Status Updates From Symbols of Transformation (...

Interesting chapter; terrible mothers in mythology stand in for a unhealthy relationship between a son and mother. If the son clings to the mother he never develops the ability to go into the world and have a relationship with a woman. He remains a man-child. In myth if he does get a move on it is by the pressure of the paternal spirit, the civilization factor that separates a man from his maternal unconscious.

Man is unconscious animal. Christianity can raise man into a conscious space. Help him rise above unconscious tendencies (fornication, drinking, violence).

When you toss out Christianity you toss out the mechanism that helped you become more than an animal that does whatever it wants all the time.

Interesting; the Labido (life energy) manifests itself in stories as a hero. Usually associated with the Sun because both “wander.” The Sun wanders through the sky and down into the depths, only to come up again triumphant the next day. The Hero wanders through the world, seeking the mother figure that has been lost, the Anima who will direct him towards a higher level of consciousness (sun rise on the next day)

Speech and fire are the two most important discoveries of Mankind. Both are products of the “labido” as Jung calls it. The labido is intensity, or focused energy, that wells up inside people. It is often symbolized as light or fire. In many myths Fire had to be stolen from the gods and had to be treated with respect or it could be dangerous. But it was also very useful. Same could be said for speech.