What do lighthouses represent

It is quite easy to see why lighthouses stir our romantic core. They are a stark image — tall, austere towers which are nevertheless comforting as they are there to guide mariners to a safe harbor through treacherous waters.

The symbolism of any tower is dual at its core: on the one hand it is phallic, mighty, erect, denoting power and spirit reaching from the earth to the heavens. On the other hand, it is feminine, reminiscent of an enclosed area, a walled sanctuary, and a safe haven. The Tower of Ivory was one of the names given to the Virgin Mary in her protective role of offering refuge and comfort. He also wrote these words of warning in Psychology and Alchemy :. Lighthouses used to be built near the most dangerous waters, only after a plethora of horrific sea disasters had taken place in the area.

As such, they brilliantly symbolize the perils of individuation — a constant danger of being swallowed by the unconscious forces beyond our control.

As Jung wrote:. Lighthouse keepers often paid a high price for performing an invaluable service to the collective. Specific examples of their plight mentioned by Rich are quite eye-opening. A lot of lighthouses burnt because the whale oil used to fuel the lighthouse fire at the beginnings of the twentieth century was highly combustible. During periods of low visibility, keepers had to sound fog signals, which depending on the era might involve blasting canons, shooting guns, ringing bells, or blowing horns.

Keepers not only had to maintain the light and fog signals but also clean the lens, trim the lantern wicks, and scrub the walls, floors, windows, balconies, and railings, inside and outside.

The job of the lighthouse keeper evidently required diligence, vigilance and a fair amount of drudgery. Like priestesses of Vesta tending the sacred fire, he or she had to maintain focus on purity. Harold Bayley in The Lost Language of Symbolism , claims that the words fire and sphere are derived from the same root. Both are the most ancient symbols of divinity understood as the primeval cause of the universe as well as the inner spark of the individual soul. You comprehensively cast light on that topic!

Like Liked by 1 person. Thank you, Kevin. I would never have guessed that pronunciation. I loved To the Lighthouse despite the fact that it was compulsory reading in the English literature course. Like Like. Reblogged this on lampmagician and commented: The meeting between the … individual consciousness and the vast expanse of the collective unconscious is dangerous, because the unconscious has a decidedly disintegrating effect on consciousness.

To you and your readers, I offer a wonderful little gem of a book by a Scottish author, celebrating a now almost vanished tribe — that of the quirky, hardy, eccentric band of men who manned the lighthouses around Scotland for over a century. It is a elegy to youth and to the constellation of dreams, ambitions and anxieties that is more intense at 19 than it can ever be again. Yes, I have. Any English literature course will have it as a staple. I loved that novel a lot. The fact that lighthouses are generally build in isolated and rugged locations adds to this sense of mystery and the supernatural.

Similarly, the fact that lighthouses are built by rocks where shipwrecks are most likely to occur means that many people will have died near these towers. Ships seeking Safe Harbor and land will be looking at the first sign of land. This often takes the form of a light on the horizon. This of course is the light from the top of the lighthouse. Read Also: Light Symbolism.

Lighthouses guide us safely to shore. They are therefore important navigation tools for sailors. People even get lighthouses as tattoos because they can be symbols of something that is a Guiding Light.

It helps them to go in the right direction in their lives. This is clearly metaphorical. For example the lighthouse tattoo could be symbolic hope your faith in Jesus as your Guiding Light or your mother or father as your Guiding Light.

Lighthouses keep watch 24 hours a day days a year. There is never a time when they are switched off. The symbolism of that spinning light is powerful. Every few seconds it will spin your way and flash before your eyes. This symbol of the lighthouse links back strongly to the idea mentioned earlier of the lighthouse as a sign of strength. The lighthouse keeper will always be there — standing strong through everything.

And even during times of War, the lighthouses are our vigilant eyes. They will be the first things to see enemies coming to invade. The lighthouse keeper will be there to provide an early warning signal to all of us, so we may be prepared when the enemies reach the shore. Lighthouses often stand alone on the most inhabitable parts of our coastlines.

Even more lonely are the lighthouses that stand on otherwise inhabitable islands. These lighthouse keepers rely on the goods brought through by sailors to ensure they remain fed and kept up-to-date with the information from the mainland. You can imagine the life of a lighthouse keeper would be a very lonely one indeed.

He would probably have to be a happy introvert, content with the company of himself and a good book. It would, in fact, be a great storyline to have a story of a man who has excommunicated himself from society living in a lighthouse out at sea. The lighthouse would reinforce this idea of his solitary life far from civilization. Read More: Loneliness Symbolism. Unfortunately the story of lighthouses is also the story of death.

And we can look at the history of the capes where lighthouses are placed to see their grizzly past. You are commenting using your Google account. You are commenting using your Twitter account. You are commenting using your Facebook account. Notify me of new comments via email. Notify me of new posts via email. Skip to content Menu. Posted on April 28, April 9, by Daniella Robins.

Some key words to consider and take away when thinking of the lighthouse:. Sending you love, light and strength,. Share this: Twitter Facebook. Like this: Like Loading Previous Wearing The Sports Jacket.

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