Dove

The dove is a feminine bird associated with the mother goddess (Ishtar, Aphrodite, etc.) and “the other side.” In contemporary contexts, this is illustrated in works such as The Brothers Lionheart and Jung's dream of the dove and “the twelve dead,” as he describes in Memories, Dreams, Reflections (p. 161). (Cf. Bird.)

Generally, the dove has been seen as a gentle and good bird, in contrast to the hawk, raven, and eagle. Since ancient Greece, the dove symbolizes love and soul (as well as innocence, marriage, the Holy Spirit, Sapientia, Christ, and the Virgin Mary).

The dove as an image of the soul and as a messenger between worlds recurs within alchemy. According to that tradition, “the shining white dove” is hidden in lead, that is, the lapis in prima materia (the valuable in the worthless), or, expressed differently, “the extracted, transformative substance.” Two doves point towards possible coniunctio.

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