The mythic image

Hardback, 552 pp. including notes, list of illustrations, and index. Profusely illustrated. This is a reference book for use only in the Library. Contents: Preface I. THE WORLD AS DREAM The lord of sleep The lord of death and resurrection The wonder child The mighty goddess II. THE IDEA OF A COSMIC ORDER Literate and non-literate traditions The world mountain The world mountain in Middle America The calendric round The revolving sphere of space-time The center of transformation III. THE LOTUS AND THE ROSE The flower scepter The flower support The waters beneath and above The golden seed IV. TRANSFORMATIONS OF THE INNER LIGHT Psychology and yoga The serpent guide The one thus come The wisdom of the yonder shore The lotus ladder The return to Earth V. THE SACRIFICE The willing victim The magical, moral, and mystical orders of sacrifice The altar of blood The myth VI. THE WAKING. Summary This book presents approximately 450 illustrations of mythic art from Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Indian, Chinese, European, and Olmec cultures as a basis for an exploration into the relation of dreams to myth.