Tag Archives: individuation

Symbolism of the Lighthouse

Posted on May 23, 2016 by Symbol Reader

The world’s first lighthouse, the Pharos, was erected in the ancient city of Alexandria. One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, it turned the insignificant port of Pharos into one of the greatest cities of the ancient world. … Continue reading →

Posted in Lighthouse | Tagged Alexandria, Carl Jung, depth psychology, fire, Heraclitus, individuation, Lighthouse, Pharos, symbolism, symbols, the unconscious, Vesta | 9 Comments

Cultivating the Mysterious Essence: on Authenticity

Posted on April 21, 2016 by Symbol Reader

I. “The ancient masters cultivated the mysterious essence. They were profound, subtle – beyond our ability to comprehend. For this reason we cannot know them, but we can try to describe their existence: Cautious, as if crossing an icy … Continue reading →

Posted in Authenticity | Tagged analytical psychology, Authenticity, C.G. Jung, empowerment, Hegel, Heidegger, individuation, personality, psychology, tao, Taoism, Trilling | 25 Comments

Color Symbolism: Purple

Posted on April 4, 2015 by Symbol Reader

In Woody Allen’s movie “The Purple Rose of Cairo,” Mia Farrow’s character, frustrated by her marital woes, falls in love with a character in a movie. The movie character also becomes attracted to her, and exits the screen to profess … Continue reading →

Posted in The Color Purple | Tagged archetypes, C.G. Jung, color, crown chakra, depth psychology, immanence, individuation, purple, seventh chakra, Soul, spirit, symbolism, symbols, transcendence, transformation, violet | 29 Comments

Jung on Alchemy (2): The Mandala

Posted on February 23, 2015 by Symbol Reader

“People will do anything, no matter how absurd, to avoid facing their own souls. They will practice Indian yoga and all its exercises, observe a strict regimen or diet, learn theosophy by heart, or mechanically repeat mystic texts from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Alchemy, The Mandala | Tagged alchemy, archetypes, Buddhism, C.G. Jung, centre, Chaos, circle, depth psychology, four, individuation, jewel, lotus, mandala, order, Padma, quaternity, Soul, symbolism, symbols, womb, Womb World mandala | 30 Comments

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 | 38 Comments

Education on Beauty

Posted on October 15, 2014 by Symbol Reader

Georges de la Tour, “Education of the Virgin” “We spend the first year of a child’s life teaching it to walk and talk and the rest of its life to shut up and sit down. There’s something wrong there.” Neil … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | Tagged C.G. Jung, colleges, Dane Rudhyar, depth psychology, Deresiewicz, education, elites, elitism, excellent sheep, imagination, individuation, Ivy League, Soul | 28 Comments

Passionate Longing for Dialogue (1): Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage

Posted on October 7, 2014 by Symbol Reader

I am starting a new series on my blog which will consist of conversations regarding books, films and potentially other soulful topics of interest. I am calling the series “Passionate Longing for Dialogue,” which is a quote from Martin Buber’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Soulful Dialogue | Tagged anima, archetypes, art, astrology, book, C.G. Jung, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki, depth psychology, Haruki Murakami, individuation, interpretation, literature, novel, review, symbolism, symbols | 9 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 | 28 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 →

Posted in Eros and Psyche | Tagged Apuleius, archetypes, child archetype, divine child, Eros and Psyche, Greek myth, Greek mythology, individuation, Jung, knife, myth, Psyche’s Knife, symbolism, symbols, The Golden Ass | 29 Comments

I Love You, My Secret Raven

Posted on July 16, 2013 by Symbol Reader

It is entirely conceivable that life’s splendor forever lies in wait about each one of us in all its fulness, but veiled from view, deep down, invisible, far off. It is there, though, not hostile, not reluctant, not deaf. If … Continue reading →