Overview
This chapter explores one of Jung's most provocative insights: the fish symbol's inherent ambivalence, representing both Christ and his shadow, the Antichrist. Jung examines how this duality reflects the fundamental psychological truth that every symbol of wholeness must encompass both light and dark aspects.
The ambivalence of the fish symbol reveals the incomplete nature of a purely good Christ figure and points toward the necessity of integrating the shadow for true psychological wholeness.
Key Themes
The Shadow of Christ: Jung analyzes how the fish symbol carries not only the positive associations with Christ but also connections to serpent and dragon imagery, representing the repressed shadow side of Christian consciousness.
Leviathan and the Depths: The chapter explores the fish as a creature of the depths, linking it to the biblical Leviathan and other monsters of the deep that represent the dangerous and transformative powers of the unconscious.
Integration of Opposites: Jung demonstrates how true symbols of the Self must contain opposites - good and evil, light and dark - reflecting the totality of psychic life rather than a one-sided ideal.
Psychological Implications
Jung reveals how the suppression of the fish symbol's dark aspects in Christianity has led to a dangerous split in Western consciousness. The denial of evil and shadow creates psychological imbalance and projection of darkness onto others.
The chapter argues for the necessity of confronting and integrating the ambivalent nature of our deepest symbols, recognizing that wholeness requires acknowledging both the divine and demonic aspects of the psyche.