Hope Symbols Transcend Cultures & Inspire with Archetypal Energy
Hope symbols abound in every religion and in secular form --from the anchor to the rainbow, from a Chinese blessing plaqueto a Jewish mazuzeh (juxtaposed below), from Easter egg with its promise of new life, to shooting star with its fiery trail across the sky. Every day, for example, thousands of people search online for inspiring hope quotations. With all this interest in hope symbols and hope quotations, it is safe to say that hope constellates one of the universal archetypes. Hope is a deeply human phenomenon that defines something important about who we are as a species. "All of human wisdom is contained in these words -- WAIT and HOPE"
So ends the greatest revenge story ever told, The Count of Monte Cristo (Penguin Classics)  by Alexandre Dumas, pere. The Count, born simple sailor Edmond Dantes, turns to ashes the lives of those who betrayed him. Yet he tempers his vengeance with this hope quotation for the young lovers, mourning his departure as he sails away at the end of the story. Hope springs eternal in the human breast is another hope quotation that expresses common wisdom. If hope indeed springs eternal, what better month than March for a meditation on this universal archetype? This is the month when life springs anew from the breast of Gaia, the planet. Tender green shoots of new life pierce even the snow. Hope Is Woman Archetype
Hope is an acutely feminine symbol, and one of the mature woman. It is we, society’s elders, the keepers of wisdom, who have been there, done that, we who know that this too shall pass. Women are masters of hope. We dole out words of perspective and encouragement that provide hope quotations for those who falter on life’s journey. Elpis is the Greek goddess, a hope symbol. More accurately, Elpis is characterized as a daimona, or spirit, trapped in a jar by the lord of the gods, Zeus. One source, interpreting Hesiod and other ancient treatments, explained the jar was filled with these trapped daimons, most of them malevolent. Hope Symbols in Ancient Myth
Hope alone remained to comfort people. Elpis is whimsically characterized in a painting at Olivo Art Studio. The Roman goddess of hope is Spes, who was depicted on some ancient coins. Hope evokes traditionally feminine qualities, such as nurturance. Yet hope sustains the most masculine of males. Hope sustained Senator John McCain and many other prisoners of war during Vietnam and countless other atrocities. Hope Has Transformative PowerHope sustained the wrongly accused simple sailor Edmond Dantes during his wrongful imprisonment, betrayal by his best friend and fiancé.During those long years, Dantes is tutored by an aristocratic church elder. He chooses to hope, plan, and prepare for freedom.
Hope is a grand archetypal energy pattern, and hope symbols have been sought throughout time and by all genders. In one of his earliest books, The Sky's the Limit He explains, “Hope is the mental part, the confidence [to pursue one’s goals and dreams] is the behavioral part, and you must start with the notion that nothing is hopeless. Hope is up to you, and it comes from deciding to trust yourself. . . . You get hope by deciding to have it.” By deciding to have hope, no matter our age, we may transforms our Selves, our lives, and our world. Rob Breszny is a shaman-prophet of hope in the form of what he terms Pronoia. Breszny writes about a hope-inspiring urban walkabout he calls the whirligig as a way to engage with our playful, hopeful selves. By discovering something new and wonderful in our neighborhood, town, city, or county, we each find our own hope symbol. Emily Dickenson characterized one of the most appealing hope symbols in a poem. She wrote:
Return from hope symbols and hope quotations to Jungian ArchetypesJungian Archetypes – A Guide to the Archetype of the MonthFashion After 50 celebrates the creative, spiritual, and inner life of older women. Archetype of the Month explores the symbolic patterns of life as they relate to aging and women. Feature uses photographs, poems, references to myth, literature, and popular culture [Read more] The great quest of the truth seeker in late life is to find meaning. This often requires discovery of the uncompleted parts of the self. Many myths and legends illustrate the hero’s journey, which always starts with the truth seeker character-archetype answering a call to do something. [Read more] The Storyteller – July 2010 The value-of-storytelling is embodied in the archetype of the Griot or Storyteller. This character archetype transcends months and seasons. Mythic stories embody hero archetypes that convey cultural values. Understanding your character archetypes can help heal the spirit and bring wholeness that unleashes creativity. [Read more] Feminine Makeovers: Archetype of Transformation -- June 2010 Feminine makeovers can make us feel good. A new hairstyle, a new outfit, even a flattering new shade of lipstick, can bring a spring to our step and a smile to our lips. The tribal warrior to wears a lion skin to gain the courage of the king of beasts. The corporate woman warrior wears a leopard-print blouse to a business meeting to feel graceful and powerful. Clothing effects alchemical transmutations of essential self-presentation. Read More Mother Dance -- May 2010 Of all the symbols of spring, the may pole dance best illustrates the reign of Mother Dance in the month of merry May. Mother Dance united in her archetype the sacred and profane, the erotic and unearthly, the visceral and the transcendental.[Read more] Mother Rain -- April 2010 The April feminine symbol is Mother Rain. Her persona embodies the two faces of Nature – the all nurturing, birth-giving potential and the unrelenting strength of annihilation of world drought. This archetypal antinomy is embodied in the lyrics of a song that celebrates getting caught in the rain. Bored by each other (an emotional dought), a couple each secretly sets up a meeting using personal ads [Read more] Mother Light -- February 2010 The Christian Candlemas ritual coincides with the pagan holidays. of Imbolc and Lupercalia. . . . The archetype of Mother Light has been celebrated in seemingly every corner of the globe since ancient times. Diwali in India [Read more] The Winter Mother – January 2010 The faces of the Winter Mother are the Snow Queen and Mary swaddling the infant Jesus. The Snow Queen seduces boy-children . . . The masks of Carnivale translate ice crystals and snowflakes into bejeweled and feathered art on faces as frozen in perfection [Read more]
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Dantes returns transformed into the fabulously wealthy and cultured Count of Monte Cristo to destroy the lives of those who destroyed his. 
, Dr. Wayne Dyer writes that it is the loss of hope that causes one to feel depressed. Hope, he argues, “is purely a mental process.” Therefore, hope is a thought that each of us may choose.
