Tag Archives: Greek mythology

The Guilt of Prometheus and Pandora’s Gifts

Posted on January 11, 2015 by Symbol Reader

Prometheus was one of the Titans – the gods who descended from primordial deities, and preceded Olympian gods and goddesses. His name meant “forethought;” he proved he deserved it by showing a gift of premonition and prophecy when he sided … Continue reading →

Posted in Prometheus | Tagged afterthought, Athena, C.G. Jung, Chiron, depth psychology, fire, forethought, Franz Kafka, Greek myth, Greek mythology, guilt, Heracles, Hesiod, individuation, Pandora, Pandora's box, Pandora's jar, pithos, Prometheus, redemption, suffering, Titans, Zeus | 39 Comments

Phaethon’s Gorgeous Death: Geminid Meteor Shower

Posted on December 14, 2014 by Symbol Reader

“Phaethon [struck by Zeus from the chariot of the Sun], flames ravaging his auburn hair, falls headlong down, a streaming trail of light, as sometimes through the cloudless vault of night a star, though never falling, seems to fall.” Ovid, … Continue reading →

Posted in Phaethon, The Geminids | Tagged Atlantis, C.G. Jung, comet, depth psychology, ego inflation, geminid meteor shower, Greek myth, Greek mythology, Phaethon, Sri Aurobindo, the Self | 5 Comments

Awe-Inspiring Sculptures: “Night” by Michelangelo

Posted on November 8, 2014 by Symbol Reader

“Night” by Michelangelo was sculpted in white marble and put to rest on the tomb of Giuliano de Medici in San Lorenzo Church, Florence. Her attributes are an owl and a mask. I remember seeing the sculpture for the first time … Continue reading →

Posted in Sculpture, The Night | Tagged animus, art, Carl Gustav Jung, Chaos, Dark goddess, darkness, Greek myth, Greek mythology, love, Michelangelo, night, Nyx, sculpture, symbolism, symbols | 31 Comments

Juno: the Source of the Soul’s Procreation

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Symbol Reader

Erte, “Hera” Before Her reign was overthrown as the Achaean tribes took over Greece Hera (Roman Juno) was the supreme mother goddess, a benevolent cow-eyed triple goddess of the earth and the sky, the creator of the Milky Way, which … Continue reading →

Posted in Juno | Tagged archetypes, astrology, goddess, Greek mythology, Hera, Juno, Jupiter, matriarchy, myth, patriarchy, Power, powerlessness, psychology, Roman mythology, Zeus | 34 Comments

The Secrets of the Odyssey (10): Return to Ithaca through the Cave of the Nymphs

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Symbol Reader

Venus the Morning Star (Venus Phosphorus – Light-Bringer) “When on the East the sheer bright star arose that tells of coming Dawn, the ship made landfall and came up islandward in the dim of night. Phorkys, the old sea baron, … Continue reading →

Posted in The Odyssey | Tagged archetypes literature, astrology, Athena, cave, Cave of Nymphs, creation, darkness, Greek mythology, Homer, honey, Ithaca, light, myth, noos, nostos, Odysseus, Odyssey, olive tree, Porphyry, rebirth, Soul, symbolism, symbols, Venus morning star | 11 Comments

The Secrets of the Odyssey (7): Circe and the Underworld

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Symbol Reader

J.W. Waterhouse, “Circe Invidiosa” As his journey progresses, Odysseus gradually loses all his ships and companions, all of his spoils of war, until he becomes solitary at the very end of the epic. Right after the disaster with contrary winds, … Continue reading →

Posted in The Odyssey | Tagged astrology, Circe, goddess, Greek mythology, Hades, Homer, Ishtar, lady of the beasts, Leo, Odysseus, Odyssey, Soul, the underworld | 16 Comments

The Secrets of the Odyssey (6): the God of Winds

Posted on April 12, 2014 by Symbol Reader

In the fourth month of his journey, Odysseus, guided by friendly winds, reaches the kingdom of Aeolia, where the god of winds Aeolus resides with his family: wife and twelve children. Homer depicts it as a rectangular island, which brings … Continue reading →

Posted in The Odyssey | Tagged Aeolus, astrology, constellations, Gemini, Greek myth, Greek mythology, Homer, Odysseus, Odyssey, Rudhyar | 17 Comments

The Secrets of the Odyssey (5): Lotus-Eaters, Auriga and Polyphemus

Posted on March 16, 2014 by Symbol Reader

What makes the Odyssey so fascinating to me is the constant presence of gods and goddesses, who ceaselessly impinge on the human world. In Homeric Moments, Eva Brann, reflects on the qualities of Greek gods: “Living lightly is the god’s … Continue reading →

Posted in The Odyssey | Tagged archetypes, Athene, Auriga, Cyclop, Cyclopes, giant, Greek myth, Greek mythology, Homer, Homer’s Secret Odyssey, Odysseus, Odyssey, Pallas, Polyphemus, Poseidon, symbolism, symbols | 18 Comments

The Secrets of the Odyssey (4): A Tribute to Penelope

Posted on March 7, 2014 by Symbol Reader

Penelope While Odysseus, cursed by Poseidon, cannot find his way home and lives through a series of fantastical adventures, his wife Penelope is experiencing a deep wound of longing and despair. She is left to run the kingdom of Ithaca … Continue reading →

Posted in The Odyssey | Tagged archetypes, bird, Fates, goddess, Greek myth, Greek mythology, Greek myths, Homer, Homer’s Secret Odyssey, Moirai, Odysseus, Penelope, Pleiades, Rene Guenon, symbolism, symbols, weaver, weaving | 22 Comments

Iris: the Goddess of the Rainbow as the Harbinger of a New Era

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Symbol Reader

There is a well-known saying that the rainbow comes only after the storm. In the Bible, after the Deluge, God places a rainbow in the sky and pledges solemnly not to send another flood upon the earth: “I have set … Continue reading →