Analogical Meaning in Lord of the Rings

by Mark Murdock

part 4 of 6

Many of us today sense something is very wrong with the world. Of this there is no doubt. But it takes an epiphany to realize that the world is a mere projection of our inner selves, and that there is something indeed wrong with us. Only by saving ourselves can we save the world. There is no other way. And to save ourselves, we must destroy our false self.

To recap the process thus far:

Recognize that we possess a ring of power and refuse it.
Journey out from our false comfort zone to face our deepest fears
Find strength in new found internal guidance and serendipity.

Here is a real life example of how this might actually play out:

The world is a mess and I am the problem. I reject it; I reject my false self.
I am leaving the job that I hate to go in search of something more authentic.
I feel guided, and I am having the most amazing experiences and encounters...

And if only this were enough! Brace yourself, for as the adventure begins so too does the terror.

In the next step we suffer the breakdown of our Fellowship!

In the novel, this is foreshadowed by Gandalf’s reluctance to guide the fellowship into the mines of Moira. He knows what awaits him there in the darkest depths of the subconscious, his enemy, his shadow, the Balrog. Gandalf falls (leap of faith) and in so doing, his guidance is lost to us. Soon after, the fellowship splits into pieces.

What is happening on a personal level here?

To answer this, I first would like to outline a theory by Leonard Shlain, author of The Alphabet versus the Goddess. Shlain examines many cultural responses to the introduction of the alphabet. His belief is that by learning these abstract symbols, our brains are literally rewired.

The seat of consciousness becomes anchored in the left hemisphere, the more masculine, literal and analytic. The right hemisphere represents the feminine, more spatial and more intuitive. We require both of course for balance.

Shlain alleges that as the alphabet technology (black magic symbols?) is introduced, cultures become imbalanced and move from matriarchal to patriarchal rule, nearly self-destructing in the process.

The point here is again that we are wired for a masculine imbalance. Reason seeks to rule the heart.

Is there an analog to Middle Earth? On the one side we have the dark lands of Mordor, the lands of Sauron. On the other, we have the lands of Men, Elves and Hobbits and so on. If we were standing in Middle Earth, we could look to the left to Mordor and to the right to the Shire.

There are two fronts that we as individuals must reckon with. Not only must we return to the left hemisphere of Mordor to destroy the ring, an inner journey, but we also must defend the remaining western lands of the right hemisphere, an outer journey.

There are not one but two phalluses in Middle Earth: the Two Towers. What more obvious symbol of masculine imbalance!

The Western Phallus: Outer journey

Saruman, once a nature-loving wizard, has now been corrupted and seduced by Sauron’s masculine power. Saruman is the reptile-man, the busyness man. He stokes the fires of industry and pours forth iron to make arms of war. He represents the destruction of the land and of nature for the power elite.

He even begins to tamper with genetic engineering, creating the Orucai, the perfect soldier. Never have we seen a better representation of the military-industrial complex! Saruman is the dutiful servant of soulless corporations everywhere, the bankers, the state, the Illuminati Eye.

One part of us led by our future King defends the western lands (the feminine) from the onslaught of Saruman’s forces. This corresponds to our own defense against the corrupt forces of the world. We hear a familiar voice again, that of the resurrected spirit guide now fully integrated. We can now see clearly those who are under the spell of Sauron, our friends and family. In some rare cases, we can draw them to our cause.

We gather up our uncorrupted feminine (women and children) and make our stand in Helm’s Deep. A helm is a control, a steering mechanism. Helm’s Deep is a deeper form of control that we are defending, one that rises up from the feminine, our intuition, and our heart-felt urges.

We are making a stand for the remaining Feminine.

Make no mistake about it: The unleashing of Orcs and Orucai at Helm’s Deep represents the degree of fear we must face in this quest. As individuals making this journey, we are beset with attacks from others, co-workers, family, friends, lovers as well as our institutions and mass media. Names of some of the Orcs we will face are homelessness, poverty, destitution, insanity, ostracism and more.

We must defeat these intense fears because only then are we able to sense this deeper, more subtle helm. Note that when the battle for Helm’s deep is victorious, so too is our ability to use our hearts to know. Gandalf can feel that Frodo is still alive. There is new-found hope.

Note too how it is Merry and Pippin that lead the charge against the phallus of Saruman. Here again it is the innocent child archetype who is able to marshal the goddess forces of nature, the tree herders, the Ents. The tower falls and is washed clean. (Is there a cultural equivalence to 9-11 and Katrina? Might we be living the second book of the novel on yet another level?)

The Eastern Phallus: Inner Journey

While we struggle against the fears of the world, we go to bed at night only to battle our inner demons. Our internal ring bearer plods towards Mordor but is essentially cut-off from the conscious guidance of the fellowship. We don’t know what to do; there are no answers. This is the long, dark night of the soul.

Then we meet with Gollum, our shadow, or our shadow archetype emerges from the subconscious. It is drawn to this act of ours, the denial of the ring, the disengagement of the ego. It seeks the ring because it owes its existence to it. The ring is precious to it. To destroy the ring means its destruction also.

For the first time we consciously experience a part of ourselves we denied our entire lives. We see ourselves in this ugly form. The shadow represents everything we insist we are not. This is an extremely uncomfortable encounter, and we wrestle with dark emotions and engage in thoughts of desire to wear the ring again...

We question our decision. We yearn to return to the Shire.

We recognize not just a part of us will die in this process, but the only part we ever really knew! The fear of this death becomes overpowering. What if this is all we are?

Whereas the outer journey is about facing fear, the inner journey is about facing doubt.

Both patriarchal fear and doubt must be cleansed before the matriarchal values return, before the return of the King.

To be continued...

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