Author Archives: Symbol Reader

The Mysticism of Language

Posted on December 6, 2013 by Symbol Reader

In the beginning was the word, the word That from the solid bases of the light Abstracted all the letters of the void; And from the cloudy bases of the breath The word flowed up, translating to the heart First … Continue reading →

Posted in Language | Tagged achetypes, C.G. Jung, depth psychology, Gemini, Gershom Scholem, Heidegger, Kabbalah, Lacan, language, logos, Nada Brahma, Sagittarius, symbolism, symbols, the name of God, The Red Book, William Blake, words | 53 Comments

“Sailing to Byzantium” by William Butler Yeats

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Symbol Reader

“Sailing to Byzantium” is a poem that I love to reread regularly. I think it is just perfect and I am glad Jeff decided to illuminate it for us.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Music of the Elements

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Symbol Reader

Sufi mysticism has been something I have wanted to delve into for quite some time now. In this book I have come across a beautiful passage on the auditory qualities of the elements: “The earth has various aspects of beauty … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged air, archetypes, earth, ether, fire, Four elements, sacred geometry of sound, sacred sound, Sufi mysticism, symbolism, symbols, water | 35 Comments

The Veiled Speech of the Symbol (2)

Posted on November 30, 2013 by Symbol Reader

Last month I blogged about a book on symbols that I had just started reading (https://symbolreader.net/2013/10/23/the-veiled-speech-of-the-symbol/). I have finished it now and, while I got some inspiration from it, it did not satisfy me fully. Nevertheless, the nuggets that I … Continue reading →

Posted in The Symbol | Tagged archetypes, C.G. Jung, depth psychology, myth, René Alleau, Ritual, symbols, The Primal Force in Symbol | 28 Comments

Up, up, up, and away

Posted on November 24, 2013 by Symbol Reader

Once on a trip to Venice I wandered into a square of San Barnaba, where a scene from one of the Indiana Jones movies had been shot. I was overjoyed to find out that at that time San Barnaba’s church … Continue reading →

Posted in Balloons | Tagged ballooning, Balloons, Carl Jung floating in space vision, flying, Leonardo da Vinci’s flying machines, San Barnaba | 25 Comments

Images of the Zodiac: Contemplating Scorpio

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Symbol Reader

Johfra Bosschart, Scorpio There has been so much Scorpionic energy this month that it has been very hard for me to translate all that subconscious, emotional intensity and tension into language. Also in my personal astrological line-up, Scorpionic energy abounds … Continue reading →

Posted in Johfra Bosschart | Tagged alchemy, archetypes, astrology, C.G. Jung, Dostoevsky, dragon, Ezekiel, four Evangelists, initiation, Johfra Bosschart, kundalini, philosopher’s stone, rubedo, Scorpio, serpent, symbolism, symbols, Zodiac | 43 Comments

The Ever-Fruitful Womb of Darkness

Posted on November 17, 2013 by Symbol Reader

1.“As the Great Creatrix, the feminine is a vessel and passage for an alien, masculine Other that condescends towards her, enters into her, and favors her with the seed of living. Life originates in her and issues from her, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotations | Tagged astrology, death, full moon in Taurus, goddess, rebirth, symbolism, symbols, the great round, womb | 17 Comments

Eros and Psyche (3)

Posted on November 12, 2013 by Symbol Reader

“Love sets up resonances in the deepest abysses of our being. It is a lightning flash of the eternal within the flow of time.” Aldo Carutenuto, Eros and Pathos: Shades of Love and Suffering Butterflies are very popular funerary motifs. … Continue reading →

Posted in Eros and Psyche | Tagged Aphrodite, Apuleius, archetypes, butterfly, C.G. Jung, child archetype, coniunctio, death, divine child, Eros and Psyche, Greek myth, Greek mythology, individuation, Jung, myth, number four symbolism, Psyche’s Knife, rebirth, sacred marriage, symbolism, symbols, The Golden Ass | 34 Comments

The Tectonic Power of the Soul

Posted on November 10, 2013 by Symbol Reader

image credit 1. “Life happens when the tectonic power of your speechless soul breaks through the dead habits of the mind.” John Patrick Shanley, Doubt 2. “The shadow of the light is not darkness, but illumination.” Clement of Alexandria These … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotations | Tagged ego, growth, illumination, John Patrick Shanley, light, mind, shadow, Soul | 20 Comments

Eros and Psyche (2)

Posted on November 7, 2013 by Symbol Reader

The story of Psyche and Eros is a tale of soul-making and deep transformation. As Elisabeth Eowyn Nelson, author of Psyche’s Knife, put it: “Just as Psyche’s fate is entwined with Eros, the soul’s fate is always erotic. We work … Continue reading →