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Tag Archives: symbolism
Soft and Strong: Notes on Water
I. ”Water nourishes and soothes us. But this same stuff also carved the Grand Canyon out of solid rock over the course of millennia, and every day thunders down with unimaginable fury at Niagara and Victoria Falls.” II. ”One of … Continue reading
The Holiness of Trees
“Trees in particular were mysterious and seemed to me direct embodiments of the incomprehensible meaning of life. For that reason the woods were the place where I felt closest to its deepest meaning and to its awe-inspiring workings.” C.G. Jung, … Continue reading
Posted in trees, Uncategorized
Tagged C.G. Jung, communication, environment, life, nature, Peter Wohlleben, psychology, Soul, symbolism, Tree of Knowledge, Tree of Life, trees
43 Comments
Symbolism of Gardens
I.”The men where you live,” said the little prince, “raise five thousand roses in the same garden–and they do not find in it what they are looking for.” “They do not find it,” I replied. “And yet what they are … Continue reading
Posted in Gardens
Tagged depth psychology, Eden, garden of Earthly Delights, Gardens, Hieronymus Bosch, Hortus Conclusus, Jung, paradise, rock garden, rocks, Song of Songs, Soul, stones, symbolism, symbols, Zen garden
20 Comments
Mary Magdalene: the Treasure in the Heart
I.“There is something special about their relationship, something not simply reducible to teacher and devotee, and all attempts to hedge and prevaricate about its nature merely render its energy more palpable. The unspoken bond between them reverberates through even the … Continue reading
Posted in Mary Magdalene
Tagged celibacy, Christianity, Eve, Gnostic gospels, Gnosticism, goddess, gospels, Jesus, Jesus's wife, Lilith, Mary Magdalene, Nag Hammadi, patriarchy, sacred feminine, Sophia, symbolism, symbols
10 Comments
Giulio Camillo and His Theatre of Memory
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
Posted in Giulio Camillo, Quotations
Tagged astrology, Giulio Camillo, hermeticism, Marsilio Ficino, memory, Renaissance, solar magic, symbolism, symbols, Theatre of Memory
11 Comments
The Shattering Power of the Theatre
I. “I can take any empty space and call it a bare stage. A man walks across this empty space whilst someone else is watching him, and this is all that is needed for an act of theatre to be … Continue reading
Posted in The Theatre, Uncategorized
Tagged Ancient Greece, art, Birth of Tragedy, Dionysus, dithyramb, drama, Mahabharata, mask, Nietzsche, Peter Brook, Samuel Beckett, symbolism, symbols, theatre, tragedy
11 Comments
Genesis in Motion
According to the Book of Genesis (New American Standard Bible), “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was … Continue reading
The Alchemical Salt and Its Taste of Infinitude
I.“Thus the fire began to work upon the air and brought forth Sulphur. Then the air began to work upon the water and brought forth Mercurius. The water began to work upon the earth and brought forth Salt. But the … Continue reading
Posted in Alchemy, Salt
Tagged alchemy, C.G. Jung, depth psychology, mummification, natron, Salt, symbolism, symbols
15 Comments
Symbolism of the Lighthouse
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
16 Comments
Jung on Alchemy (6): Sol and Sulphur – the Fiery Ferment of the Soul’s Hidden Depth
“As in the hand a sulfur match flares white and sends out flicking tongues on every side before it bursts into flame –: in that ring of crowded onlookers, hot, eager, and precise her round dance begins to dart and … Continue reading
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