Symbols and Attractions

The World of Archetypes lies in the core of our Universe. This World is like an archipelago surrounded by seas reflecting its islands in the mirror of their ruffling waters. The roots of all meanings are hidden in the World of Archetypes; mythological images and stories get their beginnings there; there lies the source of inspiration for philosophers and scientists, artists and poets. Creating the seas of their works, they describe one or another part of the archipelago. When the wind fades, the picture becomes clear; when the wind strengthens, the picture becomes hardly visible.

Nobody knows exactly how many islands are there: some see a single continent, some discern big islands, others distinguish a large number of small islands.

The soul of mankind is troubled by memories about that world, and from time to time expeditions are equipped to find this mysterious place. Not many reached the World of Archetypes itself and even fewer grasped the whole idea of it. The wisest have left geographical maps and guides to the World of Archetypes hidden from uninitiateds by a thick veil of the unknowable. People use these guides for divination. The completeness of the set of the symbols contained in the guides guarantees that no possible situation will be overlooked.

The most known examples of these descriptions are the Book of Changes (I Ching) from ancient China, the Tarot cards from medieval Europe, the Sabian symbols which appeared in the US in the 1920-th.

As we study these systems of symbolic representations of archetypes, we will compare them to each other to gain a better understanding of the World of Archetypes. We will also seek for the reflections of archetypes in the seas of Mythology, Philosophy, Literature and Art and contemplate how the meanings of the works can be clarified under the shine of the World of Archetypes.