VOLUME 1 ISSUE 1 SPRING 2015

bol could not exist. Carl Gustav Jung (1997) spoke of “collective unconscious” that symbols penetrate when they are used over o long period of time, these then appear in our dreams, visions and so on. We approach a symbol as a sign, yet this symbol also exceeds the sign. Let’s take for example theChristiansymbol of across.Wecan identify a cross as two arms set across each other, but we do not necessarily have to understand it as a symbol, because in Christianity, cross represents Passion, salvation and something sacred. It is though much more difficult to understand the symbols found in other cultures, for example Buddhist dharma wheel. When dealing with symbols, we need to open our mind to a deeper experience that is off the abstract rationality and that we have no control of. Paul Ricoeur (1993) claims that unlike in the case of sign, we need to face a symbol with open mind and wait until we are approached by it. Ricoeur (1993, 161) uses the word symbol for “whatever meaning structure whose primary, literal meaning leads to a different meaning, indirect, secondary, transferred meaning that can only be reached through the first meaning”. The primary meaning is expressed by the sign, but this sign leads to other, secondary signs that we cannot understand directly, although we can open ourselves to them. René Alleau speaks similarly. According to him, the world of signs belongs to the world of society, while the world or symbols belongs to the world of sanctity. Alleau (2008, 23) says: “We cannot describe a symbol, we can only approach it and start walking to experience the meaning of this walk. A sign, on contrary, is something we can describe logically, something available for our intellect and logical analysis.” Alleau (2008, 21) continues that we need to be reborn into a symbol. To be reborn for a symbol, we need to die to this world. Such a rebirth changes the profane structure into a sacred structure. Profane changes into sacred when something exceptional, some kind of metanoia happens. In the Old Testament, for example, we can read about a dream patriarch Jacob had when we fell asleep on his way to Laban. He dreamt of a ladder that angles used. In the end God spoke to Jacob and promises his blessings (Genesis 28: 10–22). This dream had a tremendous effect on Jacob, so he marked this “horrible” place. A common place became sacred and the stone he was sleeping on was made into a sacred pillar. We can say that with this dream patriarch Jacob entered the field of sanctity and symbols. Religious symbols carrying sacred character show structural similarity in mysticism. For example, mysticism is defined also as consciousness of being (spirit) that can only be reached by personal transformation, which includes understanding of symbols and sanctity. Marie-Madeleine Davy (2000, 8) also links mysticism to personal transformation when says: “a mystic is a person who has reached the spirit. Spirit is a revolutionist; every advanced spirit mightily outgrows the old bounds (...) in which the majority of people find shelter and safety.“ The language that mystics use is full of symbols too. It is, for example, very frequent when in various spiritual and mystical traditions fire, light or air is meant to represent Spirituality Studies 1 (1) Spring 2015 99 (3)

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