Reading 2 books at the moment:
- The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols - Jean Chevalier and Alain Gheerbrant
- A Dictionary of Symbols - J.E. Cirlot
Both - as fascinating as dictionaries can be, a bit short of plot but that's to be expected. Both right up my alley, and thoughtfully analyze - with respect to Freud, Jung, and a host of other sources all the symbols we encounter in books, art, dreams, psychology, alchemy, magic, science and even day to day life...
Great, in that they awaken you to a whole world of meaning which you were always aware of, but unable to decipher.
Worth considering - that symbolic thought predates the written word, artwork and quite possibly even language. That all these things - painting, writing, etc - are attempts to interpret our most intuitive understanding of spirituality, ourselves and our place in the world.