Author Archives: Symbol Reader

Kafka’s Book of Images – Part 1

Posted on September 8, 2024 by Symbol Reader

Each volume of Reiner Stach’s Kafka biography is a gem in its own right. The Early Years, which, due to legal issues, was published last in the trilogy, offers a treasure trove of insights into Kafka’s childhood and formative years. … Continue reading →

Posted in Franz Kafka | Tagged archetypes, biography, C.G. Jung, Early Years, Franz Kafka, part 1, Reiner Stach, sport, symbolism, symbols, water, youth | 5 Comments

The War in the Psyche

Posted on August 1, 2024 by Symbol Reader

You might recall that in the film The Pianist, Władysław Szpilman is depicted hiding in the ruins of apartments, witnessing both the Ghetto Uprising in 1943 and the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. Today marks the 80th anniversary of the latter. … Continue reading →

Posted in Psyche, War | Tagged archetypes, C.G. Jung, conflict, depth psychology, harmony, history, literature, opposites, Paul Lynch, Poland, Prophet Song, psyche, Soul, symbolism, symbols, Szpilman, The Pianist, War, Warsaw, Warsaw Uprising | 2 Comments

The Mind at Odds with Itself: On the Difference Between the Left and the Right Hemispheres of the Brain

Posted on June 16, 2024 by Symbol Reader

In Chinese mythology, the universe begins as a formless chaos or an egg. Inside this chaos is Pangu, a giant who eventually breaks out of the egg. As he emerges, he separates the chaos into yin and yang, which represent … Continue reading →

Posted in Brain Hemispheres | Tagged algorithm, archetypes, attention, body, brain, C.G. Jung, consciousness, depth psychology, embodiment, Hans Dumb, hemispheres, Iain McGilchrist, left brain, life, mental-health, neuroscience, philosophy, Power, psychology, right brain, schizophrenia, Soul, symbolism, symbols, The Master and His Emissary, the Other, the unconscious, yin and yang | 22 Comments

The Magic of the Mundane

Posted on April 29, 2024 by Symbol Reader

“The person of higher virtue is like water, benefiting the ten thousand things without struggle. It rests in the lowest places near the Tao. Therefore: In dwelling, choose modest quarters, in thinking, value stillness, in dealing with others, be kind, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged book review, book-reviews, Books, fiction, Haruki Murakami, left hemisphere, Murakami, Perfect Days, right hemisphere, rituals, tao, The City and Its Uncertain Walls, The Master and His Emissary, the shadow, Wim Wenders | 2 Comments

The Symbolism of the Dragon

Posted on March 10, 2024 by Symbol Reader

“Dragons are subterranean, winged, smoke- and fire-breathing creatures, hybrid go-betweens in a magical bond between heaven and the underworld, where they guard secret treasures and reign over fires and concealed palaces.” A description found on Dragon Path on Mount Pilatus … Continue reading →

Posted in Dragons | Tagged Agathis Daimon, alchemy, archetypes, Bilbo, C.G. Jung, Cadmus, Campbell, China, depth psychology, dragon, Dragons, drakaina, drakon, drakontes, etymology, fantasy, Gaia, goddess, gold, golden apples, Greek myth, guardian, Hermes, hero, Hesperides, James Hillman, Krakow, Ladon, Mercurius, Mysterium Coniunctionis, mythology, Nagas, Pilatus, ring, river, shadow, Shesha, Smaug, Soul, Stilbon, symbolism, symbols, The Red Book, treasure, Typhon, uoroboros, Vishnu, water, Yggdrasil | 12 Comments

The Sibyls

Posted on February 10, 2024 by Symbol Reader

“But she stood … black like an ancient citadel … as the words, which unrestrained now multiplied in her against her will, screamed and flew around her in incessant circles, while those that had returned home set darkly beneath her … Continue reading →

Posted in The Sibyls | Tagged Aeneas, Aeneid, Apollo, archetypes, Black Madonna, black meteor, cave, Christianity, Cumae, Cybele, Delphi, Gaia, goddess, Great Mother, Greece, Hermes, Libyan Sibyl, Loreto, mythology, oracle, Pausanias, Pessinus, poetry, prophecy, Pythia, Sibylline Books, Sibyls, stone, symbolism, symbols, Tarquinius | 7 Comments

Sedna

Posted on January 6, 2024 by Symbol Reader

The Inuit peoples have a profound connection to the Arctic as their ancestral homeland. Across the Arctic, one deity stands out as an all-powerful goddess of the sea and the underworld. Her name is Sedna. The name itself is an … Continue reading →

Posted in Sedna, Sedna | Tagged Adlivun, archetypes, art, Bitternis, christianization, creation myth, Demeter, dismemberment, goddess, handicapped, Inuit myth, Joanna Bator, limbless, mutilation, mythology, Sedna, shaman, Soul, symbolism, symbols, trauma, Underworld, violence | 2 Comments

Antoni Gaudí and His Sagrada Família

Posted on December 17, 2023 by Symbol Reader

Before the 30-year-old Antoni Gaudí designed the Nativity Facade of the Sagrada Família, he underwent a strict twenty-day fast that left him emaciated. The full name of the Basilica is the Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family. Its foundation stone … Continue reading →

Posted in Antoni Gaudi | Tagged Antoni Gaudi, archetypes, architecture, Art Nouveau, basilica, Casa Battlo, Catalonia, Catholic art, Catholicism, image, Modernism, nature, organic architecture, Protestant art, Protestantism, sacred art, Sagrada Familia, scripture, symbolism, symbols, temple, word | 10 Comments

Montserrat and Its Holy Grail

Posted on November 23, 2023 by Symbol Reader

Throughout the world, sacred sites intricately weave together historical facts and legendary tales, rendering the task of distinguishing between the two an impossible challenge. Located approximately fifty kilometers from Barcelona, the Montserrat Monastery derives its name from the mountain upon … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Madonna | Tagged archetypes, Barcelona, black, Black Madonna, Cybele, dark, darkness, Great Goddess, Holy Grail, Montserrat, Moreneta, mountain, prophecy, samadhi, Soul, Spain, symbolism, symbols | 2 Comments

Hekate: World Soul, Cosmic Bridge and a Liminal Goddess

Posted on October 21, 2023 by Symbol Reader

“Ever since the ‘Timaeus’ it has been repeatedly stated that the soul is a sphere. As the anima mundi, the soul revolves with the world wheel, whose hub is the Pole. … The anima mundi is really the motor of … Continue reading →