"We know that the wildest and most moving dramas
are played not in the theatre but in the hearts of ordinary men and women."
- Carl Jung
The acropolis of Pergamon, Turkey is a dramatic ancient settlement,
perched high atop a steep-sided hill with its great temples and theater visible from anywhere below.
As you descend from the acropolis you walk through the vaulted tunnel-like temple foundations.
This accentuates the mystery and presents a fitting analogy of
the entering of the Unconscious through the process of psychotherapy.
"The gap between your expectation and reality is your suffering"
- John St. Augustine
The rod of Asklepios, a snake-entwined staff, remains a symbol of medicine today. The significance of the serpent has been interpreted as its symbolization of rejuvenation with the snake’s shedding of skin denoting renewal, transformation and rebirth. This is an excellent example how the past shows up in the present no matter how dismissive we are of our individual and collective past.
