The Hounds of Diana
Animal familiars and a tale of synchronicity
“Dogs, or statues of dogs, still stand at the gateway of many households. On medieval monumental brasses, they are engraved at the feet of their dead masters. Mythically, they are the guardians between life and death, between the known and the unknown. They are an intuitive bridge between conscious and unconscious, connectors to the psychoid level of the psyche. Dogs are invaluable to those who love them, because their love is total and they mirror their master's inner world, a world with which the master may have lost touch. Experiencing the dog's responses, the human being makes the inner connection. They are like us, but other, a step toward the humanization of wild instincts.”
— Marion Woodman, The Ravaged Bridegroom
As is evident by the namesake of this publication, the archetype that gives rise to Artemis (known as Diana in the Roman tradition) is one that I hold near and dear. I have spoken before about my relationship to her1, how she activates my love of the wilderness, connection to animals, and the draw towards youthful feminine mysteries. As Huntress, Artemis/Diana is always accompanied by dogs. They adventure alongside her through the forest, an extension of her focused intentions and thrill of the chase.
This I also share with Artemis. From the time I was young, I conjured imaginary friends who always took the shape of a dog. I was deeply bonded to our family’s golden retriever mutt, a tawny-furred gentle soul by the name of Trapper. Wolves and hounds frequent my dreams, spontaneously arrive in active imagination and draw my attention in waking life.
Woodman beautifully captures our complex relationship to these animals, in how they attune and mirror our inner world and offer themselves fully in companionship. Yet this is not isolated to the dog alone. It seems a common phenomena that many of us have a draw to the animal world, feeling resonance with a certain creature that carries a part of our soul’s image. These familiars act as guides to the inner realm, as a reminder of our wild nature, and as symbols of powerful archetypal essences.
Dogs seem to weave a thread that grounds me into the wholeness of my being. They have been present during times of initiation and have offered safe harbor while in the throes of chaos. When recurring images and experiences continue to crop up, I take notice, curious to understand the deeper significance and application to my life.
The Mysterious Connections of Synchronicity
“Since psyche and matter are contained in one and the same world, and moreover are in continuous contact with one another and ultimately rest on irrepresentable, transcendental factors, it is not only possible but fairly probable, even, that psyche and matter are two different aspects of one and the same thing. The synchronicity phenomena point, it seems to me, in this direction, for they show that the nonpsychic can behave like the psychic, and vice versa, without there being any causal connection between them.”
— C.G. Jung, Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche (CW8)
One such poignant experience took place many years ago. Our beagle, Baci, had an insatiable curiosity, and yet often couldn’t be bothered to leave the same warm and cozy spot for hours at a time. Thus, it came as a shock when she got out from the backyard and ran off. What initially must have been exciting and freeing seemed to then drive panic in the dog. We saw her only briefly, running frantically from our home. She was unresponsive as we called out to her. Soon, she was gone, completely out of sight. We continued our search but found no trace of her for days.
The situation preoccupied my mind. I wondered if there was anything else I could possibly do. Appealing to higher powers and wishing for her return could only go so far. So I decided to walk around the area after I finished up my shift at the local restaurant. My job was located a couple of miles from our home. My intention was to put up flyers and let people know to look out for her. I began walking down the crowded main street. I took a right turn, towards a more residential area. I figured this would be a good place for my posters.
I was about halfway down the block when I suddenly halted in place. Like a lightning strike of pure awareness, as if Zeus parted the clouds and spoke to me, I knew with sudden urgency that I had to turn around.
Now!
The command echoed through every fiber of my being. I looked behind me, back where I had just come from, and there I saw it. The flash of a speeding red and white animal racing across the street.
I couldn’t think, only act. I took off as fast as I could possibly run. I barreled down the street like a wild banshee, screaming her name, screaming at someone to stop her, please! She was too far ahead for me to catch up. The sidewalk was full of people but no one seemed to register what was happening as Baci sped further away.
Then, a stranger turned around and scooped her right up. I came charging to them, out of breath, body coursing with adrenaline. We looked in one another’s eyes and Baci’s face began to calm, a big goofy beagle smile widening across her face. I took her in my arms and cradled her close. It was a surreal moment, like a dream, and yet so full of intensity. I felt deeply alive.
