The Transformative Power of the Symbol

Digital Jung

In this episode:
We look at the value of the symbol and the transformative function that it holds for our psychological lives.

Let's make this a conversation:
Do you have a comment or question about this episode, or about something you would like me to address in a future episode? Please contact me on Facebook (facebook.com/jungiananalyst) or Twitter (@Jason_E_Smith).
For more on living a symbolic life:
Please check out my book, Religious but Not Religious: Living a Symbolic Life, available from Chiron Publications.
Sources for quotes and more:

1. “Symbols … are always grounded in the unconscious archetype, but their manifest forms are moulded by the ideas acquired by the conscious mind. ..." ~ C.G. Jung, from Symbols of Transformation in 'Collected Works, vol. 5.'
2. "[Symptoms are ] an attempt of the self-regulating psychic system to restore the balance, in no way different from the function of dreams – only rather more forceful and drastic.” ~ C.G. Jung from The Tavistock Lectures in 'Collected Works, vol. 18.'
3. Discussion of "Symbolic Attitude" from Psychological Types in 'Collected Works, vol. 6.'
4. Shakuntala, adapted from 'The Dance of Shiva and Other Tales from India' by Oroon Ghosh.
5. “We are amphibious creatures..." ~ Evelyn Underhill in "Mysticism: The Preeminent Study in the Nature and Development of Spiritual Consciousness.'
6. “With the coming of consciousness, cultural and psychological values began to compete with the purely biological aims of unconscious functioning.” ~ M. Esther Harding in 'Psychic Energy: Its Source and Its Transformation.'
7. “A symbol is a function of relationship between our human consciousness and that which is symbolized.” from 'Religious but Not Religious: Living a Symbolic Life.'
8. “Strangest of all is the ease with which the vision is lost..." ~ Kathleen Raine, quoted in 'Beauty: The Invisible Embrace' by John O'Donohue.

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Music:
"Dreaming Days," "Slow Vibing," and "The Return" by Ketsa are licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
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