Author Archives: Symbol Reader

Reading The Red Book (37) – Seven Sermons to the Dead

Posted on October 24, 2021 by Symbol Reader

Seven Sermons to the Dead (Septem Sermones ad Mortuos) is a collection of seven Gnostic texts written and privately published by C. G. Jung in 1916, under the title Seven Sermons to the Dead, written by Basilides of Alexandria, the City … Continue reading →

Posted in The Red Book by C.G. Jung | Tagged Alexandria, archetypes, Atman, Basilides, C.G. Jung, Christianity, fullness, gnosis, Gnosticism, individuation, Jungian psychology, Liber Novus, nothingness, opposites, Philemon, pleroma, psyche, religion, Septem Sermones, Soul, symbolism, symbols, The Red Book | 2 Comments

Sisyphus and Stone

Posted on October 3, 2021 by Symbol Reader

Stones symbolize that which is ancient, eternal, impenetrable and unconscious. Unsurprisingly, the first chapter of human history was called the Stone Age. For the ancients stones were infused with the spirit of the gods and ancestors. Stone caves were places … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged archetypes, Artemis, boulder, fertility, Greek mythology, Jungian psychology, myth, petrus, psyche, rock, Sisyphus, sliding stone, stone, symbolism, symbols, Verena Kast | 13 Comments

The House of the Black Madonna

Posted on September 26, 2021 by Symbol Reader

One of the most important Black Madonna shrines in Europe is The Basilica della Santa Casa (Basilica of the Holy House) in Loreto, Italy. Catholics believe that it enshrines the authentic house, where Mary lived, where she heard the Annunciation … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Madonna | Tagged alchemy, archetypes, black, Black Madonna, blackness, butterfly, cave, Dark goddess, death, feminine, fire, goddess, hearth, Hestia, kitchen, Loreto, Mary, medlar, Persephone, psyche, rebirth, sacred, Solothurn, Soul, symbolism, symbols, the underworld, tomb, vessel, womb | 10 Comments

Reading The Red Book (36)

Posted on September 12, 2021 by Symbol Reader

“The place of your work should be in the vault.” C.G. Jung, The Red Book, Scrutinies We have now reached Scrutinies – the third part of Jung’s Red Book. As Sonu Shamdasani points out in his introduction to The Red … Continue reading →

Posted in The Red Book by C.G. Jung | Tagged alchemy, archetypes, belief, Brimo, C.G. Jung, Dark goddess, dead, depth psychology, ego, gnosis, HAP, Hekate, I, knowledge, Liber Novus, love, phallus, Philemon, pride, psyche, Scrutinies, Self, shadow, solitude, Soul, symbol, symbolism, symbols, The Red Book, vanity | 2 Comments

The Sacred Art of Pilgrimage

Posted on August 22, 2021 by Symbol Reader

“May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm on your face, the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you … Continue reading →

Posted in pilgrimage | Tagged archetypes, Camino, Dreamtime, Homer, journey, navigating, navigation, oime, path, pilgrim, pilgrimage, protest march, psyche, Rilke, Saint James, Santiago, songlines, Soul, Switzerland, symbolism, symbols, wayfinding | 14 Comments

Symbolism of Mountains

Posted on July 31, 2021 by Symbol Reader

In Memories, Dreams, Reflections, C.G. Jung talks about his childhood dream of going to the Swiss mountains. Owing to the fact that he was born in a poor family his dream came true only in late childhood. One day his … Continue reading →

Posted in The Mountains | Tagged alchemy, archetypes, C.G. Jung, Dalai Lama, divinity, goddess, Jungfrau, life, Meru, Mount Everest, mountain, prima materia, psyche, sherpas, Soul, spirit, symbolism, symbols, The Alps, water | 10 Comments

The House of Mary

Posted on July 12, 2021 by Symbol Reader

One of the most important Black Madonna shrines in Europe is The Basilica della Santa Casa (Basilica of the Holy House) in Loreto, Italy. Catholics believe that it enshrines the authentic house, where Mary lived. The house is believed to … Continue reading →

Posted in Home | Tagged archetypes, Black Madonna, Home, Loreto, Mary's house, Nomadland, psyche, Soul, symbolism, womb | 2 Comments

A Hymn to Plant Life

Posted on July 4, 2021 by Symbol Reader

While listening to a talk of Alan Watts recently, I was struck by one of his observations. He said that in Daoist inspired landscape painting was a statement against anthropocentrism, which sees humans as the crown of creation. In a … Continue reading →

Posted in plants | Tagged Alan Watts, archetypes, breath, C.G. Jung, dao, death, desire, East, Emanuele Coccia, ideas, life, logos, nature, Olafur Eliasson, philosophy, plants, prana, psyche, rebirth, seasons, Soul, symbolism, symbols, tao, unconscious, West | 2 Comments

Reading The Red Book (35)

Posted on June 20, 2021 by Symbol Reader

“I have united with the serpent of the beyond. I have accepted everything beyond into myself.” C.G. Jung, The Red Book, Liber Secundus, chapter XXI This is a continuation of the discussion of the final twenty-first chapter of Liber Secundus … Continue reading →

Posted in The Red Book by C.G. Jung | Tagged analytical psychology, ancestors, anima, archetypes, C.G. Jung, Cabiri, crown, death, depth psychology, grass, Liber Novus, life, love, moisture, Mother, opposites, Philemon, plants, psyche, Salome, Satan, serpent, solitude, symbolism, symbols, the dead, The Red Book, the unconscious, the Way, tower, vegetation | Leave a comment

Reading The Red Book (34)

Posted on May 24, 2021 by Symbol Reader

“We need magic to be able to receive or invoke the messenger and the communication of the incomprehensible.” C.G. Jung, The Red Book, Liber Secundus, chapter XXI We have reached the final twenty-first chapter of Liber Secundus – the second … Continue reading →