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NATIVE AMERICAN ANGEL -  Native American spiritual beliefs hold rich accounts of spirits or angels - that the dead live on and even visit us.  Death is typically viewed as a door into the next life, or world, and not something to be feared but embraced.

"We believe that the spirit pervades all creation and that every creature possesses a soul in some degree, though not necessarily a soul conscious to itself.  The tree, the waterfall, the grizzly bear, each is an embodied force, and as such an object of reverence." - Ohiyesa, Sioux 1902 (aka Charles Eastman)

YIN YANG -  The yin-yang symbol holds its roots in Taoism/Daoism, a Chinese religion and philosophy.  The yin, the dark swirl, is associated with shadows, femininity, and the trough of a wave.  The yang, the light swirl, represents brightness, passion and growth.  

THE END OF THE TRAIL (TRAILS END)  -  Is a sculpture by American-born artist James Earle Fraser, The End of the Trail has endured to become one of the most recognizable images in the United States.  Many people are familiar with this representation of an American Indian on horseback, but few actually know the history of the piece.

MEDICINE WHEEL (SACRED HOOP) -  The term “Medicine Wheel” is not a Native American expression.  It is of course of European and American origin.  What the symbol has been called in Native America depends on the language of each particular Nation.  The main design of the Native American Medicine Wheel is the most basic yet most perfect form – the circle.  This is one absolute not only in Native America for sacred hoops but also for most cultures that have some kind of "Circle of Life" symbol.

CHURCH - The spiritual house we call a church is above all intended to be reflection of heaven arrayed in signs and symbols.  A church is intended to be a map of heaven and how to get there.  The church building is also a metaphor in stone of a people’s own spiritual journey as we make our pilgrimage from isolated individuals, into community, to the presence of the Divine. 

DAUGHTERS OF UNION VETERANS OF THE CIVIL WAR -  These are daughters, granddaughters and great granddaughters of any generation of honorably discharged soldiers and sailors who served in the Union Army,  Navy, or  Marine Corps and Revenue Cutter Service during the Rebellion of 1861 – 1865, and those who died or were killed while serving in the armed services of the Union between April 12, 1861 and April 9, 1865.

SONS OF UNION VETERANS OF THE CIVIL WAR -  Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) is an American fraternal organization, the legal successor to the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR).  Founded in late 1881, it was originally one of several competing organizations of descendants of Union veterans.  By 1886, others had joined the SUVCW.

SCYTHE AND HOURGLASS -   In early renderings the scythe represented the Reaper and is shown holding arrows, darts, spears or crossbows.  Over time, a scythe came to replace these other instruments of death.  The scythe represents the reaping of life and the hourglass represents that your earthly time has ran out.  Usually the scythe is shown with an hourglass or (Father Time) an old man with a beard, holding the hourglass and/or scythe.

SCALES -  The scales (specifically, a two-pan, beam balance) are one of the traditional symbols of justice, as wielded by statues of Lady Justice.  Originating in Chaldea as the mystic symbol of justice, it represents the equivalence of guilt and punishment.  Symbolism in the Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead depicts a scene in which a scribe's heart is weighed against the feather of truth.   Usually found on the headstones of judges.

PENGUIN -  Penguin Totem Animal is an example of real lasting and enduring love and commitment as most Penguins mate for life.  When they mate the male actually warms and keeps the egg alive, while the female makes the epic journey to the sea for food.  Overall, penguin symbolic meanings are diverse and not always so obvious as the symbolism of some other plants and animals.