Tag Archives: language

Carl Jung and the Ways of Hermes

Posted on January 25, 2021 by Symbol Reader

Before I continue my journey through Jung’s Red Book, I would like to draw your attention to an excellent essay by Lance S. Owens, The Hermeneutics of Vision: C.G. Jung and Liber Novus. You can download it here along with … Continue reading →

Posted in The Red Book by C.G. Jung | Tagged anagoge, analytical psychology, archetypes, Black Books, C.G. Jung, gnosis, hermeneutics, Hermes, interpretation, Lance Owens, language, Liber Novus, mysticism, psyche, Soul, symbols, The Red Book, vision | 3 Comments

Reading The Red Book (29)

Posted on January 10, 2021 by Symbol Reader

I. “Your sun will rise from muddy swamps.” II. “The lowest in you is the source of mercy.” III. “But the lowest in you is also the eye of the evil that stares at you and looks at you coldly … Continue reading →

Posted in The Red Book by C.G. Jung | Tagged analytical psychology, archetypes, C.G. Jung, Chaos, crucifixion, depth psychology, evil, good, language, Liber Novus, life, madness, Neo-Platonism, Nous, Phanes, psyche, shadow, Soul, symbolism, symbols, system, The Red Book, unconscious, words | 5 Comments

On Removing Racially Charged Images

Posted on June 21, 2020 by Symbol Reader

The white domination – this tectonic plate that underlies the Western culture – is shifting radically, steering for a massive earthquake. I do not feel I possess the right to express my opinion on the subject; I would rather quote … Continue reading →

Posted in racism, Uncategorized | Tagged archetypes, blackamoor, George Floyd, history, language, Mohrenkopf, Moors, racism, silence, St James, Switzerland, symbolism, symbols, words | 2 Comments

On Silence

Posted on August 20, 2019 by Symbol Reader

I have recently read two magnificent books on the same topic – silence. One was written in 1948 by Max Picard, a Swiss philosopher of art and entitled The World of Silence, the other – called Quest for Silence (published … Continue reading →

Posted in silence, Uncategorized | Tagged Harry Wilmer, Jungian psychology, language, MA, Max Picard, noise, psychotherapy, silence, symbolism, symbols | 12 Comments

Reading The Red Book (5)

Posted on July 19, 2019 by Symbol Reader

“The ancients lived their symbols, since the world had not yet become real for them.” C.G. Jung, The Red Book Chapter IV of The Red Book is called “The Desert.” Since ancient times, the desert has drawn mystics and visionaries, … Continue reading →

Posted in The Red Book by C.G. Jung | Tagged analytical psychology, archetypes, Aum, C.G. Jung, Carl Jung, depth psychology, desert, language, mysticism, Nada Brahma, symbolism, symbols, The Red Book, the unconscious | 5 Comments

On the Permeability of Borders

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Symbol Reader

Although scholars differ in their estimation of the number of words and phrases that Shakespeare introduced into English, they all agree that he transformed the language tremendously. He referred to himself as “a man on fire for new words.” As … Continue reading →

Posted in Language | Tagged borders, language, loan words, permeability, Shakespeare | 9 Comments

Discovering Intellectual Fire: the Birth of English

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Symbol Reader

The written word is both of the earth and of the spirit, positioned on the intersection between mind and flesh. It freezes the living, shimmering organism of language in time, petrifies it, making it immortal. The intangible, impenetrable roots of … Continue reading →

Posted in English, Language | Tagged Anglo Saxons, christianization, English, history, language, Latin, Lindisfarne Gospels, Melvyn Bragg, Old English, origins, runes, The Adventure of English | 5 Comments

Dancing Dragons and Horses Soaring into the Air: 3000 Years of Chinese Calligraphy

Posted on December 20, 2015 by Symbol Reader

I had an enormous fortune today to see an exhibition dedicated to 3000 years of Chinese calligraphy. I found it very illuminating how the organizers juxtaposed traditional and contemporary art, creating a very compelling dialogue between them. In the 11th … Continue reading →

Posted in Chinese Calligraphy, Language, Uncategorized | Tagged archetypes, Buddhism, China, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese characters, Cui Fei, exhibition, Fung Ming Chip, heart sutra, landscript, language, Qiu Zhijie, Song Dong, Wang Guxiang, Wang Xizhi, Xu Bing, Zhu Yunming | 12 Comments

The Rhythm of Silence is the Spring of Words

Posted on December 13, 2015 by Symbol Reader

I.“…thou sweet spring for the thirsty in the desert; it is closed for those who speak there, it is open for those who keep silence there. When the silent man cometh, he findeth the spring.” A Hymn to Thoth from … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotations, Uncategorized | Tagged inspiration, language, poetry, silence, Thoth, writing | 8 Comments

Reflections on Don Quixote: The Universe of Fiction

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Symbol Reader

“Idle Reader: Without my swearing to it, you can believe that I would like this book, the child of my understanding, to be the most beautiful, the most brilliant, and the most discreet that anyone could imagine. … I wanted … Continue reading →