Episode 405 - The Symptoms We Suffer, The Symbols We Need

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Oct 16, 2024

Explore the power of living symbols in uniting a divided world. Delve into ancient myths that reveal the transformative journey of the soul. Discover how reconnecting with your inner genius can combat modern despair. Uncover the profound significance of the tree of life as a cosmic connector. Learn how embracing imagination and ancient symbols can heal feelings of isolation, reminding us of our shared humanity. These themes weave together a narrative that encourages us to remember our purpose and foster unity.

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INSIGHT

True Meaning of Symbols

Symbol means to bring things together, uniting opposites and revealing deeper unity.
Genuine symbols show multiple realities and reveal hidden connections in life.

INSIGHT

Tree of Life Symbolism

The Tree of Life is a universal symbol representing cosmic unity and origins of life.
It unites opposites and acts as a central axis connecting heaven and earth.

ANECDOTE

African Myth of Soul’s Descent

An African myth tells of souls sitting on the world tree before descending to earth.
Souls forget their life purpose upon touching the tree and are born, beginning the journey to remember their true aim.

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This episode is about the need for living symbols that can give us a sense of unity and wholeness in a divided world. Symptom is an old Greek word that refers to something that “falls upon us or strikes us” in a way that wounds us or divides us against ourself. At this critical time on Earth, almost anything can suddenly become symptomatic and leave us more personally wounded and more collectively divided.

The word symbol derives from Greek roots, meaning “to throw together or bring things together.” A genuine symbol unites unlike or opposite things in a way that reveals the underlying unity of life, but also reveals other levels of reality. When most levels of Nature and culture simultaneously manifest disruptive symptoms, we have a greater need for symbols that can remind us of the origins of life, which are always nearby and able to be tapped for the energies of healing and renewal.

The antidote for the isolation and dissociation that has become so characteristic of modern life lies in finding again the ancient wellsprings of human imagination and the personal thread to the underlying continuity of all of life. In this old way of imagining and thinking, an endless story unfolds from the core of creation, and a living thread of imagination is woven within the heart that connects each of us to that unfolding story.

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