light made solid

Much of Christian iconography and symbolism was appropriated from pre- and non-Christian religions over the course of European and Western history. Churches were built over old pagan holy sites. Pagan deities became Christian saints or demons. Many of the oldest churches and cathedrals in Europe still bear the marks of this trend. You'll see strange non-Christian figures carved into entry-ways, arches and other elements of the church. Some say these were done in order to attract people of old religions to the new religion of Christianity.

Over the past century or more, there's been an enormous upswell to reclaim many of these pre- and non-Christian religious traditions. Movements such as Neo-Paganism, Wicca, shamanism, some New Age traditions and the Gnostic revival are all good examples. In many cases, believers in these traditions have taken an active interest in uncovering connections between Christian religious symbolism and other older traditions.

For people interested in such things, stained glass might be a nice way for you to explore this type of imagery. We've got a couple images on our site for personal windows we did for people which express various aspects of their own private spiritual journey. And we'd love to help you illuminate your own.