the abyss and phenomenology of water


in the i ching or book of changes, hexagram 29 is k'an, the abysmal (water)... "the water that comes from above and is in motion on earth in streams and rivers, giving rise to all life on earth." it also represents the heart/soul of a human, the inner light inclosed within darkness... and danger, if one does not take care. (wilhelm/baynes version)

this morning, i've begun reading gaston bachelard's water and dreams: an essay on the imagination of matter... a friend introduced me to bachelard's the poetics of space a few years ago... a synchronicity took me to the dallas institute of humanities and the work of james hillman, gail thomas, and others... and to more work by bachelard, published in english by the dallas institute.

in jungian thought, and in the work of joseph campbell, water represents the inner life, the emotions, and/or the unconscious...

ponds, rivers, lakes... bachelard promises to explore these bodies of water as they appear in the natural world, and in the inner world of dreams...

i woke this morning with an image from yet another dream about water...

resources for the journey

the dallas institute of humanities and culture
wilhelm/baynes , the i ching or book of changes
gaston bachelard, water and dreams
joseph campbell, the power of myth

and remembering tea...

a history of tea

jeanne