Tag Archives: women

The Power of Wildness in the Times of Dystopia

Posted on February 14, 2021 by Symbol Reader

At least for me, it has been a season for dystopian novels. After finishing Handmaid’s Tale and its sequel The Testaments, I moved on to rereading 1984. When a cruel new law was recently passed in Poland forbidding abortion in … Continue reading →

Posted in violence against women | Tagged 1984, abortion, alchemy, archetypes, blood, C.G. Jung, Clarissa Pinkola Estes, dystopia, Gilead, Handmaid's Tale, lightning, Margaret Atwood, Moon, Orwell, Poland, protests, psyche, red, stories, storytelling, strike, symbolism, symbols, wild, wildness, wolf, women, women's right | 10 Comments

The Doll as a Symbol

Posted on February 13, 2021 by Symbol Reader

The doll is a curious and polyvalent symbol. On the one hand, there is no shortage of creepy dolls in horror movies. Furthermore, in his Dictionary of Symbols, Juan Eduardo Cirlot speaks of dolls solely in the context of psychopathology … Continue reading →

Posted in The Doll | Tagged Ancient Greece, archetypes, bride, C.G. Jung, doll, Doll's House, dolls, femininity, Ibsen, Imbolc, individuation, nymph, nymphs, Pinkola Estes, psyche, Self, socialization, society, symbolism, symbols, Vasilisa, votive offerings, wedding, women | Leave a comment

Roma: Movie of the Year

Posted on December 20, 2018 by Symbol Reader

The movie Roma is a beautiful hymn to women. It tells the story of Cleo, an indigenous (Mixtec) woman who works as a maid to an upper-middle-class Mexican family. She is wonderfully portrayed by Yalitza Aparicio, who had never acted … Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Review | Tagged Alfonso Cuaron, anima mundi, archetypes, domestic work, film, goddess, Hestia, housework, humility, James Hillman, Mixtec, movie, Power, review, Roma, servant, service, serving, Soul, symbolism, symbols, water, woman, women | 21 Comments

Hatshepsut: the Woman Pharaoh and Her Rise to Power

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Symbol Reader

Hatshepsut, a woman pharaoh from the renowned eighteenth dynasty, reigned very successfully for twenty-two years. Her rule brought enormous wealth and prosperity to her country. She did not wage unnecessary wars but focused on extensive building projects (she was the … Continue reading →

Posted in Hatshepsut, Uncategorized | Tagged ancient Egypt, Hatshepsut, mythology, Power, women | 16 Comments

In Praise of Witches

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Symbol Reader

1. “We are an evolving, dynamic tradition and proudly call ourselves Witches. Honoring both Goddess and God, we work with female and male images of divinity, always remembering that their essence is a mystery that goes beyond form. Our community rituals are participatory … Continue reading →

Posted in The Witch | Tagged archetypes, darkness, discrimination, evil, Hekate, magic, symbolism, symbols, The Malleus Malleficarum, witch, witch trials, witch-hunt, witchcraft, witches, women | 16 Comments

On Genius (1)

Posted on September 23, 2014 by Symbol Reader

Karl Brullof, “Genius of Art“ I have started to read a book Divine Fury: A History of Genius by Darrin M. McMahon. I am approaching this book with a substantial bias: I think that the term “genius“ is an old … Continue reading →

Posted in Genius, Psyche | Tagged Darrin M. McMahon, depth psychology, Divine Fury: A History of Genius, Genius, Juno, patriarchy, Power, Romans, talent, women | 28 Comments

Kafka’s Sirens

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Symbol Reader

“Now the Sirens have a still more fatal weapon than their song, namely their silence… someone might possibly have escaped from their singing; but from their silence, certainly never.” Franz Kafka Last year I posted my tribute to Franz Kafka … Continue reading →