Now, suddenly, we are below ground, in the earth. What do we have here? The pregnant figure of the previous painting seems to have taken the form of a light beam and there is a bear here. Why has she become light contained within the earth? Well, this is one of the attributes of Sophia—she is called the light of nature. What does this mean? Jung tells us that the unconscious contains a kind of knowledge or light which is not identical with ego consciousness. For example, we may have a vivid dream that warns us of some impending danger and because we follow the guidance of the dream we are helped.

Also there is a bear (see detail) and animals usually symbolize the instincts. The world of instinct is part of the feminine realm and the unconscious. It is the dark aspect of the feminine so to speak and it is this dark feminine aspect of the psyche that, according to Jung, wants to be included in our god-image. The painting seems to be telling us that not only the spiritual aspect of the feminine but also the animal aspect, our instincts, is required in the search for wholeness. The bear is our most ancient symbol of the feminine. The feminine spirit from the previous painting seems to have entered the earth as a beam of light and is awakening part of her own nature. It is as though her upper and lower aspects have to be reunited for a complete realization of the source.