Received: April 14, 2015 Revised: June 16, 2015 Accepted: June 20, 2015
Abstract
In this study, the researcher considered the symbolic meanings of the skeleton in Korean folk tales, and analyzed how the skeleton has been developed into a symbol of rebirth in art, heritage, and religion. Also, the researcher interpreted the symbolic meaning of the skeleton, which appeared in the client’s sand-picture, through the lens of analytical psychology. Mankind, from ancient times, has connected the death of unconsciousness as a cooperator of salvation in moments of exhaustion, crisis, and desire in the conscious life. The appearance of the skeleton in tales and rituals represents not the end of life but rather coexistence with death, which cannot be detached from life. Through sandplay therapy, the researcher desired that the client solve the fear of meeting the unconsciousness that represents death, and encounter the archetypal meaning of the skeleton that exists in the client’s soul.