Tag Archives: initiation

The Feminine and the Masculine Revisited

Posted on March 9, 2020 by Symbol Reader

I have always believed that the concepts of anima and animus need to be updated for our times. According to Jung, the anima is the image of the woman in a man’s psyche, while the animus is the image of … Continue reading →

Posted in Male and Female, Uncategorized | Tagged analytical psychology, anima, animus, archetypes, C.G. Jung, depth psychology, female, feminine, initiation, male, masculine, opposites, psyche, symbols, the Self | 21 Comments

Reading The Red Book (13)

Posted on November 3, 2019 by Symbol Reader

“In Mark 4.11 Jesus says to his disciples: ‘To you has been given the secret, mysterion, of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables.’” (1) Jung divided The Red Book into two parts: Liber Primus … Continue reading →

Posted in The Red Book by C.G. Jung, Uncategorized | Tagged apotheosis, Apuleius, C.G. Jung, Christ, deification, individuation, initiation, isis, Liber Novus, Lion, Mithra, Mithraism, mysteries, opposites, Sol Invictus, symbolism, symbols, The Red Book, Underworld | 7 Comments

Inanna at the Ground of Being

Posted on November 7, 2018 by Symbol Reader

“Quiet, Inanna, the ways of the underworld are perfect. They may not be questioned.” “Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth: Her Stories and Hymns from Sumer,” translated by Diane Wolkstein and Samuel Noah Kramer In the well-known Sumerian myth, Inanna, … Continue reading →

Posted in Inanna | Tagged alchemy, archetypes, axis mundi, Dark goddess, depth psychology, descent, Diane Wolkstein, Dumuzi, eight-pointed star, Enki, Ereshkigal, Gilgamesh, goddess, hermeticism, huluppu tree, Inanna, incarnation, initiation, Jung, Lilith, magic, Mesopotamia, mysteries, myth, mythology, rebirth, seven spheres, shadow, Sumer, Sylvia Brinto Perera, symbolism, symbols, transformation, Underworld, Venus, World Tree | 16 Comments

Salammbô

Posted on April 30, 2015 by Symbol Reader

I.“Her hair, which was powdered with violet sand, and combined into the form of a tower, after the fashion of the Chanaanite maidens, added to her height. Tresses of pearls were fastened to her temples, and fell to the corners … Continue reading →

Posted in Salammbo | Tagged archetypes, experience, goddess, Gustave Flaubert, initiation, innocence, literature, Moon, Salammbô, Scorpio, serpent, sex, snake, symbolism, symbols, woman | 12 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

Images of the Zodiac: Contemplating Virgo

Posted on September 4, 2013 by Symbol Reader

Johfra Bosschart, Virgo I adore this image. It reminds me of a precious and delicate porcelain figurine that you hold delicately between your fingers, marveling at its fragile beauty. I like to spend a longer time looking at the Zodiac … Continue reading →