The Throne
The seat of rule, and of what rules the soul.
The Throne: what does it mean in analytical psychology?
The throne is the seat of sovereignty. In the dream of his early childhood that Jung never forgot, a great ritual phallus stood on a golden throne in an underground chamber. The throne of God in Ezekiel’s vision is borne by four living creatures on wheels.
The Throne: where does it appear in myth and tradition?
Ezekiel’s chariot-throne, the merkabah of the Jewish mystics, Isis, whose name is written with the sign of a throne, the Peacock Throne.
From the Sources
Being in the spirit, John sees a throne set in heaven, and one sitting on it.
“And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.”
The King James Version of the Bible, Revelation 4:2. King James Version, Project Gutenberg eBook #10. The text, read in part
The Britannica article calls the throne, of immemorial antiquity, the universal ancestor of all chairs, which were for long symbols of authority and rule.
“The throne, which is of immemorial antiquity, is the universal ancestor of all chairs, which were for long symbols of authority and rule.”
Encyclopædia Britannica, eleventh edition: Throne, whole article. The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, as transcribed on Wikisource. The text, read in full
Each passage is quoted from the text named, which the press fetched and read, and was checked word for word against a fresh copy of it; the link opens that copy. Passages are given as printed, without the editors’ footnote numbers, and with words broken across lines joined.
Where to Read
- Memories, Dreams, Reflections (1962), “First Years”
Jung’s writings are cited by the volume of the Collected Works (CW), Bollingen Series / Princeton, 1953–79.
Related Symbols
Also among Vessels and Enclosures
“Learn as much as you can about symbolism; then forget it all when you are analysing a dream.”
Cite This Entry
“The Throne.” In Symbols of the Psyche, the Symbolarium. The Thinking Press, 2026. https://thethinkingpress.org/symbolarium/psyche/throne.
Nearby in the alphabet: The Theft of Fire: Stolen light, and the price of it. The Thread: The line of fate, and the way back out. Tin: The metal of Jupiter, completing the seven. The Toad: Earthbound and poisonous, with a jewel in its head.