Rock Menhirs
Reality, but not just physical reality, but also the reality of meeting the challenge of change and adaptation; the physical world; the eternal as it is met by our waking self; stability; a remembrance of something or someone important to us; a source of power, or the spirit – in ancient times rocks were thought to be the dwelling places of gods. The image of the rock may therefore link our conscious personality with innate unconscious archetypal forces or strength. See Archetypes – Links to
And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up early in the morning and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Beth-el.
For Jacob, the stone was an integral part of the revelation. It was the mediator between himself and God. In many primitive stone-sanctuaries, the deity is represented not by a single stone but by a great many unhewn stone’s, arranged in distinct patterns.
The rock has often symbolised security, refuge and protection on the physical or social level. As a characteristic it represents rigidity or being unmoved in face of opposition. Inwardly it signifies faith that can see you through turmoil. Mentally it represents the ability to understand, and not be moved.
If the rock is sculpted in any way it shows what you have done with your life that will last through time, what has impressed itself upon eternity.
Rocks or stones are the nearest material thing we have to eternity. They thrust up from the deeps of the earth. As upright columns they are often used as phallic symbols. They are placed upon graves, symbolical of the spirit outlasting the decaying flesh. As symbols of eternity they are used to mark places where holy experiences have happened, or where a person contacted the divine. In temples a rock was the original altar, or contact with eternity, upon which you sacrificed or surrendered yourself.
If the rock is sculpted or painted: What our life has expressed to enrich your own spiritual or eternal nature.
A small rock or stone: The unconscious sees our personal existence as a part of the material the cosmos is made of – another pebble on the beach. The rock portrays how we shape the material of our nature through our life – similar to the parable of the talents. See: Stone.
Example: In front of me was a colossal stone column of a design I had never before seen. It was the height of Nelson’s column in Trafalgar Square, but very much wider. On top it had a design that was so subtle and unique I cannot even recall it. This design had been carved into the solid rock. This suggests, I suppose, that this uniqueness has not been brought through to consciousness.
The column seemed to be of solid rock, neither natural or man-made, but formed by some inconceivable mystery. The design at the top was alien; not in the sense of being a threat, but with a sense of otherness. The form was not natural, yet at the same time it was not man-made. Perhaps I would describe it by saying it seemed as if nature and human intelligence had somehow blended to form it. For they had the naturalness of form that an anthill or honeycomb has, where “nature” expresses itself through its insect bodies. This was in a class with those works of nature, yet more complex, showing Life and I had used a higher order of intelligence.
I feel this is an example of how Life processes expressing as nature, and especially in connection with the human consciousness, often produces things that the reasoning mind cannot understand. It is wise then to sit in awe of what has been created.
Useful questions and hints: –
In what way did I react or feel about the rock?
Have I ever felt any influence when near a rock or mountains?
What happened in the dream with the rock?
See Gods in Stone – Diving into the Depths of Mind – Key Words – Holy