folklore figures with equal realism. The front of the pedestal contains Lönnrot's name and the text: "Sain sanat salasta ilmi, Kalevala" (The words I laid open, Kalevala).

Elias Lönnrot memorial

Elias Lönnrot memorial from the side

What the museum's introduction fails to mention is that Lönnrot was a freemason. Because of his masonic background, it's no wonder the statue has a subtle reference to freemasonry. The shape of the statue is clearly a pyramid.

Elias Lönnrot and the masonic Hidden hand

Masonic symbolism: the pyramid

Masonic symbolism: the pyramid

The most interesting detail of the memorial is the hidden image on the side. It's actually a very creative example of hidden in plain sight symbolism. You have to look at it upside down.

The art museum claims that it's Vipunen, a minor character from Kalevala. Of course that's only the exoteric level. The esoteric level is about something completely different.

The masons have a very special interest towards the esoteric teachings, such as tarot. What this hidden face is truly depicting is the tarot card the Devil. Once you see it, it's ridiculously obvious.

Wonder why the experts at the Helsinki Art Museum can't see it?

More examples of tarot statues on the page Esoteric statues.