Archetype/Myth/Metaphor/Symbol Record Type: Review   ID: 17
The Web in the Sea: Jung, Sophia, and the Geometry of the Soul Howell, Alice O.
The Sophia of the title is Hagia Sophia, or holy wisdom in the goddess aspect, representing "the loving, intimate, kind, helpful, and practical aspect of Holy Wisdom in each individual and, at the same time, the great ordering principle of the physical creation of the cosmos" (pp. 2-3). In other words, "the soul of the world." Howell says the role of Sophia as archetypal comforter is to awaken us "to remembering who we really are" (p. 4). This also seems to be a major role played by EHEs to connect us to that which moves us within and without. In this book she delves into one aspect of Sophia: sacred geometry through recapturing discussions about it she and her husband had while visiting the island of Iona. Put in another way, this book is about the "theology of numbers." The basic principle is that the world we live in is holistic and there are inner parallels for whatever is in our outer world. Sacred geometry is presented against the backdrop of Jungian psychology. The chapters set forth the meaning, using homely examples, of various geometric shapes and patterns and numbers up to seven. If you've never seen the "point" of sacred geometry but Jung appeals to you, as well as the concept of microcosm/macrocosm, then this is a good place to begin to understand the role of numbers as symbols connecting inside/outside. Howell also appends a bibliography of books that she recommends as providing easy introductions to both sacred geometry and Sophia. An appendix presents exercises one can do to work out for oneself how sacred geometry relates to everyday life and its meaning.
Publisher Information:	Wheaton, IL: Quest, 1993. 284p. Bibl: 279-284

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