ymbols and ymbolism

Symbolic Philosophies and Mystical Symbologies

 Symbols and Philosophy:   Through the years, many religions and even nonreligious seekers of knowledge have developed systems of symbols into a philosophy of reality.  While some, such as the Kaballah, are offshoots of religions, others, such as alchemy, were philosophies that developed from various sources.  In addition, within many religions there were (and are) symbolic philosophies such as numerology.  (bibliography)  Indeed, many of the other philosophic symbologies rely on some form of numerology, a belief that numbers form the basis of all reality. 

  One of the best known symbolic systems is that of Alchemy.  (Bibliography)  An outgrowth of the Middle Ages, with its confluence of rediscovered Greek ideas, exposure to Eastern concepts and developments, and the growing awareness of the non-European world, this philosophy is popularly identified with men who attempted to transform lead into gold.  To those persons who have read a little of the literature, Alchemy becomes synonymous with the search for the Philosopher's Stone.  In the past century, due to research by people such as C. G. Jung and Herbert Silberer, a new interpretation of the alchemical philosophy has emerged, leaving it somewhere between a religion and a proto-psychology.

  A mystical philosophy that may have influenced alchemical studies is the Jewish development of the Kaballah.  (Bibliograpy)  Although the name is spelled in many different ways, including Cabala and Kaballa, this is a mystical system that developed during the Mediaeval era, although heavily influenced by the mysticism of the late Classical era. 

  Throughout history humans have sought to know what is going to happen.  (bibliography)  From the reading of entrails, interpretation of dreams, astrological study of the heavens, through the political polling of today, people have searched for some indication of what will be, for their individual persons or for society as a whole.  Generally these seekings have resulted in some form of systematic interpretation of nature or other apparently random events, such as the "luck of the draw."  The continuing trust of such systems by large numbers of the population is evidenced by the universality of inclusion of astrological prognostications by newspapers.  Sometimes, these "systems," such as the I Ching, have also received more sophisticated interpretations, as demonstrated by C.G. Jung's "Foreword" to Richard Wilhelm's translation. 

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    Alchemy -- Kaballah -- Prognostication/fortune telling --Numbers & numerology

• General & Miscellaneous:

•   Birren, Faber.  The Symbolism of Color.  Secaucus, NJ:  Citadel Press, 1988.  177 pp.  BF1623.C6B53 1988.
•   Daniels, Cora Linn, and Stevans, C.M.  Encyclopædia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences of the World.  Detroit:  Gale Research Co, 1971; reprint of original edition, Chicago:  J. H. Yewdale and Sons, 1903.  3 vols., 1751 pp.  BF1407.D35 1903a. 
•   Drury, Nevill.  Dictionary of Mysticism and the Occult.  Francisco:  Harper & Row, 1985.  281 pp., 0-06-062093-5.  BF1407.D78 1985. 
•   Evans, Joan.  Magical Jewels of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.  New York:  Dover Publications, 1976; originally published Oxford:  Clarendon Press, 1922.  264 pp., 0-486-23367-7  [PK255] 
•   Opie, Iona, & Tatem, Moira, eds.  A Dictionary of Superstitions.  New York:  Oxford University Press, 1989.  494 pp., 0-19-211597-9.  BF1775.D53 1989. 

• Kaballah:

• Alchemy:

•   Abraham, Lyndy.  A Dictionary of Alchemical Imagery.  New York:  Cambridge University Press, 2001.  249 pp.  PN56.A44A27 2001.
•   Fernando, Diana.  The Dictionary of Alchemy:  An A-Z of History, People and Definitions.  London:  Vega, 2002.  192pp., 1-84333-618-9.    QD23.5.F47 2002. 
•     Jung, C. G..  Alchemical Studies, translated by R.F.C. Hull.  Princeton, N.J.:  Princeton University Press, 1967.  Vol. 13 of The Collected Works of C. G. Jung; 444 pp.    BF23 .J763 1953 v.13
•   Silberer, Herbert.  Hidden Symbolism of Alchemy and the Occult Arts.  New York:  Dover, 1971.  Translation originally titled Problems of Mysticism and Its Symbolism, New York:  Moffat, Yard and Co., 1917.  Translated by Smith Ely Jelliffe.  451 pp., 0-486-20972-5.  [PM207] 

• Prognostication/fortune telling:

•   I Ching.  Based on the translation of James Legge; edited with an introduction by Raymond van Over.  New York:  Mentor/New American Library, 1971.  444 pp.,0-451-61842-4.    [PK132] PL2478.D47 1971.
•   I Ching:  The Book of Changes, 3rd ed.  Translated into German by Richard Wilhelm; the German translated into English by Cary F. Baynes.  Princeton, NJ:  Princeton University Press, 1967.  Preface by Hellmut Wilhelm.  Foreword by C. G. Jung.  740 pp.,0-691-09750-X.    [HK260] PL2478.D8 1967.
•   LeMieux, David.  The Ancient Tarot and Its Symbolism:  A Guide to the Secret Keys of the Tarot Cards.  Cranbury, NJ:  Cornwall Books, 1985.  206 pp., 0-8453-4714-4.    [HM147] BF1879.T2L42 1984.  

• Numbers and Numerology:

•   Hopper, Vincent Foster.  Medieval Number Symbolism:  Its Sources, Meaning, and Influence on Thought and Expression.  New York:  Cooper Square Publishers, 1969; originally pub. 1938.  241 pp.  BF1623.P9H53 1969. 
•   Schimmel, Annemarie.  The Mystery of Numbers.  New York:  Oxford University Press, 1993.  (Originally published as:  Endres, Franz Carl and Schimmel, Annemarie.  Das Mysterium der Zahl.  Munich:  Eugen Diederichs Verlag, 1984.)  314 pp., 0-19-605303-1.    BF1623.P9E55.

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