Water as a Symbol of the Unconscious
Carl Jung frequently employed water, in its various forms, as a potent symbol of the unconscious mind. He stated, “Water is the commonest symbol for the unconscious” (CW9 ¶40). This ubiquitous element, whether found in the ocean, rivers, lakes, or even a simple pool, represents the vast and often unexplored depths of the human psyche. These bodies of water represent the hidden, often turbulent and life-giving, aspects of our inner selves.
The Lake and the Valley Spirit
Jung uses the image of a lake in a valley to illustrate the relationship between consciousness and the unconscious: “The lake in the valley is the unconscious, which lies, as it were, underneath consciousness, so that it is often referred to as the ‘subconscious,’ usually with the pejorative connotation of an inferior consciousness.” This “valley spirit” is akin to the Taoist concept of the “water dragon,” embodying spirit that has become unconscious, a “yang embraced in the yin” (CW9 ¶40).
Descent into the Depths
The journey into the unconscious, symbolized by descending into water, is often a necessary precursor to personal growth and understanding. Jung notes, “The descent into the depths always seems to precede the ascent” (CW9 ¶40). He cites the dream of a theologian who must cross a “deep, darksome gorge with underworldly water rushing along the bottom” before reaching the “Castle of the Grail” on a mountain (CW9 ¶40). This illustrates that confronting the unconscious, though challenging, is “the indispensable condition for climbing any higher” (CW9 ¶40). Ignoring the depths, while seeming prudent, means one “also throws away the good which a bold but imprudent venture might bring” (CW9 ¶40).
Water and Healing
Water can also symbolize the healing power of the unconscious. He refers to “the dream of the theologian is quite right in telling him that down by the water he could experience the working of the living spirit like a miracle of healing in the pool of Bethesda” (CW9 ¶40). This alludes to the biblical story of a pool where the sick could be healed, connecting water with spiritual and psychological renewal.
The Aeon of Aquarius: The Water Bearer
Jung connects the symbolic importance of water with astrological ages, particularly the coming aeon of Aquarius. “I do not imagine that in my reflections on the meaning of man and his myth I have uttered a final truth, but I think that this is what can be said at the end of our aeon of the Fishes, and perhaps must be said in view of the coming aeon of Aquarius (the Water Bearer), who has a human figure and is next to the sign of the Fishes” (MDR). The Water Bearer, pouring the contents of his jug into the mouth of Piscis austrinus, symbolizes the self, pouring still unconscious content into the son, further symbolizing a transformation and integration of the unconscious.
Transference and the Doctor-Patient Relationship
Although not directly related to water symbolism, the concept of transference in therapy is an important aspect of Jung’s work, showing the complexities of dealing with unconscious material. The transference phenomenon is an inevitable feature of every thorough analysis, for it is imperative that the doctor should get into the closest possible touch with the patient’s line of psychological development. " The doctor’s personality has to be fully present rather than just technique. It is important that the doctor has an analysed personality, or that the prestige of the doctor would count for more than the patients welfare."
The Restless American and the Pueblo Chief
Jung contrasts the restless, searching nature of modern Americans with the grounded wisdom of the Pueblo chief, Mountain Lake. He quotes Mountain Lake as saying, “We dont understand these Americans, we dont understand what they are after. They have such thin noses, so many lines on their faces, and thin cruel lips; and they are always restless, always seeking something.” This highlights a disconnect from the deeper, more grounded aspects of the unconscious, represented by the chief’s connection to his land and traditions.
Dreams and Movement in Water
Water signifies a different mode of psychic movement and expression, as noted when dreams come up, he states, “Water generally means the unconscious, and ones movement in the water is not the habitual movement, like walking in the air, but a new way of locomotion, as the conscious life is naturally different from our psychic life in the unconscious. Dreams have a different kind of movement”. He also states the importance of things that are hidden in the unconscious
The Alchemical Significance of Water
In alchemy, water holds a central role as a transformative substance. The text states, “Mercurius is often symbolized as a tree, and Yesod as frutex (tree- trunk) and virgultum (thicket)” (CW14 ¶636). It also says it is “The spiritus vegetativus, spirit of life and growth”. Water or quicksilver is the basis of the process of transmutation.
