The quest for self-knowledge through symbols is not the exclusive territory of Jungian psychology: Viparita Virabhadrasana Pose Yoga Virabhadrasana I Pose Yoga to know oneself is an aspect of the enlightenment of which all the great philosophical and religious traditions speak, according to David Fontana’s The Secret Language of Symbols. Viparita Virabhadrasana Pose Yoga Virabhadrasana I Pose Yoga In fact, the diversity in symbolic meaning extends far beyond Jung, and depends widely on the fact that the human mind is creatively limited and differs from person to person.
Two people can offer very different interpretations of the same stimulus. Two cultures can either adapt or reinvent a symbol to accommodate their own belief system and iconography. Overall, symbols are subject to the passing of time, to the arrogance of intellectualization, to cultural commodification, and so forth. But they also have the potential to accumulate power over the ages and to evolve. In this book, we look at those symbols most frequently associated with the subject at hand, as well as those symbols that offer evidentiary support for the universality of spirituality and the ability of yoga as life-practice to transcend religion. With this in mind, it is plain to see how symbols have enriched and continue to enrich the mind, the body, and the pursuit of learning.