symbols Archives - Applied Jung

The Creation Myth and the Structure of Desire

This essay is a reflection on a few of the primary symbols from the biblical story of the Garden of Eden as seen through an archetypal lens. I focus on four specific symbols:God the Garden of Paradise/the Wilderness the Serpent the Forbidden Fruit,for which I will offer an archetypal analysis and psychological interpretation of the way in which they structure our unconscious creation myth. With any symbol it is important to keep in mind that it has both a subjective personal dimension and...

November 8, 2023

By Stephen FarahAnima mundi, desire and drive, Symbolsarchetypes, myth, symbols31 Comments

Symptom or Symbol?

Carl Gustav Jung makes a clear distinction between a symptom and a symbol.[1] In this post I explore the distinction, how we might distinguish between symptoms and symbols, and what the implications of this are for the daily practice of individuation. I am currently leading a group of students on a one hundred day practice of the Microcosmic Orbit meditation as given in the mystical Taoist text The Secret of the Golden Flower.[2] The text, specifically the...

April 14, 2022

By Stephen FarahIndividuation, Jungian Themesindividuation, symbols9 Comments

The Middle Passage, from Misery to Meaning in Midlife by James Hollis

This book review is by Lynelle Pieterse and will be explored in the bookclub. Follow this link to join the Jungian Bookclub. James Hollis received his Diploma in Analytical Psychology from the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich, and is the Director of the C.G. Jung Educational Center in Houston, Texas. He is a frequent guest speaker who spends winters in analytic practice and writes during the summers. In his books, he elaborates on the theories of C. G. Jung. Contemplated...

April 14, 2017

By Stephen FarahBook and Movie ReviewsA meaningful life, animus, archetypes, C.G. Jung, choice, complex, consciousness, destiny, freedom, individuation, Jung, Jungian, jungian perspective, Living meaningfully, love, meaning, psychoanalysis, relationships, shadow, symbols, unconscious4 Comments

COMPLEX, ARCHETYPE, SYMBOL in the Psychology of C.G. Jung by Jolande Jacobi

This is a book review by Lynelle Pieterse who manages the Jungian Book Club. Click here to buy this book. Complex/Archetype/Symbol in the Psychology of C.G. Jung (Bollingen Series (General))

Introduction

In the foreword, Jung writes: “…the concept of the archetype has given rise to the greatest misunderstandings.” The book is a discussion about the intricate terms Complex, Archetype, and Symbol and specifically about how they are interrelated. Jolande Jacobi was an associate of C.G. Jung for many years. She is known for...

February 7, 2017

By Anja van KralingenBook and Movie Reviewsarchetypes, complex, consciousness, Jung, Jungian, jungian perspective, meaning, psychoanalysis, symbols8 Comments

The Body and the Blood

When I was a kid, for as long as I can remember, every Friday night, we would go to my grandmother’s house for a family supper. As my mother and one of my aunts were fond of saying, “Every road leads to Mayfair,” the suburb my grandmother’s home was located. We would go there for what I can only describe as a feast. My grandmother, God rest her soul, would prepare a feast for us every single week, without fail. My...

September 11, 2016

By Stephen FarahJungian Themes, Living Meaningfully, Symbolsjungian perspective, meaning, narrative, ritual, soul, symbols3 Comments

An Alchemists’ Lair

Arriving at Bollingen Tower. I am not an intrepid traveler. I am rather attached to my comforts and routines and usually overwhelmed by the airports and stations and luggage and people and shops. So it was with great trepidation that I set off to Zurich to attend the C.G. Jung Institute Winter Intensive, 2016. I traveled with a group organised by Dr. Leslee Brown that included accommodation and outings. This really worked for me, since I usually hide...

March 7, 2016

By Anja van KralingenJungian Themes, SymbolsBollingen Tower, C.G. Jung, Jung, stones, symbols3 Comments

Working with Symbols: manifesting Health, Wholeness and Meaning

In the Jungian system, there are four ways of using symbols in order to create meaning and depth in your life. The first way is as a tool for dialogue with unconscious content and its integration it into consciousness. The second way is to heal experiences of trauma or loss. The third way is to use symbols to imbue your life with meaning and magic. And the final way is to use symbols to resolve conflict and manifest conscious intent. Symbolising unconscious content in...

October 31, 2014

By Anja van KralingenSymbolsJung, meaning, myth, symbols25 Comments

Jung’s dream house and discovering your own archetypal home

In Memories, Dreams, Reflections Jung reports a seminal dream in his discovery of the collective unconscious. I was in a house I did not know, which had two storeys. It was "my house". I found myself in the upper storey, where there was a kind of salon furnished with fine old pieces in Rococo style. On the walls hung a number of precious, old paintings. I wondered that this should be my house and thought, "Not bad". But then...

June 19, 2014

By Stephen FarahArchetypes, Jungian Themesarchetypes, Jung, personal narratives, symbols8 Comments