Symbols

1. Symbols Truth did not come into the world naked, but it came in types and images. One will not receive the truth in any other way…The bridegroom must enter through the image of the truth.

2. Jungian PsychologyCarl Gustav Jung 1875-1961 • Conscious verses Unconscious • Collective Unconscious: The seat of those instinctive patterns of thought and behavior that millennia of human experience have shaped into what we now recognize as emotions and values. • Archetypes: Primordial images cannot be called up into consciousness; they can only be examined in symbolic form, personalized as men or women, or as images projected by our minds on to the outside world.

3. Jung’s Archetypes Psychologist Carl Gustav Jung described several archetypes that are based in the observation of differing but repeating patterns of thought and action that re-appear time and again across people, countries and continents. Jung's main archetypes are not 'types' in the way that each person may be classified as one or the other. Rather, we each have all basic archetypes within us. He listed four main forms of archetypes: • The Shadow • The Anima • The Animus • The Self

4. The Shadow The Shadow is a very common archetype that reflects deeper elements of our psyche, where 'latent dispositions' which are common to us all arise. It also reflects something that was once split from us in early management of the objects in our lives. It is, by its name, dark, shadowy, unknown and potentially troubling. It embodies chaos and wildness of character. The shadow thus tends not to obey rules, and in doing so may discover new lands or plunge things into chaos and battle. It has a sense of the exotic and can be disturbingly fascinating. In myth, it appears as the wild man, spider-people, mysterious fighters and dark enemies. We may see the shadow in others and, if we dare, know it in ourselves. Mostly, however, we deny it in ourselves and project it onto others. It can also have a life of its own, as the Other. A powerful goal that some undertake is to re-integrate the shadow, the dark side, and the light of the 'real' self. If this can be done effectively, then we can become 'whole' once again, bringing together that which was once split from us. Our shadow may appear in dreams, hallucinations and musings, often as something or someone who is bad, fearsome or despicable in some way. It may seduce through false friendship or threaten with callous disregard. Encounters with it, as an aspect of the subconscious, may reveal deeper thoughts and fears. It may also take over direct physical action when the person is confused, dazed or drugged.

5. Ego & Shadow The first pair is 'ego' and 'shadow'. The 'ego' is the fragile, precious light of consciousness that must be guarded and cultivated. A healthy 'ego' organizes and balances the conscious and unconscious elements of the psyche; a weakened 'ego' leaves an individual in the dark, in danger of being swamped by chaotic, unconscious images, the 'ego' is the sense of purpose and identity. The 'shadow', which is always of the same sex, is the dark side of the person, characterized by inferior, uncivilized or animal qualities which the 'ego' wishes to hide from others. It is not wholly bad however, but primitive and unadapted; it can vitalize life if honestly faced up to.

6. Henry FuseliThe Nightmare exhibited 1782Oil on canvas, 1210 x 1473 x 89 mmLent by the Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase with funds from Mr and Mrs Bert L. Smokler and Mrs Lawrence A. Fleischman The exact meaning of The Nightmare remains elusive. Fuseli’s painting combines a wide range of references. The result was meant to appeal to the sensationalist tastes of the time. • THE IMP OR ‘MARA’ This creature may derive from ancient sculpture, but it also alludes to contemporary ideas about ‘savages’ and halfhuman simians. His features have been taken as resembling Fuseli’s own. The painter may have been inspired by folklore relating to the ‘Mara’ – spirits who visit in the night, causing bad dreams – or classical stories about ‘incubi’ – wicked imps who assault women sexually in their sleep. Fuseli’s contemporaries detected references to Shakespeare. • THE HORSE Although the word ‘nightmare’ derives from ‘mara’ (imp) rather than ‘mare’ (horse), these terms are often mixed up. The prominent presence of the wild-looking animal in Fuseli’s painting compounds this confusion.

