Symbol Brief — Left and Right
In her right hand is the sword, illustrating masculine discrimination and courage. In her left, the cupped scales, symbolizing feminine receptivity and duality.
All the election rhetoric about the far left and the far right has reminded me that left and right have a rich and interesting symbolic history that has little to do with political descriptors.
The right is associated with action and the male, solar aspects of existence. The left is traditionally associated with weakness, passivity and the lunar, female principle. It’s important to note that these associations are from a Western viewpoint.
In the East, the symbolic values of left and right are much different. In Japan, the left is the side of the male, solar energy and also stands for nobility and wisdom. In contrast, it’s the right side that holds the female, lunar qualities. China’s yin-yang concept shows a philosophy of balance and interrelatedness between male-female/left-right/light-dark. The Cabala presents a neutral interpretation. The right hand of god is the hand of blessing and symbolizes mercy. The left hand stands for justice and is known as the the hand of the king.
From a psychological perspective, left and right take on added meaning. Jungian Marie-Louise Von Franz, wrote in Man and His Symbols, “. . . ‘right’ side — the side where things become conscious. Among other things ‘right’ often means, psychologically, the side of consciousness, of adaptation, of being ‘right,’ while ‘left’ signifies the sphere of the unadapted, unconscious reactions or sometimes even of something ’sinister.’ “ Additionally, Jung pointed out that the left side is also the side of the heart, and from it flows not only love, “but all the evil thoughts connected with it. ”
When I’m analyzing my dreams, I always try and recall details about left and right. Who is standing on my left or my right? What am I holding in my left or right hand? Which hand am I using to carry out what action? Does one side of my face or body look different from the other, etc.
– Writeye
Posted on October 7th, 2008 under Jungian Psychology, Symbol Brief • Tags: left and right symbolism. • 
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August 3rd, 2009 at 5:41 am
Hi
I was looking for left-right symbolism and found your blog.
I do chakra readings and I get most of my info in symbols. In my case the symbolism is usually very personal and relative only to the person I’m reading, but now and then I get more global/generic symbols. The left-right thing had me a bit stumped this morning. I suspect it’ll turn out to be personal, but I must admit the fact the West sees left as lunar/passive/female does make sense for who I’m looking for. I’ll pass on your link to the person and let them read for themselves.
Now I’m off to read more of your blog for my own interest.
August 4th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
Hi again Michelle.
I hope what I’ve learned about left-right symbolism is helpful to your friend. It’s so interesting to me that you do chakra readings. Just in the last couple weeks, I’ve started to research the different levels and what they mean. I’ve had a couple dreams back to back, where my lower back next to my spine has either been shot or was being warmed and protected. Many years ago I bought a book called, “The Psychology of Kundalini Yoga.” It’s a collection of seminar notes Jung gave on the topic back in 1952. I’ve never read it, but I think I need to finally take a look at it.
August 15th, 2009 at 5:21 am
Hey!
I was also looking for left and right symbolism and found this!i do quite a bit of study and Iam half way through “man and his symbols”.
In the last two weeks I have had two dreams involving the left side- The first my little brother comes to me with an injury to his left knee, not serious but I take him to hospital. The second Iam on the phone and beome paralyzed down the left side-i feel a sense of relief, fall into an enchanted sleep- then wake up and slowly get better- havent quite figured it out yet!!!..
August 22nd, 2009 at 4:00 pm
Hello “TheLion.” Thank you for stopping in and leaving a couple dreams for us to mull over. I know you didn’t ask me for my thoughts concerning some possible meanings for the dreams you posted, but I thought since you said you haven’t quite figured them out that perhaps the viewpoint from an objective third party might help.
As you know from reading my post about the symbolism of the left side, it often stands for that within us that is unconscious and/or undifferentiated (still part of the dark mass of the unknown). You don’t specify whether or not your little brother is your actual little brother or your dream little brother. If he’s your actual brother, you may want to think about what characteristics he possesses that may be characteristics in yourself that you are unaware of or unwilling to admit to. These characteristics may be symbolized by the left knee. The knee is what enables us to bend our leg, so it speaks of our flexibility, how easily we can propel ourselves forward in life. It could also be commenting on our inability to humble ourselves (to get down on our knees and ask for help, or forgiveness, etc. The exact interpretation of the injured knee will depend on your associations with your brother. The fact that you take him to the hospital to get his problem treated is a good sign. It means you’re willing to take the steps necessary to correct the psychological problem within yourself.
The second one seems a bit tricker and may be pointing to your not wanting to hear what your unconscious is trying to tell you. You are on the phone, in the middle of communicating (with yourself symbolically). In the midst of the conversation your unconscious side goes numb. You don’t feel its effect anymore. When we start paying attention to our unconscious and hearing all the things about ourselves we need to work on it can be scary. That may be why you feel a sense of relief when your left side goes numb. You say you fall into an “enchanted sleep,” as if you’re escaping in some fairy tale, away from reality. But, you wake up from this escape (waking up can often symbolize a move toward consciousness) and slowly get better. So, as in the first dream, this dream seems to indicate that you have it within you to wake up and bring your unconscious contents into consciousness.
Of course, only you will know when you’ve hit upon the right interpretation for you. You will feel it in your heart and gut. But I hope this helps to get your interpretive wheels turning.
August 23rd, 2009 at 7:57 am
Hey,
Thanks for the reply! I think you may be on to something in what you said! I have two powerfully conflicting sides to myself-
1:A very sharp, logical, calculating intelect.
2: A very powerful Intuitive nature, very sensitive to spirtual matters (dream premonition, strange coincidences, occaiasonal paranormal experience etc). These two sides very often conflict with each other, as one side pursues material interests in the name of being “sensible”, and the other side persues spiritual destiny! I have to point out that when I become paralyzed in the second dream, It feels as if it is like being overcome by the “holy spirit” Iam wandering if the sense of releif comes from the intelect having to acknowledge the power of my spirituality over myself -through this dramatic act!,my unconcious knows the power of my spiritual nature!(the spirit always wins, but the intellect puts up a fight)
August 25th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
That detail about how you felt when you became paralyzed is such an important point! So your enchanted sleep feels to you as if you’ve been overcome by the holy spirit. It may be that the sense of relief comes when you let your guard down — as we do when we’re asleep. Our egos shut up and, by doing so, our unconscious is allowed to speak through our dreams. Your unconscious being heard and you becoming aware of what it’s telling you, may be why you feel the sense of relief.
October 7th, 2009 at 4:57 am
ahm, hi, i just want to know if it is has scientific basis or just a mythological basis. thanks
November 11th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Hi Beth.
The associations attached to left and right have a mythological basis, not a scientific one — if by scientific you mean that they have been proven “true” in the physical, material world.
From the wording of your comment, I infer that you don’t put much weight on the effect myths have on us even today (“just” a mythological . . .). But these associations are embedded in our human DNA, brought to us from our ancestors’ beliefs. Their beliefs — even if scientifically unfounded or disproven — still sleep somewhere within us and bubble up through our unconscious into our dreams, artwork, etc. They live in us to remind us where we have been as an entire species of people and what we can learn from the history we’ve collected but perhaps forgotten.
January 8th, 2010 at 10:29 am
thank you very much for this article =] I plan on getting tattoos on my left and right wrists but before I do I want to know as much as I can about the symbolism of right and left. your blog helped me a ton, thanks! =]