mrs. neal's not-so-conventional MEDITATION [CLASS] for TEENS...

Truth did not come into the world naked,
but it came in type and images.
One will not receive the truth in any other way…

 – The Gospel of St. Philip

 

Carl Jung, noted psychiatrist/psychoanalyst, and a favorite of mine, was of the opinion that the human psyche — the conscious and subconscious mind — held deep within it a “collective unconscious,” and that stored within this were instinctive patterns formed by human experiences throughout the ages.

Jung believed that there were images, or symbols, that were recognized and represented universally.

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There are certain symbols that we all recognize and associate with certain things. For example, the heart shape is universally recognized to represent the heart, or love, even though it is only abstractly shaped like a real heart.

Symbols, icons, logos, ideograms, and graphic gestalts play an important role in communication and marketing as much today as they did in the past when people communicated through drawings instead of written words.

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Did you know that logos were originally developed to represent a type of business in a time when few people could read? If a person were looking for a barber, they knew to look for the iconic red and white striped pole. One of the first things a business, organization or group does is develop a logo to create a quick and easily-recognized identity.

Who today does not recognize their favorite restaurant’s logo, or that of their favorite sports team, or clothing brand? Can you picture the logo of your favorite breakfast cereal, or the symbol that your favorite music group uses on all of their tee shirts?

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Interpretation

Symbols have become an integral part of everyday language, and part of our everyday lives.

So, how do you know what the symbols in your dreams and visions mean to you?

Take another look at those words you wrote down in the exercise in chapter 22. Think about them.

Do they mean anything specific to you? Do you understand what they symbolize to you? Try to determine what those individual words specifically represent to you — it’s kind of like interpreting a dream.

While you could refer to an outside source to get a basic idea of what the words or symbols might represent abstractly — as suggested by Jung — you shouldn’t have someone else interpret your words for you. You have to do it yourself.

Based on your life experience, the words you wrote down will symbolize something different to you than to someone else. For example, the word “tree” might represent “family” to me, but “strength” to you.

Another example: if your favorite color is yellow, and one of the words you wrote on your list to describe that color is “bright,” you now have to determine what that word specifically means to you. Does it symbolize your bright personality — that when you walk into a room, you light it up? Or does it mean you are bright — meaning intelligent?

Figure out what your subconscious is telling you about yourself. If you know you are pretty smart, the interpretation may be “intelligent.” If you know that people like you, and that when you walk into a room, people turn and smile at you, the interpretation may be that you “light up a room.”

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Again, it’s important that you analyze the symbols yourself. One of the problems with relying on someone else to interpret the meaning, or just reading a book to see what it tells you the symbol represents, is that the meanings of symbols or icons can vary from age group to age group, culture to culture, religion to religion.

So, go back to your list. Take one word at a time and analyze it. Think about it — and write down what that word specifically means to you.

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There are so many reference books for interpreting symbols and dreams — some good, some not. If you need help getting started, I have included the titles of some books I like in chapter 32. Just remember, these offer abstract references, you still need to figure out for yourself what they mean to you.

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THINK TIME:

Write out your dreams for a few days —
include as many details as you can remember.
Take some time to figure out what the images mean to you.

 

THE HOWs and WHYs
and OTHER LESSONS

 

Science is not only compatible with spirituality;
it is a profound source
of spirituality.

– Carl Sagan,
scientist / astronomer