Pagan emblems are symbols that hold significant meaning in pagan religions and practices. These emblems can be found in various forms, such as tattoos, artwork, and jewelry. Each emblem carries its own unique interpretation, representing different aspects of the natural and spiritual world. One of the most well-known pagan emblems is the pentagram. The pentagram is a five-pointed star surrounded by a circle. This symbol is often associated with the elements of earth, air, fire, water, and spirit.
This symbol is often associated with the elements of earth, air, fire, water, and spirit. The five points of the star represent these elements, while the circle represents unity and protection. The pentagram is considered a symbol of balance and harmony in pagan traditions.
GOLF'S MAGIC CARPET RIDE
"Adventure" golf, the new breed of miniature golf courses, has replaced the windmills and ceramic animals with 20-foot shipwrecks and waterfalls. These courses have sloped putting greens, water hazards and rocks on a landscape that looks like something out of Epcot Center.
All this comes at a price. At the seven courses with an adventure golf theme in the Tampa Bay area, players pay up to $6 for one round.
A course costs more than $1-million to build, but the rewards are hefty, too. With some locations bringing in $500,000 a year and keeping half of that as profit, there's nothing miniature about adventure golf.
"The old, flat, obstacle-laden, rinky-dink courses are passe," said Skip Laun, executive director of Tallahassee-based Miniature Golf Association of America. Many say the newer courses add a sporting element to miniature golf, which has long been perceived as more of a children's game.
"I think those windmills (on old putt-putt courses) are luck and chance. This is the '90s and people want real golf," said David Sheppard, manager and part owner of Fiesta Falls Adventure Golf in Indian Rocks Beach. Sheppard, a professional golfer for five years, helped design the Fiesta Falls course, complete with water hazards on the greens.
The adventure golf courses have pars around 40, but scores average in the high 40s and low 50s. Some courses, like Congo River Golf & Exploration Co. in Clearwater and Tampa, change the layout and difficulty of the holes so returning players don't play the same course each time.
This brand of golf is catching on. There are more than 1,000 courses with adventure golf or similar themes nationwide, Laun said, compared to 7,000 more traditional courses.
The first adventure golf courses were built in the Myrtle Beach, S.C., area in the early 1980s. After the builders saw the success of the first courses, they began to look for warm locales where players could play year-round. Florida was an obvious choice.
At most area adventure courses, majority ownership is held by one of a number of out-of-state private companies, most of which are based in Traverse City, Mich. The city is the mecca of adventure golf courses. Designers built two courses there in the mid-'80s, and course designers then took their success to other states.
Adventure Golf Design and Development, a Traverse City company, is the biggest adventure course operator in Florida, with six Congo River courses. The adventure courses started appearing in the Tampa Bay area about seven years ago.
Fiesta Falls, the Indian Rocks Beach course, has been open for five years and draws as many as 1,000 players a day during its peak season, January to April. With an average price of $4.87 per person ($5.45 for adults, less for children and seniors), that's as much as $4,870 in revenue lining up at the ticket booth in a day.
Creating these courses isn't cheap. Building Fiesta Falls' elaborate rock formations, waterfalls and putting greens took several months and cost almost $500,000, said Wayne Lobdell. His firm, Lobdell Management of Traverse City, is a general partner in the course.
Then there are "soft" costs, including design and legal fees, that can be hundreds of thousands of dollars. The initial investment on an adventure golf course is well over $1-million, Lobdell said.
The high initial cost of adventure golf courses forces owners to charge higher fees to play. In contrast to nearby adventure golf courses, players pay only $2.50 at St. Pete Beach's Polynesian Putter, a traditional miniature golf course.
But once the course is built, operating costs are comparatively tiny. The payroll for the courses is small, utility bills are low and most of the maintenance is done by the employees. Sheppard said Fiesta Falls has had as much as $800,000 in revenue in a year and can make about $400,000 in profit.
The courses pay for themselves in two years, Laun said, and only two adventure golf courses have gone out of business nationwide since the concept began.
The players at these courses, mostly tourists, don't seem to mind paying more money to play. Bill and Linda Faletti, on vacation from Ashford, Conn., stopped at Pirates Cove Adventure Golf in Madeira Beach recently because it was the first course they saw.
"We find it relaxing," Bill said after his ball lipped the 17th hole, eliciting a groan from his wife. "We hit every (course) we see."
