Wilderness

The wilderness, the forest, the desert, and so on, sometimes symbolize being lost, confused, and alone; other times, the solitude and wilderness indicate that the dreamer is his true, individual self, in proximity to the collective unconscious.

Solitude can be a necessity for encountering the sacred, as is often illustrated in fairy tales, myths, and biblical stories.

"Anyone who becomes conscious of even a fraction of his unconscious finds himself outside his own time and social context, and in a kind of solitude … But only there is it possible to encounter ‘the god of salvation.’" (Mysterium Coniunctionis, par. 258.)

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