This is a unique example of profound synchronicity. It was more than a mere coincidence, of being in the right place at the right time. I was moving in the wrong direction. I would have missed Baci completely. But something erupted from within, a command that pierced through the psyche and straight into the outer world.
Such cases were observed and studied by Jung. It became clear that there are times when internal and external reality collide in an undeniable moment of connection, with no detectable causality at play. Jung states:
“How could an event remote in space and time produce a corresponding psychic image when the transmission of energy necessary for this is not even thinkable? However incomprehensible it may appear, we are finally compelled to assume that there is in the unconscious something like an a priori knowledge or an “immediacy” of events which lacks any causal basis.”
(Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche [CW8])
The implications here may be difficult to fully wrap our minds around. Somewhere in the depths of the psyche, in the unconscious landscape, there is a kind of hidden wellspring of knowledge. It not only manifests in dream images or physical symptoms (which are contained within the individual alone). It also shows up outwardly, as a convergence of psychological factors aligned with an external situation.
Is the psyche influencing the outer world to create this moment? Is the outer environment conditioning something within, causing it to rise into awareness? Or (as Jung postulates) is there a connection between the two, where the boundaries are blurred? I’ll turn to Jungian Analyst Murray Stein for further insight:
“At the edges, where psyche and soma come together and where psyche and world meet, there are shadings of “inside/outside.” These gray areas Jung calls psychoid. This is an area that behaves in a psyche-like way but is not altogether psychic. It is quasi-psychic. In these gray areas lie psychosomatic puzzles, for example. How do mind and body influence each other? Where does one leave off and the other begin?”
(Jung’s Map of the Soul)
I can’t help but circle back to Marion’s words above. Dogs, she says, “…are an intuitive bridge between conscious and unconscious, connectors to the psychoid level of the psyche.”
Is this part of what role they play in my life? They have always accompanied me through the unknown paths of my inner world. It is a connection that transcends a mere imaginal state for I sense it whenever I am in their presence. It is a bond that lies at the heart of my being. And when Baci was lost, I knew, if anyone could find her, it would be me. That somehow, I could step out and walk those streets, and follow that guiding force straight to her.
Receptivity to the unconscious and its subtle (or not so subtle) messages has been a constant in my life. Each time I tap into it, I feel immersed in an interconnected web, the invisible networks that seem to link us all together; through time, space and the seemingly concrete boundaries of our reality. This is where synchronicity seems to come in to play, amplifying this mysterious connection. Honoring these moments and tracing their patterns has revealed the self-revelation of my story — in both psyche and matter.
Join the conversation
Which animal do you feel a particular affinity towards? Have you experienced a profound synchronicity in your life? Do you have questions or further thoughts on the concept of synchronicity?
In the post Hiking with Artemis.
A lovely read thank you, and delighted to hear about your Baci connection. Also thank you Amy Simons for linking it... I was reminded of a dream that I had many years ago when I was on the ferry from Ireland to Wales . In the dream I was driving my big live in truck on tiny windy roads and a large white wolfhound burst out of the undergrowth right in front of me, I woke in a state of shock knowing that I couldn't have missed the dog. I drove off the ferry and meandered my route to a friends' address and was driving at the normal speed when I went around a bend, recognised the road and put my brakes on just before a large white wolfhound dashed into the road - and crossed safely. it was quite incredible. The next companion dog that came into my life was a white deerhound....
Thanks so much for sharing this Alyssa! What a moving story and I am so glad you were reunited with Baci! The dog has been a profound symbol for me my whole life! It was my transitional object (a toy dog called moonlight) from the age of 3. A dog bite on my eye at the age of 2. And only many years later having my own dog companion in real life. The dog has become a repeated and consistent symbol in my dreams and drawings and I ended up writing a lot about the dog in my Masters dissertation, finding alignment, kinship and guidance between the role of the dog and the role of the therapist....I've been meaning to write about it on Substack too, perhaps this sharing of yours today will inspire me to do so!