The course owners say two basic elements in business success, location and good service, get people to come and play. The courses are located on heavily traveled streets like Gulf Boulevard on the Pinellas County beaches and U.S. 19 in Clearwater and Port Richey, where many people drive by, see the shipwrecks and waterfalls, and stop to play.
But the key to survival in this business isn't getting players to come on the course _ it's getting them to come back.
There are four courses within 12 miles of each other on Gulf Boulevard, and the courses have plenty of tricks to get visitors to play their course more often than the competition's.
Brenda Bromley, manager and part owner of the Ruins de El Dorado course in St. Pete Beach, uses coupons, special rates for residents, discounts on second rounds, and a variety of other incentives to get people to come back.
While the adventure golf courses are businesses out to make money, the owners and managers tend to think of them as labors of love.
"It's a fun business because, in general, people go there and have a good time," said Jerry Kocis, part owner of Global Golf, the company that started Ruins de El Dorado. "You don't have to deal with irate people or other people of that nature."
Another plus is that adventure golf appeals to people of all ages. That alone should keep people paying to putt yellow, purple and green golf balls, course owners say.
"It's an escape," said Fiesta Falls' Lobdell. "I think the most important thing is that the whole family can go out and play. The whole family can't go out to play tennis, the whole family can go out to play miniature golf and each can be reasonably competitive."
Fiesta Falls, the Indian Rocks Beach course, has been open for five years and draws as many as 1,000 players a day during its peak season, January to April. With an average price of $4.87 per person ($5.45 for adults, less for children and seniors), that's as much as $4,870 in revenue lining up at the ticket booth in a day.
Another popular pagan emblem is the triquetra, also known as the Celtic knot. The triquetra is a three-pointed knot that represents the interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit. It is often associated with the triple goddess and the phases of the moon. The triquetra is seen as a symbol of transformation and the cycles of life and death. The tree of life is another significant pagan emblem. It is a symbol found in many mythologies and spiritual traditions. The tree represents the connection between the physical and spiritual realms, with its roots reaching into the earth and its branches reaching towards the heavens. The tree of life symbolizes growth, wisdom, and the interconnectedness of all living beings. The spiral is yet another pagan emblem that holds deep meaning. It represents the cycles of life, death, and rebirth. The spiral can be found in various forms, such as the spiral of a seashell or the winding path of a labyrinth. The spiral is seen as a symbol of personal and spiritual growth, as well as the eternal cycle of existence. Overall, pagan emblems are powerful symbols that carry profound interpretations in pagan religions and practices. They represent various aspects of the natural and spiritual world, such as balance, interconnectedness, transformation, and growth. These emblems serve as reminders and guideposts for pagans on their spiritual journeys..
Reviews for "Pagan emblems and their influence on contemporary jewelry design"
1. John - 2/5 stars - I found "Pagan emblems and their interpretations" to be quite disappointing. The book promised a deep dive into the meanings and symbolism of pagan emblems, but it fell short on the delivery. The interpretations provided were shallow and lacked depth. I was hoping for more insightful and thought-provoking analysis, but unfortunately, this book didn't provide that.
2. Sarah - 1/5 stars - "Pagan emblems and their interpretations" was a complete waste of time. The author seems to have a very limited understanding of pagan symbols and their significance. The explanations given were superficial and lacked any real substance. It felt like the author was simply regurgitating basic information that could easily be found with a quick internet search. I was hoping for a more in-depth exploration of pagan emblems, but this book failed to deliver.
3. Mark - 2/5 stars - I found "Pagan emblems and their interpretations" to be quite underwhelming. The book started off promising, but as I delved further into it, I realized that it lacked originality. The interpretations provided were often repetitive and seemed to be a rehash of common knowledge. I was hoping for a fresh perspective and new insights, but unfortunately, this book didn't offer much in that regard.
4. Emily - 2/5 stars - "Pagan emblems and their interpretations" left me feeling unsatisfied. While the book attempted to analyze pagan symbols and their meanings, it fell short in its execution. The interpretations provided were often vague and lacked supporting evidence or examples. I was hoping for a more rigorous analysis of these emblems, but this book failed to deliver the level of depth and understanding I was seeking.
5. David - 1/5 stars - I did not enjoy "Pagan emblems and their interpretations" at all. The book was poorly researched and lacked any real scholarly analysis. It felt like the author was simply offering their personal opinions without any solid evidence or historical context. The interpretations provided were often subjective and lacked objectivity. Overall, I was highly disappointed with this book and would not recommend it to anyone looking for a comprehensive understanding of pagan emblems.