Tag Archives: symbolism

The Secrets of the Odyssey (10): Return to Ithaca through the Cave of the Nymphs

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Symbol Reader

Venus the Morning Star (Venus Phosphorus – Light-Bringer) “When on the East the sheer bright star arose that tells of coming Dawn, the ship made landfall and came up islandward in the dim of night. Phorkys, the old sea baron, … Continue reading →

Posted in The Odyssey | Tagged archetypes literature, astrology, Athena, cave, Cave of Nymphs, creation, darkness, Greek mythology, Homer, honey, Ithaca, light, myth, noos, nostos, Odysseus, Odyssey, olive tree, Porphyry, rebirth, Soul, symbolism, symbols, Venus morning star | 11 Comments

A Few Thoughts on Power

Posted on July 2, 2014 by Symbol Reader

Paul Kane, “Mount St Helens Erupting at Night” “Business has defeated everything in its path. Its last enemies are the oldest: it is still defied by the ancient Gods of blood revenge, territorial tribalism and the strangely recurrent death struggles … Continue reading →

Posted in Power | Tagged archetypes, depth psychology, equality, inequality, James Hillman, justice, Power, psychology, symbolism, symbols, tao te ching | 24 Comments

The Secrets of the Odyssey (9): Leucothea in the Sea of Space and Time

Posted on June 24, 2014 by Symbol Reader

The climax of the Odyssey is the hero’s arrival in Ithaca but a harbinger of that pivotal moment is his sojourn on the island of Scheria (Phaecia), which I have written about here. William Blake also connected these two events, … Continue reading →

Posted in The Odyssey | Tagged archetypes, goddess, Greek myth, Homer, Leucothea, mythology, Odyssey, Phaecia, poetry, Scheria, symbolism, symbols, The Sea of Space and Time, veil, white goddess, William Blake | 9 Comments

The Erotic Watery Dreamland of Henri Rousseau

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Symbol Reader

“In 1910, the year of his death, Rousseau gave the world his last dream, his extraordinary painting Le Rȇve. In a moonlit jungle clearing, a naked woman lies on a brown velvet-covered couch. In attendance are she-lions, birds of paradise, … Continue reading →

Posted in Painting | Tagged anima, art, dream, Dreaming, goddess, Henri Rousseau, lotus, painting, symbolism, symbols | 24 Comments

The World Is Like a Divine Language

Posted on June 14, 2014 by Symbol Reader

René Guénon “1. … symbolism seems to us to be quite specially adapted to the needs of human nature, which is not exclusively intellectual but which needs a sensory basis from which to rise to higher levels. 2. Fundamentally, every … Continue reading →

Posted in Language | Tagged archetypes, Rene Guenon, sacred science, symbolism, symbols, words | 11 Comments

Symbolism of the Dove

Posted on June 7, 2014 by Symbol Reader

A. Andrew Gonzalez, “Unio Mystica” 1. “In the myths of Babylonia and Judaism, a dive circles the subsiding waters of the primal flood and returns with the olive branch, sign of renewal after inundation.” “The Book of Symbols” 2.“Be ye … Continue reading →

Posted in The Dove | Tagged Animal Speak, Aphrodite, archetypes, Christianity, Dodona, Dodona oracle, Dove, goddess, Hera, Holy Spirit, Juno, oracle, paganism, Pentecost, prophecy, Sophia, Soul, symbolism, symbols, Ted Andrews, Venus, yoni, Zeus | 30 Comments

Haunting Paintings: “Wind from the Sea” by Andrew Wyeth

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Symbol Reader

I saw this painting today and became transfixed by it. The wind has brought the smell of the sea and the birds on the old and frail lace curtain have momentarily caught wind in their wings. I felt nostalgia, melancholia, … Continue reading →

Posted in Painting | Tagged Andrew Wyeth, archetypes, art, “Christina’s World”, “Wind from the Sea”, Iris, James Hillman, painting, pothos, symbolism, symbols, Zephyrus | 20 Comments

Tear Down This Wall: on Psychological Defenses

Posted on May 27, 2014 by Symbol Reader

“If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promise of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand … Continue reading →

Posted in Trauma | Tagged Aion, animus, archetypes, Carl Jung, Christ, depth psychology, Donald Kalsched, Dostoevsky, negative animus, psychology, Self, Soul, symbolism, symbols, the Grand Inquisitor, trauma | 20 Comments

Freeze, Fight or Flight: Dealing with Trauma

Posted on May 18, 2014 by Symbol Reader

1.“When a young tree is injured it grows around that injury. As the tree continues to develop, the wound becomes relatively small in proportion to the size of the tree. Gnarls, burls and misshapen limbs speak of injuries and obstacles … Continue reading →

Posted in Trauma | Tagged archetypes, astrology, domestic abuse, domestic violence, evolutionary astrology, feminism, Fight or Flight, healing, Judith Herman, Mark Jones, Peter A. Levine, psychology, PTSD, reincarnation, subtle body, symbolism, symbols, therapy, trauma, Uranus, Waking the Tiger, wounded healer | 24 Comments

Bird Goddess

Posted on May 10, 2014 by Symbol Reader

“A girl stood before him in midstream, alone and still, gazing out to sea. She seemed like one whom magic had changed into the likeness of a strange and beautiful seabird. Her long slender bare legs were delicate as a … Continue reading →