Repetition

To repeat something can allude to the necessity of inner work to return to a certain “place” time and again. Compare the symbolism of the spiral.

Fairy Tale Motif  

It is a common motif in fairy tales that something must be repeated, often three times, before the solution presents itself.  

Compulsive Repetition

Feeling compelled to repeat something—whether a phrase or an action—is an expression of emotional intensity. For example, someone who experiences something utterly astonishing may feel the need to recount it over and over, as if to relieve the tension.  

Nodding, Rocking, Swaying

The motif of incessantly nodding witches in fairy tales or, for instance, dolls in horror films—mechanical, repetitive behaviors like unnatural rocking or swaying—is associated with witchcraft and demonic forces. It can symbolize something stuck in an unresolved state.

The curse of repetition is often expressed in myths, particularly as punishment—Sisyphus fruitlessly rolling his stone almost to the top of the hill again and again, Prometheus having his liver eaten daily, and so forth; both without hope of release. It represents a meaningless, eternal rhythm in which someone or something is trapped—a kind of curse.  

The other side of this is intentional rocking or swaying back and forth or side to side. This lowers the level of consciousness and often occurs in religious contexts; one may feel slightly dizzy, as if intoxicated, and let the unconscious flow in.

Popular posts from this blog

Forget About the Archetype - It's the Complex

A good post on Reddit expresses criticism towards people seeking answers to their personal problems in Jung’s archetype theory, arguing that they misunderstand Jung’s fundamental theoretical framework, particularly the process of individuation. The post became popular, receiving many upvotes and quickly garnering several fairly lengthy, often well thought-out responses. But what struck me was that the writer didn’t mention complexes a single time in the nearly 600-word post, and no one else did either in their comments. This prompted me to write a short post highlighting the point that when people share their thoughts on Jung in relation to their own or others’ psychology, it is actually, in most cases, about complexes—not archetypes. A couple of days later, the thread had 54 comments and 246 upvotes, which are rather high numbers in this forum for a serious post that sticks to the topic of Jungian psychology. However, my post hadn't received any comments or upvotes. Still no-one e...
Read more

Shadow Work – A Critical Commentary

When browsing public channels on various platforms that deal with Jungian psychology, one is struck by how frequently “shadow work” appears.  It seems to be mostly young men, who don’t appear to have studied Jung to any significant extent, who are fascinated by and encourage this "work." As someone who has studied Jung and Jungian literature for a long time, I don’t recognize this focus on so-called shadow work in the sources at all. It actually seems to be a modern internet phenomenon rather than something genuinely Jungian. Yes, it is of course true that the “shadow” is a central concept in Jungian psychology, and it is true that Jung stated that it is "a therapeutic necessity for the ego to confront its shadow" (CW 14, par. 514) – but this shadow work they speak of, where does it come from? Because it certainly doesn’t come from Jung or any influential Jungians. What is the shadow according to Jung? It is simply hidden or unconscious aspects of ourselves that we...
Read more

3. The Muster of Rohan; 4. The Siege of Gondor

Since neither Frodo, Gandalf or Aragorn participates in the events of this chapter, there is very little symbolic significance. We may note that Théoden’s army meets Éowyn at Dunharrow, an ancient fortress to which the people have fled under her leadership. During supper, Merry asks about Aragorn and the Paths of the Dead, but no one—neither Théoden, Éomer or Éowyn—understands why he chose to take this hopeless road. No one knows of the Stone of Erech or the “peril in the south.” “Woe that so valiant a man should trifle with death in this dire hour!” Éomer exclaims. The reason for Aragorn’s reticence is probably that his initiation is an intensely private matter, a secret pure and simple. Théoden intends to leave both Éowyn and Merry behind here—neither of them is suited to battle, he believes. But when the host later rides toward Gondor, Éowyn and Merry ride with it in secret. Both refuse to be left in a place where their respective callings would remain unfulfilled. 4. The Siege of G...
Read more