The Veil
What hides the mystery, and what may be lifted.
The Veil: what does it mean in analytical psychology?
The veil hides what is holy or forbidden. Plutarch records the inscription on the statue at Saïs: “I am all that has been and is and shall be, and no mortal has lifted my veil.” Jungian writers read it as the boundary of consciousness, and the unconscious as the veiled goddess.
The Veil: where does it appear in myth and tradition?
The veil of Isis, the veil of the temple torn in two, the bride’s veil, the veil of Maya, Schiller’s poem of the veiled image at Saïs (1795).
From the Sources
Paul says that when Moses is read a veil lies upon the heart, and that when it turns to the Lord the veil shall be taken away.
“But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. 3:16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.”
The King James Version of the Bible, 2 Corinthians 3:15-16. King James Version, Project Gutenberg eBook #10. The text, read in part
Matthew records that the veil of the temple was rent in two from top to bottom, and the earth quaked.
“And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;”
The King James Version of the Bible, Matthew 27:51. King James Version, Project Gutenberg eBook #10. The text, read in part
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
- Plutarch, On Isis and Osiris, 9
Jung’s writings are cited by the volume of the Collected Works (CW), Bollingen Series / Princeton, 1953–79.
Related Symbols
Also among Things Held and Worn
“Learn as much as you can about symbolism; then forget it all when you are analysing a dream.”
Cite This Entry
“The Veil.” In Symbols of the Psyche, the Symbolarium. The Thinking Press, 2026. https://thethinkingpress.org/symbolarium/psyche/veil.
Nearby in the alphabet: The Unicorn: Wild power, tamed only by the pure. The Uroboros: The serpent that devours its own tail. The Vessel: The container in which change happens. The Vine: Ecstasy, and the blood of the god.