Author Archives: Symbol Reader

Symbolism of the Dove

Posted on June 7, 2014 by Symbol Reader

A. Andrew Gonzalez, “Unio Mystica” 1. “In the myths of Babylonia and Judaism, a dive circles the subsiding waters of the primal flood and returns with the olive branch, sign of renewal after inundation.” “The Book of Symbols” 2.“Be ye … Continue reading →

Posted in The Dove | Tagged Animal Speak, Aphrodite, archetypes, Christianity, Dodona, Dodona oracle, Dove, goddess, Hera, Holy Spirit, Juno, oracle, paganism, Pentecost, prophecy, Sophia, Soul, symbolism, symbols, Ted Andrews, Venus, yoni, Zeus | 30 Comments

Haunting Paintings: “Wind from the Sea” by Andrew Wyeth

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Symbol Reader

I saw this painting today and became transfixed by it. The wind has brought the smell of the sea and the birds on the old and frail lace curtain have momentarily caught wind in their wings. I felt nostalgia, melancholia, … Continue reading →

Posted in Painting | Tagged Andrew Wyeth, archetypes, art, “Christina’s World”, “Wind from the Sea”, Iris, James Hillman, painting, pothos, symbolism, symbols, Zephyrus | 20 Comments

Okeanos

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Symbol Reader

“Okeanos is situated at the outermost limits of the world, which is encircled by its stream. The circular stream of the Okeanos flows eternally around the world and eternally recycles the infinite supply of fresh water that feeds upon itself … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotations | Tagged Greek myth, mythology, Oceanus, Okeanos, ouroboros, uroboros | 17 Comments

Swann’s Dream

Posted on May 31, 2014 by Symbol Reader

“Sometimes, too, just as Eve was created from a rib of Adam, so a woman would come into existence while I was sleeping, conceived from some strain in the position of my limbs. Formed by the appetite that I was … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotations | Tagged anima, art, dream, Dreaming, Karl Briullov, literature, Marcel Proust | 14 Comments

Tear Down This Wall: on Psychological Defenses

Posted on May 27, 2014 by Symbol Reader

“If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promise of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand … Continue reading →

Posted in Trauma | Tagged Aion, animus, archetypes, Carl Jung, Christ, depth psychology, Donald Kalsched, Dostoevsky, negative animus, psychology, Self, Soul, symbolism, symbols, the Grand Inquisitor, trauma | 20 Comments

Freeze, Fight or Flight: Dealing with Trauma

Posted on May 18, 2014 by Symbol Reader

1.“When a young tree is injured it grows around that injury. As the tree continues to develop, the wound becomes relatively small in proportion to the size of the tree. Gnarls, burls and misshapen limbs speak of injuries and obstacles … Continue reading →

Posted in Trauma | Tagged archetypes, astrology, domestic abuse, domestic violence, evolutionary astrology, feminism, Fight or Flight, healing, Judith Herman, Mark Jones, Peter A. Levine, psychology, PTSD, reincarnation, subtle body, symbolism, symbols, therapy, trauma, Uranus, Waking the Tiger, wounded healer | 24 Comments

Kafka’s Sirens

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Symbol Reader

“Now the Sirens have a still more fatal weapon than their song, namely their silence… someone might possibly have escaped from their singing; but from their silence, certainly never.” Franz Kafka Last year I posted my tribute to Franz Kafka … Continue reading →

Posted in Franz Kafka | Tagged Dora Diamant, Felice Bauer, Franz Kafka, Greta Bloch, Julie Wohryzek, Kafka's biography, literature, Max Brod, Milena Jesenska, Reiner Stach, women | 29 Comments

Bird Goddess

Posted on May 10, 2014 by Symbol Reader

“A girl stood before him in midstream, alone and still, gazing out to sea. She seemed like one whom magic had changed into the likeness of a strange and beautiful seabird. Her long slender bare legs were delicate as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotations | Tagged archetypes, bird, goddess, James Joyce, literature, myth, susan seddon boulet, symbolism, symbols | 7 Comments

The Secrets of the Odyssey (8): the Sirens, Scylla & Charybdis, and Thrinacia

Posted on May 4, 2014 by Symbol Reader

John William Waterhouse, “The Siren” Reading the Odyssey in a superb translation of Robert Fitzgerald is like listening to the most delightful music. No interpretation can possibly replace the sheer pleasure of experiencing Homer’s talent. The opening lines of Book … Continue reading →

Posted in The Odyssey | Tagged archetypes, astrology, Calypso, Charybdis, fig tree, Greek myth, Helios’ cattle, Homer, Libra, mythology, Odysseus, Odyssey, Scorpio, Scylla, sirens, symbolism, symbols, Thrinacia | 29 Comments

Your Golden Hair Margeurite: Hair as a Symbol

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Symbol Reader

Rapanzel, via http://haleys-comet.deviantart.com/art/Rapunzel-Let-Down-Your-Hair-110501671 In an old pagan ritual known as the Maypole dance, on the Eve of May Day, female dancers circled the pole the counter-clockwise direction, which is sacred to women and associated with the moon while male dancers … Continue reading →