7. Persona/Soul The second most prevalent pattern is that of the Anima (male), Animus (female), or, more simply, the Soul, and is the route to communication with the collective unconscious. The anima/animus represents our true self, as opposed to the masks we wear every day and is the source of our creativity. The anima/animus may appear as someone exotic or unusual in some way, perhaps with amazing skills and powers. In fiction, heroes, super-heroes and gods may represent these powerful beings and awaken in us the sense of omnipotence that we knew in that very early neonatal phase. Anima and animus are male and female principles that represent this deep difference. While men have an fundamental anima and women an animus, each may also have the other, just as men have a feminine side and women a masculine. Jung saw men as having one dominant anima, contributed to by female members of his family, while women have a more complex, variable animus, perhaps made of several parts. Jung theorized the development of the anima/animus as beginning with infant projection onto the mother, then projecting onto prospective partners until a lasting relationship can be found.

8. Anima and Animus Jung used the Latin male and female names for the 'soul', animus and anima. The 'soul' image is always represented by the individual's opposite gender, the female anima in man, the male animus in woman. The 'soul' image is an archetype representing the whole of the unconscious, which is inherited, collective and ageless, but modified by ones actual experience of the opposite sex, especially parents. 'Soul' images appear in dreams, myths and fantasies, but they are also projected, giving a distorted impression of individuals of the opposite sex. The male's 'soul' image, the anima, appeared in many forms throughout the ages but always with the compelling and fascinating secret nature of Eros (love) as an archetype of life itself represented in images of earth and water. The woman's 'soul' image takes the nature of Logos (reason), a search for knowledge, truth and meaningful activity, often represented by images of air and fire. It is often projected onto men with whom the woman is emotionally involved e.g. father figures in a young woman, heroic men as she matures and comforting males as doctors or priests as she grows old.

9. Doan (Yamada Yorikiyo), JapaneseTiger and Dragon, ink on paper, around 1560The Minneapolis Institute of Arts The tiger prowling in the sunlight represents the Animus. The dragon in the dark coils of the sea represents the Anima. The importance of the anima and animus, moon and sun, queen and king, is duality. The existence of both within the same being.

10. The Syzygy (the divine couple) If one comes to terms with the Shadow and the Soul, one will encounter the enchanted castle with its King and Queen. This is a pattern of wholeness and integration. The opposites of the outer and the inner life are now joined in marriage. Great power arises from this integration.

11. The Self This is the central archetype of wholeness and totality. It does not refer to the individual self but to the whole of the personality; ego, consciousness personal and collective unconscious. The self appears in dreams, myths and fairytales as king, hero, prophet, savior; it appears as the magic circle, the square and the cross; it is the total union of opposites, it is a united duality as Tao and yang and ying, it appears as the mandala, it appears as the imago dei (the image of God) and is equated with the totality of self which is universally expressed and the power of this creation is within the self. Even if God has been pronounced dead the psychological God lives and is equated with supreme power and supreme being; it can be worshipped in many guises - machines, computers, material possessions, states, money, idols, icons, man, woman, child, animal, even atheism - all substitute and stand in for imago dei. Supernatural powers are attributed to whatever carries this image of the self. Whatever we are committed to in awe, in blind allegiance, or devoutly in faith is an expression of imago dei. Abstractions such as science may be reified versions of God. The psychology of the unconscious archetype does not say anything about the reality of the existence of God but only the psychic manifestations experienced by individuals.

12. Tibetan Mandala Mandalas are immensely complex symbolic structures, with many layers of meaning and beauty. Although very beautiful and aesthetically pleasing, mandalas are meant for religious use, and are not intended as museum works of art. It is only in recent years that the Dalai Lama has permitted mandalas to be made in public, as a means of teaching about Tibetan culture. A mandala is thought to bring peace and harmony to the area where it is being constructed. Simply viewing a mandala is believed by Buddhists to be enough to change one's mind stream by creating a strong imprint of the beauty of perfection of the Buddha's mind, as is represented in the mandala itself. As a result of this imprint, one may be able to find greater compassion, awareness, and a better sense of well-being.

13. Vitruvian Man Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man (1492). Pen and ink with wash over metalpoint on paper, 344 × 245 mm. This image exemplifies the blend of art and science during the Renaissance and provides the perfect example of Leonardo's keen interest in proportion. In addition, this picture represents a cornerstone of Leonardo's attempts to relate man to nature. Encyclopedia Britannica online states, "Leonardo envisaged the great picture chart of the human body he had produced through his anatomical drawings and Vitruvian Man as a cosmografia del minor mondo (cosmography of the microcosm). He believed the workings of the human body to be an analogy for the workings of the universe." It is also believed by some that Leonardo symbolized the material existence by the square and spiritual existence by the circle. Thus he attempted to depict the correlation between these two aspects of human existence.

