Tag Archives: symbolism

The Flames of Passion in Bellini’s “Norma”

Posted on March 15, 2015 by Symbol Reader

While learning Latin in high school, we were supposed to memorize parts of Julius Ceasar’s Commentaries on the Gallic War. The first sentence has been forever etched in my memory: “Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres, quarum unam incolunt Belgae, … Continue reading →

Posted in Norma | Tagged archetypes, Bellini, betrayal, Druids, emotions, ethics, love, Maria Callas, morality, music, Norma, opera, passion, religion, sacrifice, symbolism, symbols | 17 Comments

The Birch and Biopoesis

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Symbol Reader

After his wife’s death, a broken man lives in an isolated forest with his little daughter: “Nothing had been able to call him out of the fog that had enveloped him ever since his wife’s death; he saw everything through … Continue reading →

Posted in The Birch Tree | Tagged archetypes, Berkano, birch, Celtic tree calendar, Iwaszkiewicz, literature, runes, symbolism, symbols, trees | 16 Comments

Nemesis: the Restorer of Cosmic Order

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Symbol Reader

I. ”Nemesis, winged tilter of scales and lives, Justice-spawned Goddess with steel-blue eyes! Thou bridlest vain men who roil in vain Against Thy harsh adamantine rein. Great hater of hubris and megalomania, Obliterator of black resentment, By Thy trackless, churning, … Continue reading →

Posted in Nemesis | Tagged archetypes, Greek myth, Greek mythology, griffin, Helen of Troy, hubris, inferiority complex, justice, Leda, Narcissus, Nemesis, psychology, superiority complex, symbolism, symbols, Zeus | 32 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 | 31 Comments

The Light that Shines in Darkness

Posted on February 15, 2015 by Symbol Reader

The New Age movement has given women more significance and more power of expression than art, science or politics of the last century. It is said to have been originated by Madame Blavatsky, who was a co-founder of the Theosophical … Continue reading →

Posted in Madame Blavatsky | Tagged archetypes, clarity, darkness, Derek Mahon, Gary Lachman, light, Madame Blavatsky, poetry, symbolism, symbols, the Age of Aquarius, The New Age, the occult, The Secret Doctrine, The Theosophical Society, vision | 26 Comments

The Secrets of the Odyssey (13): Journeying on Snakelike Wet Paths

Posted on January 28, 2015 by Symbol Reader

While reading Hermes Guide of Souls: The Mythologem of the Masculine Source of Life by Karl Kerènyi I came across the following passage describing the nature of Odysseus’s journeying and the special patronage of Hermes over Odysseus: “We previously called the … Continue reading →

Posted in The Odyssey | Tagged archetypes, Greek myth, Greek mythology, guide of souls, Hermes, Homer, journey, journeying, Kerenyi, messenger, Odysseus, Odyssey, psychopomp, symbolism, symbols, travelling, Zeus | 31 Comments

Jung on Alchemy (1): The Moist and Earthly Foundation

Posted on January 25, 2015 by Symbol Reader

My upcoming series of posts is going to be based on three works of C.G. Jung: 1) Psychology and Alchemy, volume 12 of the Collected Works 2) Alchemical Studies, volume 13 of the Collected Works 3) Mysterium Coniunctionis, volume 14 of the Collected … Continue reading →

Posted in Alchemy | Tagged alchemy, archetypes, Carl Jung, change, coarse wood debris, death, depth psychology, growth, Psychology and Alchemy, rebirth, regeneration, symbolism, symbols, the unconscious, transformation, water of life | 21 Comments

Peacock’s Cry of Soul’s Splendour

Posted on December 20, 2014 by Symbol Reader

I.“A Sufi legend, likely of Persian origin, suggests that god created spirit in the form of a peacock. Shown its own divine image in a mirror, the peacock was seized with awe and drops of sweat fell from which all … Continue reading →

Posted in The Peacock | Tagged alchemy, archetypes, Carl Gustav Jung, cauda pavonis, depth psychology, peacock, peacock's cry, peacock’s tail, Soul, symbolism, symbols, Venus, Wallace Stevens | 42 Comments

A Thunderous Epiphany: How Symbols Are Created

Posted on December 12, 2014 by Symbol Reader

“Symbols throw us across a spiritual abyss. When contemplating a sacred work of art, it may feel as if a great divide separated us from the Holy hidden in images. Then, our vision expands, and the image becomes transparent to … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotations, The Symbol | Tagged archetypes, art, depth psychology, etymology, images, numinosum, numinous, sacred art, symbolism, symbols | 18 Comments

The Original Madonna: Early Neolithic Goddess

Posted on December 10, 2014 by Symbol Reader

“Of course the Man was wild too. He was dreadfully wild. He didn’t even begin to be tame till he met the Woman, and she told him that she did not like living in his wild ways. She picked out … Continue reading →