Please direct all correspondence to: Ian Firla, Robert Graves Trust, St John's College, Oxford, OXI 3JP or via email to ifirla@icomm.ca. We welcome all questions and comments, responses to articles, reviews and letters as well as points of information.

received via email:

From: Harmut Buescher

To: Ian Firia

Date: 30 September, 1998

Subject: Triple Goddess Sigil

Dear Ian Firla,

always wondering whether the sigil, I first saw on the front cover of Graves' White Goddess and now in connection with Gravesiana, had been especially designed for Robert Graves, or whether it is indeed an archaeological artifact (subsequently adopted by Graves in recognition that it reflected the essence of his own heart), kindly allow me to ask you for the available information about its origin.

Sincerely

Hartmut Buescher

In a follow-up email, Hartmut expands on his original query and offers some speculations of his own:

Given the essential significance of the Triple Goddess Sigil - as also its association with the Gravesiana explicitly acknowledges - for the subject of Robert Graves (both for himself in his own creation of pluridimensional life-worlds of psycho-energetic integrity and as a subject of contemporary reflection, contemplation, provocation, adoration, etc., as well as source of inspiration), I feel it might be worthwhile not to stop at merely presenting certain historical data with regard to the technical execution of the design. Why not venture to engage in a quest aiming at unfolding some of the hermeneutical and inspirational dimensions of the Triple goddess Sigil? What I mean is that those interested in Robert Graves and the horizons of meaningfulness he reenergized might likewise be interested in understanding the significance of the sigil.

Now, it might be possible to reconstruct some of the significance the various elements included in the design had for Robert Graves from his own writings - and certainly an article investigating this should be encouraged. However, it might be even more interesting to additionally request various people (poets, writers, artists, etc.), who are known to be close in heart and inspiration to Robert Graves, to creatively unfold their hermeneutic horizons as dimensions still alive and inspired by contemplating the Triple Goddess Sigil. In this way one might actually obtain vibrant expressions of the goddess herself in form of unpredictable variations of self-referential reflections inspired by her. After all, the Gravesiana would certainly honour Robert Graves in a most adequate way, if it would not just turn into a graveyard of dead historical fact, but stimulate the openness of the horizon Robert Graves suggested as an actuality.

Of course, I cannot conceal my interest in knowing whether the volume of the Gravesiana that contained the accumulated reflective ("poetic, prose & painted") responses would be a slim or a fat one? Perhaps, I've indicated an interest you might share.

Yours curiously,

Hartmut

As someone who shares Hartmut's interest in the origins of the 'sigil' and in its symbolic meaning, I do hope that some responses "poetic, prose & painted" are forthcoming.