14. Other Archetypes • Family archetypes • The father: Stern, powerful, controlling • The mother: Feeding, nurturing, soothing • The child: Birth, beginnings, salvation • Story archetypes • The hero: Rescuer, champion • The maiden: Purity, desire • The wise old man: Knowledge, guidance • The magician: Mysterious, powerful • The earth mother: Nature • The witch or sorceress: Dangerous • The trickster: Deceiving, hidden • Animal archetypes • The faithful dog: Unquestioning loyalty • The enduring horse: Never giving up • The devious cat: Self-serving Jung said that there are a large number of archetypes. These are often linked to the main archetypes and may represent aspects of them. They also overlap and many can appear in the same person.

15. Sacred Geometry The Circle Early in history the circle became a symbol of male divinity, appearing later as the haloes around the heads ofd angels. Lacking beginning or end, it represents infinity, perfection and the eternal. It is often used as a symbol of God. The Square This form represents solidity: a perfection that is static, earthly and material. It connotes dependability, honesty, shelter, safty. As the most frequent shape in Hindu symbology, it stands for order in the universe and the balance of opposites. The Triangle The magical number three represents the sacred Trinity. Pointing upward, the triangle stands for ascent to heaven, fire, the active male principle: reversed, it symbolizes grace descending from heaven, water, the passive feminine element.

16. Numbers Numbers are far more than a convenient measure of the physical world. In many traditions they are considered to be the primal organizing principle that gives structure to the universe. The lives of animals and plants, the seasons and the movements of the planets are all governed by numerical relationships; and the shapes of crystals and harmony in music are determined by numerical laws. Numbers are seen as universal templates of creation, and therefore as symbols of perfection and of the gods. In the Greek and Hebrew alphabets, a number was assigned to each letter, and great importance was attached to the numerical significance of the name or phrase: the idea that all things can be expressed in terms of numbers persists today in the divinatory pseudo-science of numerology.

17. Three The number three underlies all aspects of creation - mind, body, and spirit; birth, life and death; past, present and future. The trinity occurs in many religions, symbolizing unity in diversity. Image: From the youngest to oldest the Graces were: Agleaea ("Beauty"), Euphrosyne ("Good Cheer", and Thalia ("Festivities"). Also known as the Charites (Greek Mythology name) or Gratiae by the Romans. They appear in many works of art, such as Boticelli's Primavera at the Uffizi gallery. Antonio Canova, The Three Graces. Location: Hermitage, St. Petersburg

18. Four The number of mankind (the four-limbed), four is associated with wholeness and completion - four elements, cardinal points, seasons, and ages of man. To the Chinese, it was the number of the earth. Image: To the Celts, the Celtic Cross (also known as the solar cross) was a symbol of the four quarters, the North representing wisdom and stability, winter and death; the East knowledge, learning, youth and spring; the South vitality, passion, strength and summer; the West intuition, emotion, inner knowledge. The circle connecting the four arms of the cross symbolizes the unity and the eternal cycle of life and rebirth. The Solar Cross symbolizes masculine and active / kinetic energy and the Sun. 10th Century, artist unknown

19. Seven The sum of the number of divinity (three) and the number of mankind (four, seven represents the macrocosm and the microcosm, and expresses the relationship between God and humanity. Accordingly, the world was created in seven days, there are seven candles on the menorah, there are seven deadly sins that separate mankind from God, and seven stages of initiation (seven heavens) through which to journey in order to return to God, there are also seven chakras. The number was sacred to the Greek god Apollo and Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess of fertility. Hindu artwork, diagram of the seven chakras, artist unknown

20. Nine The divine number three multiplied by itself gives nine, the incorruptible number of completion and eternity. Nine is associated with the circle, the square and the triangle. For the Chinese, it was the celestial number, the most auspicious of all, and there were nine great social laws and nine classes of officials. In Hinduism, nine squared produces the 81-square mandala, which symbolizes the universe and is used as an aid in prophecy and in astrological calculations. Image: In Greek mythology, the Muses are a sisterhood of goddesses or spirits, their number set at nine by Classical times, who embody the arts and inspire the creation process with their graces through remembered and improvised song and stage, writing, traditional music and dance. They were water nymphs, associated with the springs of Helicon and with Pieris, from which they are sometimes called the Pierides. The Olympian system set Apollo as their leader.

