Category Archives: Quotations

Egyptian Pyramids as a Symbol of Rebirth

Posted on March 28, 2020 by Symbol Reader

“Ancient Egypt was an agrarian society, and the Egyptians’ view of the world was determined in part by agricultural life along the Nile. Each year, spring rains in the Ethiopian highlands fed the source of the Nile and eventually raised … Continue reading →

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Jung on the Light of the Darkness

Posted on March 20, 2020 by Symbol Reader

   The following passage from Jung’s Alchemical Studies (volume 13 of CW, par. 197) struck me today: “They [alchemists, seekers after truth] discover that in the very darkness of nature a light is hidden, a little spark without which the … Continue reading →

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Winter Solstice

Posted on December 20, 2017 by Symbol Reader

“We begin at the southern gate, crowned with the majesty of Christmas. There the Sun enters upon its northward journey — a journey which has been described by seers and poets in beautiful symbolism, for it brings to men, and … Continue reading →

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Redeeming the World by the Mystique of Words: Tibetan Prayer Flags

Posted on June 17, 2017 by Symbol Reader

“The cairns of piled stones that mark the high passes are spiked with poles where prayer flags fly. Who hung them in these lonely defiles we cannot tell. As the wind funnels through the passes, their inscriptions stream in faded tatters. … Continue reading →

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Let Your Beauty Manifest Itself

Posted on May 20, 2017 by Symbol Reader

I. “Let your beauty manifest itself without talking and calculation. You are silent. It says for you: I am. And comes in meaning thousandfold, comes at long last over everyone.” Reiner Maria Rilke, “Initial,” translated by Edward Snow, in: The … Continue reading →

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The Great Goddess

Posted on December 2, 2016 by Symbol Reader

“I celebrate Indrāksī, That goddess Whom the gods glorify with many names:   Brightness Bearer of the Conch Red-clad Widow Great Goddess Moonglow Great Heart of Austerity Sāvitrī Splendor of Meditation Gāyatrī Lady Brahmā Sound-essence of the Wisdom Books   … Continue reading →

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Stephen Mitchell on Love

Posted on August 18, 2016 by Symbol Reader

“…love is a fusion in the sun’s core. Love is a blurring of pronouns. Love is a subject and object. The difference between its presence and its absence is the difference between life and death.” Stephen Mitchell, “The Bone Clocks”

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Krishnamurti on Strength

Posted on August 8, 2016 by Symbol Reader

“Everyone in the world is concerned with the search for that Truth which will satisfy him eternally, but in that search each one contends against another; and hence there is confusion, struggle and pain. They lack the certainty of purpose … Continue reading →

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Giulio Camillo and His Theatre of Memory

Posted on July 8, 2016 by Symbol Reader

Giulio Camillo was a sixteenth-century Italian philosopher, most notable for his idea of the “Theatre of Memory.” The following passage comes from chapter 6 of The Art of Memory by Yates Francis (the embedded quotes are by Camillo himself): “The … Continue reading →

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Shiva and Shakti – Consciousness and Power

Posted on May 2, 2016 by Symbol Reader

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 →

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