Water and Sacrifice
Jung acknowledges the use of water at sacrifices as “animating” principle (CW14 ¶359). A text from Edfu says: “I bring thee the vessels with the limbs of the gods [i.e., the Nile], that thou mayest drink of them; I refresh my heart that thou mayest rejoice.” In another Egyptian story, the heart of Bata, was put “in a vessel of cold water, and the heart soaked it up and Bata began to live again.”
Water and Baptism
Jung explains the meaning of baptism as “not quenching fire, but bestowing fire. Therefore it is said in the New Testament, not baptism by water but by fire. Water is supposed to be life-giving, it is mana because it apparently produces life. When it rains in the desert vegetation suddenly springs up, so the naive assumption was that the water fecundated the earth and life burst forth. Through baptism the priest confers life upon the initiate.”
The King and Water
The king represents consciousness and has “numerous connections with water. In the parable of Sulphur cited earlier, the king drowns in it with Diana. The hierosgamos was often celebrated in water.” Water is therefore an important symbol for baptism and cleansing.
Water Dripping From the Rocks
When discussing the vision of a patient, Jung notes, “I entered a great cavern. Water dripped from the rocks. It was dark. What does this symbolism mean?”
Mercurius and Antinomian Nomenclature
Mercurius is commonly represented in alchemical symbolism as water or fire. “The alchemists never tired of drawing attention to the psychic nature of Mercurius. So far we have concerned ourselves with, statistically, the commonest synonyms such as water and fire, spirit and soul, and it is now possible for us to conclude that these exemplify a psychological state of affairs best characterized by (or, indeed, actually demanding) an antinomian nomenclature. Water and fire are classic opposites and can be valid definitions of one and the same thing only if this thing unites in itself the contrary qualities of water and fire.”
Water as a Collective Symbol
Jung describes how the analysis of dreams help to evaluate to what the water-motif is really pointing “Through numerous comparisons one can find out to what the water-motif is really pointing, and the interpretation of motifs follows from a number of similar dream-series. Thus the sea always signifies a collecting-place where all psychic life originates, i.e., the collective unconscious. Water in motion means something like the stream of life or the energy-potential. The ideas underlying all the motifs are visual representations of an archetypal character, symbolic primordial images which have served to build up and differentiate the human mind.”
The Heart Turning to Water
Dorn’s alchemical interpretation of the heart turning to water signifies a “psychic union which by analogy and magic correspondence unites the hostile elements into one stone. By inquiring into the “quid,” and by spiritual understanding, the selfish hardness of the heart—caused by original sin —is dissolved: the heart turns to water. The ascent to the higher stages can then begin.” Jung also comments on how “Water in all its forms—sea, lake, river, spring—is one of the commonest typifications of the unconscious, as is also the lunar femininity that is closely associated with water. The dissolution of the heart in water would therefore correspond to the union of the male with the female, and this in turn to the union of conscious and unconscious, which is precisely the meaning of the “spagyric marriage.”
Water and Spirit
Jung draws a close connection between water and spirit. The passage states that there is “also a heavenly or divine water of the alchemists, which was known both to Democritus and to Hermes Trismegistus. Sometimes they call it the divine water, and sometimes the Scythian juice, sometimes pneuma, that is spirit, of the nature of aether, and the quintessence of things.” Another alchemist, Christopher Steeb gives another explanation, “The brooding of the Holy Spirit upon the waters above the firmament brought forth a power which permeates all things in the most subtle way, warms them, and, in conjunction with the light, generates in the mineral kingdom of the lower world the mercurial serpent, in the plant kingdom the blessed greenness, and in the animal kingdom the formative power; so that the supracelestial spirit of the waters, united with the light, may fitly be called the soul of the world.”
The King as Spiritual Water
Jung references Ruland’s definition of Rex as, “King, Soul, Spiritual Water which gives Moisture to the Female and is restored to the Fountain whence it was derived. The Spirit is Water.” This further emphasizes the connection between water, spirit, and the divine.
Conclusion
Throughout Jung’s work, water emerges as a multifaceted and deeply significant symbol. It represents the unconscious, its depths, its potential for healing, and its transformative power. Whether depicted as a lake, river, ocean, or alchemical substance, water serves as a constant reminder of the vast and often mysterious realm of the human psyche.