William Blake's the Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with The

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ART AND IMAGES IN PSYCHIATRY

SECTION EDITOR: JAMES C. HARRIS, MD William Blake’s The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed With the Sun Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a [pregnant] woman, robed with the sun, standing on the moon, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars...Then a second sign appeared...a huge red dragon with seven heads and ten horns...thedragon stopped in front of the woman asshewas...ready to be delivered to devour her child as soon as it was born.1(Rev. 12:1-5)

HE REVELATION TO JOHN1 IS successively are to come as 7 seals of a central to Jung’s view6 that both good and the last book of the Chris- sacred scroll are opened, the final battle evilaresubsumedintheGodhead.Hepro- tian New Testament. Its rec- to be waged, the Last Judgment, and the posed that the vision of the woman ord of his prophetic vi- coming of the new Jerusalem. clothed in the sun is a spontaneous im- Tsions of the “end-time” is the source for In Revelation, following the rupture age arising in John’s psyche—not based many works of art. Among the best of the last of the 7 seals, the divine sanc- onearlierprophecy—andthattherescued known of these are the 15 woodcuts of tuary opens revealing the Ark of the Cov- child is not the crucified Christ but a new the Apocalypse and 4 engravings of enant. Now 2 signs appear in heaven (epi- divine man/child whose description too the Virgin with Child standing on the graph): The woman clothed in the sun is colored by John’s personal psychology.6 crescent moon by Albrecht Du¨ rer representing Israel is in labor about to give For Jung, the Revelation to John presents (1471-1528).2(p61) So symbolically mean- birth to a male child to rule all the na- a God who is “not only to be loved, but ingful was Du¨ rer’s art to Neil Armstrong tions with an iron scepter, and a multi- also to be feared.”6(p638) He proposes that that, soon after placing the US flag on the headed horned and crowned red dragon the burden for human consciousness in moon, with his gloved hand the astro- is poised to devour her soon-to-be-born individuation is to engage this duality and naut inscribed Du¨ rer’s initials in moon child.1 Blake’s dragon (cover) stands over master the archetypal opposites of good dust.2 Still better known are The Last Judg- her displaying powerful musculature and and evil within one’s psyche. ment by Michelangelo (1475-1564), on a monstrous tail, wings, and horned heads On Patmos, beneath the Cave of the the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel, in as she cries out in the pangs of birth. The Apocalypse, on a half-moon beach called which Christ, as judge, condemns sin- male child is taken straight up into heaven Grikou,amodernman,existentialistRalph ners to eternal fire and lifts the elect to to God on His throne, thus escaping the Harper (1911-1993) struggling with this join the angels and saints in heaven, and dragon. Blake’s drawing reveals a rich po- duality, experienced a deep sense of inner the ceiling fresco of the triumphant etic imagination. quiet (the draining away of all fear and woman clothed in the sun standing on Elaine Pagels writes about contempo- striving) and a monumental sense of being Galileo’s maculate moon by Lodovico rary politics in Revelations. She proposes fully alive that gave him the confidence to Cardi (1559-1613)3 at Santa Maria Mag- that John’s vision is a coded account of live his life anew. For Harper, after years giore church in Rome. However, the most events that were happening at the time of striving, this was a second chance to live provocative and disturbing images are the that he was writing and are linked the- fully, an “end-time” to his longing.6,7 watercolor paintings of the Great Red matically to earlier Old Testament proph- Dragon by William Blake (1757-1827).4 esies.5 In John’s time, the Red Dragon was James C. Harris, MD John the Theologian (not John the identified with pagan Romans. Later, Evangelist) had been exiled from the when Christianity prevailed under Em- Online-Only Material: The author’s churches in Asia Minor to the Greek is- peror Constantine, heretics were identi- poem commemorating Ralph Harper’s land of Patmos in the Aegean Sea. While fied with the evil one. Then, throughout rejuvenation can be found at http://www living in a grotto on Patmos, now known the ages, both sides have claimed God for .archgenpsychiatry.com. as the Cave of the Apocalypse, he re- their side and projected onto the enemy corded the revelation he heard and the the demonic Red Dragon. The defeat of REFERENCES visions he saw about the future of hu- the Red Dragon is emblematic of hope for mankind: images of vengeance and the the oppressed. Martin Luther King Jr ex- expression of wrath toward pagans, pa- emplified this when he wrote that the “arc 1. Wansbrough H, ed. New Jerusalem Bible. New York, NY: Doubleday & Co; 1985. gan beliefs, and those who had strayed of the moral universe is long, but it bends 2. Bartrum G, Grass G, Koerner JL, Kuhlemann U. from the teachings of Jesus. toward justice.” Yet visions of future jus- Albrecht Du¨rer and His Legacy. Princeton, NJ: John is believed to have witnessed, tice for the righteous must be balanced Princeton University Press; 2002. or heard a firsthand account5 of, the raz- with practices that lead to meaningful re- 3. Harris JC. Galileo Galilei: scientist and artist. Arch ing of Jerusalem, the destruction of the ligious experience in the here and now. Gen Psychiatry. 2010;67(8):770-771. Jewish temple, and the deaths or en- In her book, Pagels gives examples of such 4. Bindman D. William Blake: His Art and Times. New slavement of thousands of his country- revelations and practices in religious com- Haven, CT: Yale Center for British Art; 1982. men in the war with the Romans in 70 munities in John’s time that were sup- 5. Pagels E. Revelations: Visions, Prophesy, and Poli- tics in the Book of Revelation. New York, NY: CE. In Revelation, John is instructed by pressed by the organized church but may 5 Viking Press; 2012. a heavenly messenger to warn the mem- be pertinent again today. 6. Jung CG. Answer to Job. In: Campbell J, ed. The bers of 7 churches in Asia Minor to re- Carl Jung (1875-1961) proposed that Portable Jung. Hull RFC, trans. New York, NY: pent and prepare for divine retribution the study of the numinous is a legitimate Viking Press, Inc; 1971:519-650. and judgment following this crisis. John focus in the psychology of individuation. 7. Harper R. The Second Chance. Valley Forge, PA: envisions the plagues and turmoil that The visions in the book of Revelation are Trinity Press International; 1993.

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