Tag Archives: symbols

The Alchemical Salt and Its Taste of Infinitude

Posted on June 7, 2016 by Symbol Reader

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

Posted on May 23, 2016 by Symbol Reader

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

Posted on April 3, 2016 by Symbol Reader

“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 →

Posted in Alchemy | Tagged alchemy, Black Sun, devil, fire, gold, Jung, Lucipher, Mysterium Coniunctionis, psychology, Sol, Soul, sulfur, sulphur, sun, symbolism, symbols, Venus | 10 Comments

The Black Madonna of the Darker than Dark Forest

Posted on February 28, 2016 by Symbol Reader

The place closest to my heart in the whole of Switzerland is the Monastery of Einsiedeln. “Einsiedeln” is a German word for “hermitage.” Surrounded by a dark, mysterious forest, situated near a scenic lake, adjacent to glorious mountain peaks, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Madonna | Tagged alchemy, Black Madonna, Dark goddess, Einsiedeln, Mary, nigredo, ravens, Saint Meinrad, symbolism, symbols | 22 Comments

Shakespeare and Goethe on Love: from Despair to Hope

Posted on February 14, 2016 by Symbol Reader

“She had a wildness in her eyes and into it I plunged.” Goethe, “Sorrows of Young Werther” In January 1778 Christel von Lassberg drowned herself in the river Ilm, the reason most probably being unrequited love. A copy of Goethe’s … Continue reading →

Posted in love, Uncategorized | Tagged bear, freezing, Goethe, hibernation, literature, love, passion, rebirth, regeneration, Romanticism, Shakespeare, spring, suffering, symbolism, symbols, trauma, Werther, Werther effect, winter, Winter's Tale | 10 Comments

Black Holes: A Silent, Secret Essence

Posted on January 30, 2016 by Symbol Reader

I.“He had begun by speaking of mines and metals, of gold and diamonds and all precious elements buried deep in the earth, but now, without my knowing how, he had ranged out into the depths of space, and was … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Holes, Uncategorized | Tagged archetypes, Big Bang, black hole, Edgar Allan Poe, emptiness, Eureka, form, gravity, heart sutra, mysticism, science, singularity, spirituality, symbolism, symbols, universe | 19 Comments

David Bowie’s Blackstar

Posted on January 16, 2016 by Symbol Reader

The video to David Bowie’s “Blackstar” overpowered me immediately when it was released on 19 November last year. It is a visual poem and a symbolic feast. Despite the iconic yellow smiley face flashed at the viewer at the very … Continue reading →

Posted in David Bowie, Uncategorized | Tagged alchemy, archetypes, Blackstar, Chaos, David Bowie, death, nigredo, suffering, symbolism, symbols, video | 16 Comments

The Blessings of Darkness and Light: Tribute to Khalil Gibran

Posted on January 8, 2016 by Symbol Reader

I.“Now I know that I am the sphere, and all life in rhythmic fragments moves within me.” “The reality of the other person is not in what he reveals to you, but in what he cannot reveal to you.” “Love … Continue reading →

Posted in Khalil Gibran, Uncategorized | Tagged "The Prophet", Almustafa, archetypes, Khalil Gibran, love, Mary Haskell, mysticism, pain, religion, spirituality, suffering, symbolism, symbols, the union of opposites | 20 Comments

Mary

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Symbol Reader

In the new issue of National Geographic there is an absorbing article on “Mary: The Most Powerful Woman in the World.” The article, which I cannot recommend enough, can be read here: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2015/12/virgin-mary-text The holiest woman, even in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged goddess, Holy Mary, isis, letter M, Madonna, Mary, sea, symbols | 12 Comments

The Eternal Essence of the Floating World

Posted on December 6, 2015 by Symbol Reader

Lately, my thoughts have been spiraling around a deep need to focus, to cut off all the extraneous details by finding a focus of devoted dedication. In a painting by Vermeer that I have always loved and was lucky to … Continue reading →