"We are all, in every particle of our being, precipitations of consciousness; we are, likewise, the animals and plants, metals drawing to a magnet and waters tiding to the moon. Today the planet is the only proper 'in group'." A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living Diane K. Osbon, editor

QUOTES

		View
1			"Neolithic thought was very close to the medieval in its conviction that an eternal and invisible essence underlies all appearances." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
2			"In alchemy…the philosopher's stone is the supreme realization of mystic identification with the god within us and with the eternal." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
3			"A synthesis is the result of a thesis AND an antithesis. And true reality resides only in the synthesis." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
4			"Every created object is…a reflection of divine perfection, a natural and perceptible sign of a superntural truth." Jules LeBele A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
5			"The common origin of the human race is proved by the universal themes of folklore [and] legend….Orientalism, the study of comparative religion, mythology, cultural anthropology, the history of civilization and art, esotericism, psychoanalysis, and symbolological research have all combined to provide us with ample material to substantiate psychological truth, and this essential oneness." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
6			"All symbolist traditions, both western and oriental, spring from one common source." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
7			"The archetype does not stem from forms or from figures or objective beings, but from images within the human spirit." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
8			"The universality of an archetype affirms the reality of the principle in question." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
9			"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts being, in a sense, their origin and justification." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
10			"The law of correspondences is the foundation of all symbolism and by virtue of it every thing proceeding essentially from a metaphysical principle, which is the source of its reality, translates and expresses this principle in its own way and according to its own level of existence, so that all things are related and joined together in total, universal harmony which is, in its many guises, a reflection of its own fundamental unity." Rene Guenon A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
11			"The overall organic pattern is multiplicity in unity." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
12			"The whole of Nature is but a symbol, that is, its true significance becomes apparent only when it is seen as a pointer which can make us aware of supernatural or metaphysical truths." Rene Guenon A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
13			"St. Augustine shows that teaching carried out with the help of symbols feeds and stirs the fires of love, enabling Man to excel himself; he also alludes to the value of all things in nature – organic and inorganic – as bearers of spiritual messages by virtue of their distinctive forms and characteristics." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
14			"All the energy and interest devoted today by western Man to science and technology were, by ancient Man, once dedicated to mythology. And not only his energy and interest but also his speculative and theorizing propensities, creating the immeasurable wealth of Hindu, Chinese and Islamic philosophy, the Cabala itself and the painstaking investigations of alchemy and similar studies." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
15			"Everything in the universe is linked as in a garland." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
16			"Nothing is isolated inside its own existence: everything is linked by a system of correspondences and assimilations." Mircea Eliade, 'Images and Symbols' A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
17			"The vertical axis through the centre of the Yang-Yin constitutes the unvarying mean or, in other words, the mystic 'Centre' where there is no rotation, no restlessness, no impulse, nor any suffering of any kind. It corresponds to the central zone of the Wheel of Transformations in Hindu symbolism, and the centre or the way out of the labyrinth in Egyptian and western symbolism." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
18			"The mystic 'Centre' [is] the non-apparent point which is the irradiating origin of every branch and shoot of the great Tree of the World." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
19			"The point signifies unity, the Origin and the Centre. It also represents the principles of manifestation and emanation, and hence in some mandalas the centre is not actually shown but must be imagined….There are two kinds of point to be considered: that which has no magnitude and is symbolic of creative virtue, and that which – as suggested by Raymond Lull in his 'Nova Geometria' – has the smallest conceivable or practicable magnitude and is a symbol of the principle of manifestation." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
20			"In cabalistic symbolism, the sacred palace, or the 'inner palace', is located at the junction of the six Directions of Space which, together with the centre, form a septenary... This concept of the Centre embraces the heart and the mind." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
21			"All centres are symbols of eternity, since time is the motion of the periphery of the wheel of phenomena rotating around the Aristotelian 'unmoved mover'." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
22			"Psychoanalysts have noted that the joining of the square with the circle (in such forms as the star, the rose, the lotus, concentric circles, the circle with a visible central point, etc.) is symbolic of the final stage in the process of individuation, or, in other words, of that phase of spiritual development when imperfections (irregular shapes) have been eliminated…for the sake of concentrating upon the achievement of Oneness." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
23			"In neo-platonic philosophy, the soul is explicitly related to the shape of the sphere." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
24			"A great many ritual acts have the sole purpose of finding out the spiritual 'Centre' of a locality, which then becomes the site, either in itself or by virtue of the temple built upon it, an 'image of the world'." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
25			"Among the Chinese, the infinite being is frequently symbolized as a point of light with concentric circles spreading outwards from it." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
26			"Hindu doctrine declares that God resides in the centre, at that point where the radii of a wheel meet at its axis. In diagrams of the cosmos, the central space is always reserved for the Creator." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
27			"The idea of rotation is the keystone of most transcendent symbols: of the mediaeval 'Rota'; of the Wheel of Buddhist transformations; of the zodiacal cycle; of the myth of the Gemini; and of the 'opus' [work] of the alchemists. The idea of the world as a labyrinth or of life as a pilgrimage leads to the idea of the 'centre' as a symbol of the absolute goal of Man – Paradise regained….Pictorially, this central point is sometimes identified with the geometric centre of the symbolic circle." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
