Archetypal Patterns/Traditional Symbols and Meanings

Spring

birth, youth

Summer

maturity, vigor, accomplishment

Autumn

fruition, fulfillment, aging, preparation for death, isolation

Winter

death, emptiness, return of chaos

Dawn

birth, enlightenment, deliverance from fear

Morning

youth, optimism

Afternoon

maturity, vigor, accomplishment

Sunset

death, mortal glory

Twilight

death, departure, mystery

Night

death, the unknown, fright, desolation, eroticism, unconsciousness of self, the devil

Sun

creative energy, life, law in nature, consciousness; enlightenment, thinking, wisdom, spiritual wisdom

Rising sun

reason, success, father principle, passage of time and life; birth, creation, enlightenment

Setting sun

death

Moon

mystery, imagination, female, mother, principle

Stars

the immutable law of the universe, goal

Comets

unnaturalness, portents of disaster

Meteors

unnaturalness, portents of disaster

Wind

power of Nature, inspiration, conception, soul, spirit

Storm/clouds

hostility of Nature

Rain

gloom, restoration of life after drought

Snow

cessation of life, transformation of the familiar, purity, chastity

Fog

uncertainty

Sky

freedom

Water

quenching of thirst; birth, death by drowning, resurrection, purification and redemption, creation, fertility and growth, the unconscious

Fire

passion, love, destructiveness, purification, heat

Ice

rigidity, death, compulsive symmetry

Light

reason, knowledge, awareness

Shadow

hidden self, duality

Gold

wealth, fulfillment

Darkness

the unknown, mystery, malicious presence, evil, sin, the womb, tranquility

Garden

paradise, innocence, unspoiled beauty; especially feminine, fertility

Home/house

family, an inhabitant, a mother's body

City/town

rationality, order, restraint, anonymity, human fulfillment

Hearth

security, warmth

Mirror

truth, talking agent; the phallus

Journey/road

course of human life

Knife

the phallus, violence

Candle

illumination, the "fire of life"

Clock

measurement of time, passage of time, calculation, rationality

Ship

any social unit, a society, a government, microcosm; man's voyage through time and space

Theatrical stage

the human condition, man's "role playing"

Mask

secretiveness, unfathomable mystery of creation

Bread

nourishment for the body, spiritual food

Wine

nourishment for the mind, congeniality

Iron

negativity, strength

Tree

vegetative life of Nature, organic principle

Rose

femininity, youth, tenderness, briefness, beauty, love

Blades of grass

human lives, covering

Roots

source, origin

Blossom

first indication of fertility, womb, freshness, youth

Fruit

fruition, fulfillment

Falling leaves

human deaths

Dark woods

confusion, abandonment

Hair

sexuality, animal side

Forehead

intelligence

Eyes

consciousness, the soul

Lips

power to speak, power to kiss

Hands/arms

strength, power to manipulate the environment

Breast

compassion, consolation (female), security

Heart

love, compassion, the soul

Legs/feet

locomotion, strength of the individual

Blood

life, mortality, sacrifice

Earth

source of life, mother principle, gross materiality

Ocean

the unknowable, the infinite, eternity, the unfathomable; mother of all life; spiritual mystery; death and rebirth

Forest

natural chaos, spontaneous vitality, untamed passion

Mountain

obstacle, mystical illumination

Desert

sterility, impotence, nihilism, hopelessness, spiritual aridity

Running water

course of human life, death and rebirth, flowing of time

River

into eternity, transitional phases of the life cycle, incarnations

Cavern

mysterious source of energy or inspiration, spiritual element

Cliff

guilt, loss of innocence

Spring

mysterious source of energy or inspiration, spiritual element

Fountain

guilt, loss of innocence

Dirt/mud

spontaneous animality

Quadrupeds

spontaneous animality

Reptiles

deceit, horror, the devil, the phallus

Horse

masculinity

Fish

divine creation and life, Christ symbol

Bull

masculinity, violence

Bee

industriousness, conscientiousness, citizenship

Ant

industriousness, anonymity

Wild bird

freedom

Caged bird

unjust imprisonment, violation of Nature

Rat/mouse

secretiveness

Lion/tiger

predatoriness

Spider

predatoriness, calculation, artistry

Lamb

innocence, sacrifice

Up

spiritual, intellectual

Down

material, carnal

A fall

departure from grace

East

toward one's origins, a beginning

South

toward sensuality, freedom from restraint, lush antiquity

West

toward death, adventure

North

toward wilderness, purity, morality

White

purity, innocence, coldness, sickness, decay, terror

Black

sorrow, evil, death, chaos, mystery, the unknown, unconsciousness, sadness

Gray

mediocrity, sickliness, indecision

Red

sexual passion, anger, healthy spontaneity, blood

Green

sacrifice, disorder, sin, guilt

Yellow

youth, vigor, the natural, growth, birth/rebirth, life, hope, wealth