"The deepest core of life is poetry and symbol." - Dane Rudhyar
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Author Archives: Symbol Reader
The Shattering Power of the Theatre
I. “I can take any empty space and call it a bare stage. A man walks across this empty space whilst someone else is watching him, and this is all that is needed for an act of theatre to be … Continue reading
Posted in The Theatre, Uncategorized
Tagged Ancient Greece, art, Birth of Tragedy, Dionysus, dithyramb, drama, Mahabharata, mask, Nietzsche, Peter Brook, Samuel Beckett, symbolism, symbols, theatre, tragedy
11 Comments
Genesis in Motion
According to the Book of Genesis (New American Standard Bible), “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was … Continue reading
The Alchemical Salt and Its Taste of Infinitude
I.“Thus the fire began to work upon the air and brought forth Sulphur. Then the air began to work upon the water and brought forth Mercurius. The water began to work upon the earth and brought forth Salt. But the … Continue reading
Posted in Alchemy, Salt
Tagged alchemy, C.G. Jung, depth psychology, mummification, natron, Salt, symbolism, symbols
15 Comments
Symbolism of the Lighthouse
The world’s first lighthouse, the Pharos, was erected in the ancient city of Alexandria. One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, it turned the insignificant port of Pharos into one of the greatest cities of the ancient world. … Continue reading
Posted in Lighthouse
Tagged Alexandria, Carl Jung, depth psychology, fire, Heraclitus, individuation, Lighthouse, Pharos, symbolism, symbols, the unconscious, Vesta
16 Comments
“Alchemy” by Jane Yeh
If it could be done, I’d do it In an instant. I’ve got the charts, The mortar and pestle, the fullest Array of flasks that side of Rome. My walls are papered with symbols, and the biggest Is gold. There’s … Continue reading
Shiva and Shakti – Consciousness and Power
I. “Since Shiva is only the silent, immobile witness, whereas she is the power herself, the devotees of Shakti and Devi have concluded that it might be best to direct one’s attention and prayers exclusively to the Goddess. Not the … Continue reading
Discovering Intellectual Fire: the Birth of English
The written word is both of the earth and of the spirit, positioned on the intersection between mind and flesh. It freezes the living, shimmering organism of language in time, petrifies it, making it immortal. The intangible, impenetrable roots of … Continue reading
Posted in English, Language
Tagged Anglo Saxons, christianization, English, history, language, Latin, Lindisfarne Gospels, Melvyn Bragg, Old English, origins, runes, The Adventure of English
5 Comments
Cultivating the Mysterious Essence: on Authenticity
I. “The ancient masters cultivated the mysterious essence. They were profound, subtle – beyond our ability to comprehend. For this reason we cannot know them, but we can try to describe their existence: Cautious, as if crossing an icy … Continue reading
Posted in Authenticity
Tagged analytical psychology, Authenticity, C.G. Jung, empowerment, Hegel, Heidegger, individuation, personality, psychology, tao, Taoism, Trilling
25 Comments
Sense and Meaning
“Contrary to what is generally believed, meaning and sense were never the same thing, meaning shows itself at once, direct, literal, explicit, enclosed in itself, univocal, if you like, while sense cannot stay still, it seethes with second, third and … Continue reading
Posted in Quotations
Tagged "All the Names", Borges, butterfly, Chuang Tzu, dream, meaning, Saramago, sense
17 Comments
Jung on Alchemy (6): Sol and Sulphur – the Fiery Ferment of the Soul’s Hidden Depth
“As in the hand a sulfur match flares white and sends out flicking tongues on every side before it bursts into flame –: in that ring of crowded onlookers, hot, eager, and precise her round dance begins to dart and … Continue reading
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