28			"The symbology of philosophers, founders of religions and poets is wholly idealist and cosmic in direction, embracing all objects, seeking after the infinite and pointing to the mysteries of the mystical 'centre.'" A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
29			"The mandla fulfils its function as an aid to man in his efforts to regroup all that is dispersed around a single axis." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
30			"In Jung's view, mandalas and all concomitant images….are derived from dreams and visions corresponding to the most basic of religious symbols known to mankind – symbols which are known to have existed as far back as the Paleolithic Age, as is proved, for example, by the Rhodesian rock engravings." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
31			"The mandala is an image and a synthesis of the dualistic aspects of differentiation and unification, of variety and unity, the external and the internal, the diffuse and the concentrated. It excludes disorder..because, by its very nature, it must surmount disorder. It is, then, the visual, plastic expression of the struggle to achieve order – even within diversity – and of the longing to be reunited with the pristine, non-spatial and non-temporal 'Centre', as it is conceived in all symbolic traditions." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
32			"Point: The point signifies unity, the Origin and the Centre. It also represents the principles of manifestation and emanation….There are two kinds of point to be considered: that which has no magnitude and is symbolic of creative virtue, and that which – as suggested by Ramon Lull in his 'Nova Geometria' – has the smallest conceivable or practicable magnitude and is a symbol of the principle of manifestation. Moses deLeon defined the nature of the original Point as follows: 'This degree is the sum total of all subsequent mirrors, that is, of all external aspects related to this one degree. They proceed therefrom because of the mystery of the point, which is in itself an occult degree emanating from the mystery of the pure and awe-inspiring ether.'" A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
33			"One: Symbolic of being and of the revelation of the spiritual essence. It is the active principle which, broken into fragments, gives rise to multiplicity, and is to be equated with the mystic Centre, the Irradiating Point and the Supreme Power. It also stands for spiritual unity – the common basis between all beings." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
34			"Image: A pattern of forms and figures endowed with unity and significance. It is implied in the theory of form – and is true, also of melody – that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts being, in a sense, their origin and justification…..Also to be borne in mind is the thory propounded by Sir Herbert Read in 'Icon and Idea', according to which every creation in the visual arts – and, in fact, every kind of pattern – is a form of thought and therefore corresponds to an intelligible mental concept. This leads us towards an intuition of the world as a vast repertoire of signs that await being 'read'." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
35			"The sphere is a whole, and hence it underlies the symbolic significance of all those images which partake of this wholeness, from the idea of the mystic 'Centre' to that of the world and eternity, or , more particularly, of the world-soul. In neo-platonic philosophy, the soul is explicitly related to the shape of the sphere, and the substance of the soul is deposited as quintessence around the concentric spheres of the four Elements. The same is true of the primordial man of Plato's Timaeus….Another important association is that of perfection and felicity. The absence of corners and edges is analogous to the absence of inconveniences, difficulties, and obstacles." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
36			"What Man saw in the grain, what he learnt in dealing with it, what he was taught by the example of seeds changing their form when they are in the ground, that was the decisive lesson….One of the main roots of soteriological optimism was the belief of prehistoric, agricultural mysticism that the dead, like seeds underground, can expect to return to life in a different form." Mircea Eliade, 'Tratado de historia de las religiones', Madrid, 1954 A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
37			"In all symbols expressive of the mystic Centre, the intention is to reveal to Man the meaning of the primordial 'paradisal state' and to teach him to identify himself with the supreme principle of the universe. This centre is in effect Aristotle's 'unmoved mover'…Hindu doctrine declares that God resides in the centre, at that point where the radii of a wheel meet at its axis. In diagrams of the cosmos, the central space is always reserved for the Creator…Among the Chinese, the infinite being is frequently symbolized as a point of light with concentric circles spreading outwards from it." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
38			"Alchemical evolution is epitomized in the formula 'Solve et Coagula' (Dissolve and Coagulate), that is to say: 'analyse all the elements in yourself, dissolve all that is inferior in you, even though you may break in doing so; then, with the strength acquired from the preceding operation, congeal.'" A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
39			"All natural and cultural objects may be invested with a symbolic function which emphasizes their essential qualities in such a way that they lend themselves to spiritual interpretation." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
40			"The influence of the symbol must be allowed to pervade all levels of reality; only then can it be seen in all its spiritual grandeur and fecundity." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
41			"The reality of the symbol is founded upon the idea that the ultimate reality of an object lies in its spiritual rhythm – which it incarnates." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
42			"Symbolism is what might be called a magnetic force, drawing together phenomena which have the same rhythm and even allowing them to interchange." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
43			"The prototypes of the images and forms utilized by the oneirocritic, poetic and prophetic idioms, can be found around us in Nature, revealing herself as a world of materialized dream, as a prophetic language whose hieroglyphics are beings and forms." Franz P. Schubert (1797-1828), Austrian composer, 'Symbolik des Traumes' A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
44			"All things form at one and the same time an organic whole and a precise order." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
45			"Symbolism adds a new value to an object or an act, without thereby violating its immediate or historical validity. Once it is brought to bear, it turns the object or action into an 'open' event: symbolic thought opens the door on to immediate reality for us, but without weakening or invalidating it; seen in this light the universe is no longer sealed off, nothing is isolated inside its own existence: everything is linked by a system of correspondences and assimilations." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)
46			"The symbol proper is a dynamic and polysymbolic reality, imbued with emotive and conceptual values: in other words, with true life." A Dictionary of Symbols (J. E. Cirlot)