Symbol Watcher

The search for meaning in cultural, artistic and dream imagery

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Posts tagged mandala symbolism

The Squaring of the Circle

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 [...]

Mandala Symbolism

Today, I’ll start right off the bat with an excerpt from Jung’s work, The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious (Vol. 9): “The Sanskrit word mandala means ’circle.’ It is the Indian term for the circles drawn in religious rituals.  . . . The best and most significant mandalas are found in the sphere of Tibetan Buddhism.  . [...]