Author Archives: Symbol Reader

The Blessings of Darkness and Light: Tribute to Khalil Gibran

Posted on January 8, 2016 by Symbol Reader

I.“Now I know that I am the sphere, and all life in rhythmic fragments moves within me.” “The reality of the other person is not in what he reveals to you, but in what he cannot reveal to you.” “Love … Continue reading →

Posted in Khalil Gibran, Uncategorized | Tagged "The Prophet", Almustafa, archetypes, Khalil Gibran, love, Mary Haskell, mysticism, pain, religion, spirituality, suffering, symbolism, symbols, the union of opposites | 20 Comments

Two Poems by Yehuda Amichai

Posted on January 3, 2016 by Symbol Reader

I. “A Man in His Life” “A man doesn’t have time in his life to have time for everything. He doesn’t have seasons enough to have a season for every purpose. Ecclesiastes was wrong about that. A man needs to love … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | Tagged "A Man in His Life", opposites, Yehuda Amichai | 12 Comments

Mary

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Symbol Reader

In the new issue of National Geographic there is an absorbing article on “Mary: The Most Powerful Woman in the World.” The article, which I cannot recommend enough, can be read here: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2015/12/virgin-mary-text The holiest woman, even in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged goddess, Holy Mary, isis, letter M, Madonna, Mary, sea, symbols | 12 Comments

Stamped on the Underside of My Memory

Posted on December 26, 2015 by Symbol Reader

“Every aurate woman I have loved in my life, and I use the word loved in its widest sense, has left her impression on me, as the old gods of creation are said to have left their thumbprints on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotations, Uncategorized | Tagged Ancient Light, John Banville, literature, memory, quotes, the unconscious | 9 Comments

In the Crystalline Maze: Symbolism of the Mirror

Posted on December 23, 2015 by Symbol Reader

The magic of mirrors and their tremendous mystic powers cannot be doubted. The soul’s primal instinct is to seek unity in love. We project our Selves onto the world and onto others in an attempt to see our own soul … Continue reading →

Posted in The Mirror, Uncategorized | Tagged Ankh, Borges, divination, Fauna of Mirrors, mirror, mirror stage, Narcissus, Neoplatonists, participation mystique, Plato, Poimandres, psychology, self-knowledge, Soul | 26 Comments

Dancing Dragons and Horses Soaring into the Air: 3000 Years of Chinese Calligraphy

Posted on December 20, 2015 by Symbol Reader

I had an enormous fortune today to see an exhibition dedicated to 3000 years of Chinese calligraphy. I found it very illuminating how the organizers juxtaposed traditional and contemporary art, creating a very compelling dialogue between them. In the 11th … Continue reading →

Posted in Chinese Calligraphy, Language, Uncategorized | Tagged archetypes, Buddhism, China, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese characters, Cui Fei, exhibition, Fung Ming Chip, heart sutra, landscript, language, Qiu Zhijie, Song Dong, Wang Guxiang, Wang Xizhi, Xu Bing, Zhu Yunming | 12 Comments

“Desire” by Boleslaw Lesmian

Posted on December 14, 2015 by Symbol Reader

“I’d like to have a hut in the wild forest density, Made of firewood and a spatial scarcity, Hanged high among old branch pinions, Over jaguar caves and snake canyons. There, on moss, swung with a mad storm, I’d like … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry, Uncategorized | Tagged Boleslaw Lesmian, desire, poetry, Polish poetry, symbolist poetry | 11 Comments

The Rhythm of Silence is the Spring of Words

Posted on December 13, 2015 by Symbol Reader

I.“…thou sweet spring for the thirsty in the desert; it is closed for those who speak there, it is open for those who keep silence there. When the silent man cometh, he findeth the spring.” A Hymn to Thoth from … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotations, Uncategorized | Tagged inspiration, language, poetry, silence, Thoth, writing | 8 Comments

The Eternal Essence of the Floating World

Posted on December 6, 2015 by Symbol Reader

Lately, my thoughts have been spiraling around a deep need to focus, to cut off all the extraneous details by finding a focus of devoted dedication. In a painting by Vermeer that I have always loved and was lucky to … Continue reading →

Posted in Painting, Uncategorized | Tagged art, eternity, Lacemaker, moment, One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, painting, Rilke, symbols, timelessness, Utogawa Hiroshige, Vermeer | 18 Comments

Last Worshippers of Artemis: Cats Walking the Ruins of Ephesus

Posted on November 28, 2015 by Symbol Reader

“But the wildest of all the wild animals was the Cat. He walked by himself, and all places were alike to him.” “…when the moon gets up and night comes, he is the Cat that walks by himself, and all … Continue reading →