Showing 70 articles
The Hero, Life and the Creation of the Sun
Author: Siobhan FarrarJanuary 21, 2024
The wisdom tradition and religious thought of the ancient Aztecs is shrouded in mystery. Whilst we cannot completely ‘know’ how these people encountered life, we can intuitively enter an understanding of how they thought, using symbolic language to decipher what remains perceivable through the shifting sands of time. One such remaining treasure is the myth [...]
Tales from the Ramayana – The Abduction of Sita
Author: Miha KosirSeptember 8, 2023
In the world of literature there are a few well known epic stories in which the plot is built around the abduction of a woman. In the East one of them is the ancient Indian story of the Ramayana, and in the West, there is the ancient Greek story of the Iliad. These are not [...]
Theseus and the Minotaur: The Defining Human Image
Author: Siobhan FarrarSeptember 8, 2023
The image of Theseus, hero of Attica, standing at the centre of the labyrinth, holding a magical thread (called a clue) brandishing his sword, about to face destiny in a moment of reckoning with the Minotaur, is perhaps one of the most defining scenes from mythology with a symbolism both rich and complex. What this [...]
The Symbolism of Renewal
Author: Jean GrunfeldMay 11, 2023
As we approach the Vernal or Spring Equinox (First Day of Spring) once more, human beings today and over millennia have found various ways to note and celebrate the renewal of Nature’s cycle. The Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere takes place every year on or around 21 March. In 2023, the Spring Equinox will [...]
Heroic Symbols of the Feminine: The Myth of Eros and Psyche
Author:January 26, 2023
In this article I will look at the archetypal hero’s journey with particular reference to its feminine aspect and symbolism. Symbols resonate on all levels of nature, meaning that feminine does not refer only to gender or biology (although there might be some relevant keys) but rather the understanding that the feminine is a principle [...]
The Feathered Serpent
Author: Nataliya PetlevychJuly 6, 2022
Stories of ancient civilizations appear and evolve in the flow of time. The symbols they contain are multivalent and complex and the pursuit of meaning is never a simple task. Ancient Mexican legends tell of great cycles of construction and deconstruction of the world. There was a new dawn, a new age was about to [...]
The Educational Value of Folk Tales
Author: Pinar AkhanApril 30, 2022
It is now a well-known fact that reading or telling stories to children starting from a young age has many developmental benefits. Just to name a few: stories can help to improve language and communication skills, develop the child’s brain with the ability to focus, help with associating and expressing their feelings, learning about the [...]
The Myth of Atlantis and the Universal Flood
Author: Antonio BeldaApril 18, 2022
The myth of Atlantis is one of the most famous and controversial myths of all time. Ever since the myth began – with the Greek philosopher Plato – people have been asking whether or not his story of a sunken continent was a historical fact. It is fair to assume that Plato did intend his [...]
Dionysus – The Mystical and the Heroic
Author: Svetlana KirutaMarch 28, 2022
“The myths about the god Dionysus tell us about the mysterious connection that exists between the mortal and the immortal in man. He is a symbol of the inner path, the return to the centre, to the throne of Zeus, a symbol of the heroic enthusiasm that inspires a disciple to walk the path, and [...]
Developing Virtue
Author: Tushar SawantMay 12, 2021
A long time ago, in the lands marked by the Roman Republic, a group of senators marched with haste to meet a man tilling a small farm. Upon watching the senators approach his farm, the man enquired, “Is everything alright?” to which they replied, “We hope that it might turn out well for both you [...]
Ferocious Deities of Japan
Author: Nataliya PetlevychMay 12, 2021
Among the benevolent and peace- and goodness-emanating deities of Japanese Buddhism, one might be surprised to encounter the ferocious and mighty Myōō, the Wisdom Kings. Their appearance is mesmerising: faces filled with astonishing power and determination, clearly visible fangs and bulging eyes, impressive postures of true warriors equipped with different weapons to combat evil. The [...]
Plant Lore – A Brief Insight Into the Mythology and Symbology of Plants
Author: Gareth KinsellaNovember 19, 2020
“And just as speech is invention about objects and ideas, so myth is invention about truth.” – Humphrey Carpenter You may not know it, but as a child, plant allegories may have left a bigger impact on you than first imagined. Vivid and captivating fables, like conceptual seeds that were sown in your mind through [...]