So, you're thinking "Why is this text a link?  What will happen if I click on it?" This is what happens: you get a behind the scenes explanation of the design for my website. So, do you want to learn about the colors or the symbols?

As should be fairly obvious by now, there are three primary colors used on my website:  black, grey, and white.  For anyone who knows me, you realize that these three colors also comprise the majority of my wardrobe. Why these colors?  Why not any of the other billions of color combinations possible? Well, I could try and explain, but I think that my all-time favorite musician said it best:

“…it just felt right. I wore black because I liked it. I still do, and wearing it means something to me. It’s still my symbol of rebellion – against a stagnant status quo, against our hypocritical houses of God, against people whose minds are closed to others’ ideas.”

John R. Cash, “Cash”

Well said, Johnny. But while dressing in all black looks pretty damn good, having a webpage in all black would make it a bit difficult to read the text or navigate through the pages.  Therefore, I needed some more color.  And what goes better with black than white? One thing led to another and then here comes their bastard child, grey.  Next thing you know, I have a black, white, and grey website.

The symbols take a bit more explanation.  First off, that's not a cross on the front page, look a little more carefully at this enhanced picture:

So, if that's not a cross, then what is it? The proper name of the symbol above is a kraki, and it predates the Christian cross.  Kraki is Norse for "pole-ladder," and this was the symbol of one of their gods, Rig. Rig is the god of climbers and wanderers, of those striving to reach ever higher in life and live better. The kraki, rather than an ordinary ladder, was the symbol of Rig because it could only be climbed one rung at a time to reach the top, meaning that someone who wanted to do so would have to be truly invested in the journey.

For me, this is symbolic of my chosen profession, psychology. Through my research, teaching, and clinical work I hope to aid those who want to live life better by changing their maladaptive behaviors and replacing them with ones that assist them in climbing their own "ladder." I feel that by doing so, this will push me to strive higher in my own life. And yes, I do know that sounds slightly hackneyed, but hey, you asked.

But what about those little birds? Well, those are two ravens. In Norse mythology, the god Odin (also called Othin, Woden, or Wotan) had two ravens, Huginn and Muninn, that flew around the nine worlds every day and returned to tell him all that had occured. Roughly translated, their names mean "Thought" and "Wisdom." I chose these two as another aspect of my site's design because I strive to be constantly informed of what is happening in the world, especially in the field of psychology.  I feel that keeping abreast of current research is extraordinarily important in order to be a competent scientist-practioner and that understanding world events and happenings is important to being a good citizen.

So, there you have it.  The symbology of www.caleblack.com. Now, don't you feel totally enlightened?