Symbol Watcher

In my previous two blogs, I talked about the circle representing the whole of the universe, all that is heavenly and spiritual. I also said the square symbolizes earthbound, physical reality. Given these symbolic backdrops, it makes sense that an image which brings these two geometric shapes together in equal measure (i.e., the squaring of the circle) would be illustrating humankind’s desire to achieve balance and harmony among the opposites of existence. (For an example, see the drawing below, which accompanies last Friday’s blog.)

To help me better understand the psychic purpose behind the image, I’m turning once again to the insight Jung provides in The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious: “The squaring of the circle is one of the many archetypal motifs which form the basic patterns of our dreams and fantasies but it is distinguished by the fact that it is one of the most important of them from the functional point of view. Indeed, it could even be called the archetype of wholeness.”

The circle and the square are geometric and symbolic opposites. So when our psyches bring the two shapes together in such a way that they inhabit an equal area, we are trying to reconcile all that is seemingly at odds within us — spiritual and material, light and dark, male and female, inferior and superior functions, etc.

Jung tells us these mandalas occur when nature is trying to heal a divide. “The fact that images of this kind have under certain circumstances a considerable therapeutic effect on their authors is empirically proved and also readily understandable, in that they often represent very bold attempts to see and put together apparently irreconcilable opposites and bridge over apparently hopeless splits. Even the mere attempt in this direction usually has a healing effect, but only when it is done spontaneously.  Nothing can be expected from an artificial repetition or a deliberate imitation of such images.” (Excerpted from The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious.)  

I think the last part of Jung’s statement is particularly important. I take it to mean that we can’t use force of will to sit down and consciously think through and draw out what we’d like our “Self”-reflective mandalas to look like. Nature, as she always does, will provide the images to us when she feels we are in need and ready to receive them — either through active imagination in our waking hours or in our dreams during sleep. 

– Writeye

Posted on May 28th, 2009 under Dreams, Jungian Psychology • Tags: healing psychic opposites, mandala symbolism, squaring of the circle meaning. •  Print This Post •  Email This Post • RSS 2.0 feed • Leave a response, or trackback