21. Objects As fragments of the physical world, objects are often imbued with special significance because they span the divide between the inexpressible inner reality that each individual builds up from instinct, intuition and experience, and the outer world of forms. The deepest symbolic meanings are held by objects that resonate with the preoccupations of people everywhere at all times - food, conflict and the gods.

22. Hourglass A symbol of mortality and the passing of time, the hourglass also stands for the cyclical nature of existence (because hourglasses have to be inverted repeatedly), and for the grace of the heavens falling upon the earth. Vanitas paintings oftentimes depict an hourglass to express fleeting life.

23. Chalice The cup or chalice is a symbol of the element of water, a feminine element representing intuition, gestation, psychic ability, and the subconscious. The Cup also stands in as a symbol of the Goddess and of the womb. According to Christian mythology the holy grail, the chalice from which Jesus drank from at the last supper hold miraculous powers. Supposedly, if one were to drink from this same chalice, they would receive immortality. The legend may combine Christian lore with a Celtic myth of a cauldron endowed with special powers. How at the Castle of Corbin a Maiden Bare in the Sangreal and Foretold the Achievements of Galahad: illustration by Arthur Rackham, 1917

24. Weapons of War Like war itself, weapons can be positive symbols. The sword often stands for justice and authority; the bow and arrow for sunlight and the pangs of love; the dagger for masculinity in general.

25. The Natural World The direct experience of nature was the most powerful influence on the perceptions of the ancients. Their concepts of space and time, and of their own position in the universe, could be understood only in relation to the natural world, every aspect of which was believed to express a particular feature of divine energy. The earliest gods were, not surprisingly, embodiments of nature. Nearly all ancient cultures originally represented the earth and nature itself as a maternal goddess: Aranrhod (Celtic, Nekhebet (Egyptian), Nokomis (Algonquin) and Gaia (Greek) were all versions of the universal mother. There was also a widespread belief that all forms of life were interchangeable, and that mankind was part of nature, rather than its master. In depictions of the Mesopotamian shepard god Dumuzi (Tammuz), plant, animal and human forms blend into one another. Images of the tree-man occur in the numerous Western cultures. Although the primitive nature gods were often superseded by wider more sophisticated pantheons, myths and symbols based on the natural world remained prominent in all cultures, and some where of worldwide significance. The relationship between the bird (a symbol of fire, purity and the spirit) and the serpent (the earth and underworld) is the subject of numerous myths. And the turtle is a symbol of the universe (the heavens, each and underworld represented by upper shell, body and lower shell) in both North America and Southern Asia. Depictions of the tree of life appear in nearly all cultures at all times.

26. Garlic: Like its relative the lily, garlic is a symbol of the higher world, partly because of its association with lightning (its scent is said to be similar to the smell caused by the discharge of lightning). Pine Cone: With its flame-like shape and erect appearance on the tree, the pine cone was for the Greeks a sign of masculinity. The Romans held it to be a symbol of purity, sacred to Venus. Chrysanthemum: In the East, the chrysanthemum was a propitious symbol, and also stood for contemplation and the onset of autumn.

27. Mushrooms and Toadstools: The mushroom is the Chinese symbol for happiness and rebirth, and was believed to be the food of the Taoist immortals. In Western foklore, toadstools are the homes of elves and pixies, and were associated with fertility and potency. Golden Apple: The golden apple represents discord, since its presentation by Paris to Aphrodite in a divine beauty contest led indirectly to the Trojan War. Freyja, the Norse goddess of love and magic, gave apples of immortality from her garden to rejuvenate the gods. The Pomegranate: In ancient Greece, the pomegranate was the symbol of Persephone and of the return of life in spring. With its countless seeds, the fruit stood for fertility and the unity in diversity of all creation.