From: Josh Goldstein <clearlight@t-online.de>
Date: Tue, 01 Oct 2002 02:21:56 +0200
Fwd Date: Tue, 01 Oct 2002 01:26:13 -0400
Subject: ARAS & Alien Symbols


To Dick Hall and fellow Listerions,

Dick, you wanted to see visual representations of the types of
collective unconcious archetypes. I tried to find a site with a
variety of symbols printed on the web but did not find what I
was looking for. Rather than further pursuing that path I felt
it might be easiest for you to go back to the link on ARAS I had
in my last post and that is also located below this message.  If
you look in the picture gallery you will see some examples.

Look at the image on the ARAS home page, listen to what that
image brings up in you. What does it symbolize, represent in
you? What feelings does that image bring up?

Click on resources at the top of the page. Look at that pottery
statue. What does that represent to you? What does it represent
to the culture that created this statue image?

Draw a circle. Look at it. What does it bring up in you? To
Jung, a circle symbolizes completion, wholeness, connection. I'm
not suggesting that the round shape of flying saucers is only a
symbol from our unconsciousness.

Look at a mandala. What does that represent? What does the
symbol of an angel represent from our unconsciousness?

Think of the word "summit". What does that symbolize? Solidity,
security, initiation, ascension, transcendence? The meeting of
God and man? In history an altar was a sacrificial stone placed
high from the ground. What does sacrifice symbolize? What does
blood symbolize? What does the heart symbolize? What did Wagner
symbolize? What imagery did he use? What does it evoke in all
people?

It is fascinating that all humans share the same collective
unconscious throughout all cultures that has been represented in
many forms of symbology. Two cultures totally out of touch with
each other may have vastly different appearing symbols. However,
they are their particular culture's representations of what we
share in common. Many lives and deaths are caused by what
symbols represent. At similar stages of their culture, those
images may be ones developed individually by that culture for a
particular purpose. Yet at various times in its history the
culture would bring out new images that were different examples
of the past symbol and wiould be used for the same purposes.

Our dreams are living examples of the psyche using its
archetypes.

It is a fascinating field that spans many disciplines;
psychology, mythology, art, history, anthropology, archaeology,
religious studies, etc.

Unfortunately a pseudo science, spiritual, mystical,
metaphysical, and New Age fringe who are not academically
educated are primarily speculating, and publish their work.  If
you really want to learn more in this field there is a huge body
of scholarly work.

I have not pursued any particular work in the area of alien
abduction other than taking reports and referring those persons
to the proper people. As I said yesterday, for a long time I
have been curious about what images from experiencers might
represent.

I'm not trying to state whether any symbols reported may or may
not have been related by aliens through the experiencer. I don't
know what is the truth behind the abduction scenario. It would
be fascinating if aliens represented their symbols from the same
or a different collective unconsciousness than humans. I also
have wondered what those symbols represent to a Jungian
psychiatrist or psychologist and to other psychological
approaches.

The mention on the List of the experiencer symbols, and in
particular John Velez's report of how he reacted when he was
shown some of those symbols. made an idea on my back burner jump
towards the front.  I was waiting for my time to ease up and I
wanted to make an assesment of the abducrion field to get an
idea of what psychologists or psychiatrists who have worked with
abductees (not abduction researchers, counselors, or
hypnotherapists) have reported.

Like John, I think some abduction researchers, use of regressive
hypnosis, and lack of training have harmed some abductees. I
would want to see what properly licensed professionals have
reported about their work on experiencers. I also want to
research what those professionals believe may or may not be
happening with those experiencers and their reports. I was going
to start that study in the near future. I was going to research
what is available to me before asking for assistance from this
list. Now that I mentioned it, I welcome anything along that
line.

I would like to see a body of the proper professionals examine
the alien symbols and reports of experiencers to interpret their
deeper levels of significance. I would start with professionals
in the symbology of the psyche.

Dick, in my opinion I would like you, Budd, and anyone else to
first have the symbols and cases you have analyzed by the types
of professionals I have mentioned. Perhaps ARAS would be a good
place to start. I would prefer that someone who has worked with
experiencers contact them to see if they have an interest in
receiving preliminary documentation to examine whether they
would want to get involved in such a study. If you look on the
resources page of the ARAS site you will also find information
on the various Jung Institutes and centers.

Once again, I am not trying to say that I believe flying saucers
and alien abductions are only self generated products of the
psyche.


Josh

http://www.aras.org/
Volume I
Volume II
About ARAS
History of ARAS
Picture Gallery
Resources

The Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism