First Saturday of summer vacation. Monsoon season in Seoul. Wide cobblestone sidewalks wet, in some places submerged, with two or three days of rain. Dark overhanging trees dripping, not-so distant mountains completely obscured by mist and heavy clouds. Tangled cityscape of tall stone and glass and concrete buildings: narrow alleys, awnings, power lines. A labyrinth of asphalt and sidewalks and colorful signs. A few early-morning umbrella people going about their business. One hardcore hiker, heavy-duty boots and no sign of slowing, maybe on his way down from the mountain trails. Some drunken foreigners, nightclub clothes in disarray and dark circles under their eyes, making their way to McDonald’s for coffee and greasy breakfast sandwiches. 0600 and this is bedtime. Personally, I woke up too early and couldn’t get back to sleep. Humid air and no breeze; only the motion of the falling rain. And the sounds of the city waking itself up.
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ARAS The Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism … ”Contains about 17,000 photographic images, each cross-indexed, individually mounted, and accompanied by scholarly commentary. The commentary includes a description of the image with a cultural history that serves to place it in its unique historical and geographical setting. Often it also includes an archetypal commentary that brings the image into focus for its modern psychological and symbolic meaning, as well as a bibliography for related reading and a glossary of technical terms.”
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Parabola Magazine: Tradition, Myth, and the Search for Meaning … “The Society for the Study of Myth and Tradition is a not-for-profit organization devoted to the dissemination and exploration of materials relating to the myths, symbols, rituals, and art of the world’s religious and cultural traditions.”