Tale Of The Cat Essay
Recently I was inspired to paint the goddess Bast, after reading the ‘Tale of The Cat’ by Von Franz (a Jungian Analyst). In this Romanian fairytale he interprets the meaning behind every detail of this dreamlike story.
I don't want to give away too many spoilers. So I will simply give you a taste of how it starts; The Emperor grows bored of his Wife and sends her away on a boat, telling her that upon returning from her journey she must be pregnant. The women goes on her way, eventually finding a beautiful palace in the sea. Being hungry she stops there for food, and eats an apple from a tree. The Queen of the island curses her for eating from the tree. This Queen is a cat; ‘The Mother of God’. The woman returns home, and gives birth to a girl who turns into a cat when she is seventeen.
The book compares the Mother of God (the cat) in this story to the shadow aspect of the Virgin Mary. In many other stories, a goddess who curses a a female child is usually a witch. The church’s traditional image of the Virgin Mary is of purity and innocence. Of course this is not a whole …show more content…
My painting shows Bast in a traditional pose, with her sistrum. She is often depicted with a woman's body, and cat's head.
Personally, I Love Cats. How many times have you heard this statement enthused amongst your friends after watching a cat video on YouTube? How can you not love them... they are mischievous, unapologetic, bold, brave, stubborn... You simply cannot tell a cat what to do. On the flip side, they can also be kind, loving, and reassuring. I think that cats represent feminine energy in a way that respects the complexity of what it means to be a woman; and this might be why I have a love affair with them that will last a
I don't want to give away too many spoilers. So I will simply give you a taste of how it starts; The Emperor grows bored of his Wife and sends her away on a boat, telling her that upon returning from her journey she must be pregnant. The women goes on her way, eventually finding a beautiful palace in the sea. Being hungry she stops there for food, and eats an apple from a tree. The Queen of the island curses her for eating from the tree. This Queen is a cat; ‘The Mother of God’. The woman returns home, and gives birth to a girl who turns into a cat when she is seventeen.
The book compares the Mother of God (the cat) in this story to the shadow aspect of the Virgin Mary. In many other stories, a goddess who curses a a female child is usually a witch. The church’s traditional image of the Virgin Mary is of purity and innocence. Of course this is not a whole …show more content…
My painting shows Bast in a traditional pose, with her sistrum. She is often depicted with a woman's body, and cat's head.
Personally, I Love Cats. How many times have you heard this statement enthused amongst your friends after watching a cat video on YouTube? How can you not love them... they are mischievous, unapologetic, bold, brave, stubborn... You simply cannot tell a cat what to do. On the flip side, they can also be kind, loving, and reassuring. I think that cats represent feminine energy in a way that respects the complexity of what it means to be a woman; and this might be why I have a love affair with them that will last a