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In the Introduction to the Second Section of Symbols of Transformation (SoT), Carl Jung speaks of and quotes a section of Goethe’s Faust. In the story, Faust descends to the realm of the Mothers. Faust’s influence on Jung is particularly important for our reading of SOT.
In the story, Mephistopheles gives Faust a key. He says: “The key will smell the right place from all others; Follow it down, ’twill lead you to the Mothers.” With this Jung begins his gradual contemplation of “the realm of the Mothers,” a contemplation which will culminate in his last chapter on “The Sacrifice.” Understanding the nature of the ‘Mothers’ requires the ability for creative imagination. One has to ‘dream on’ the Mothers, to contemplate the Mothers. And in doing so, a whole new field of knowing opens: a field of the soul, of the creative potential of the ‘feminine principle.’ This feminine principle is vital to transforming both ourselves and the world. It is the principle of creative regeneration and rebirth.
by Jenna Lilla and Carl Jung
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