Does it mean anything?
First, we wanted the letters MIC for MacKenzie International
Consulting in our logo. We've been calling ourselves 'MIC' since
we started the company in 1995 and have grown quite fond of
it. But... what on earth is that funny looking purplish swoosh??
If you look closely, you'll see that it's a rather stylized
version of a snake eating it's own tale. And believe it or not,
this particular creature has a name and an ancient symbolic
meaning...
The Ouroboros
The ouroboros (alternately spelled uroboros, uroborus, or oroborus)
- a symbol of a serpent devouring its own tail - occurs in many
ancient cultures. The name is of Greek origin and the symbol
itself can be traced back to early Egypt around 1600 BC. The
symbol has also been found in Norse, Greek, Hindu, Aztec, Chinese,
and Native American mythology, and was adopted by certain branches
of Christianity.
The ouroboros has been varyingly described as a symbol of the
eternal unity of all things, the cycle of birth and death, Yin/Yang,
the harmony of opposites, and the continuous recycling or renewal
of the Universe. And although these are all appealing, it was
the comments of Carl Jung, Swiss psychiatrist and founder of
Analytical Psychology, that we found particularly intriguing...
Jungian Archetype
Jung saw the ourobouros as an archetype, saying "The
uroboros is a dramatic symbol for the integration and assimilation
of the opposite, i.e. of the shadow. This 'feed-back' process
is at the same time a symbol of immortality, since it is said
of the uroboros that he slays himself and brings himself to
life, fertilises himself and gives birth to himself."
These ideas, "assimilating the shadow" plus "slaying
yourself and bringing yourself to life" seem particularly
appropriate for the work that MIC does. It's not a sense of
conquering or eliminating "the shadow", but rather
assimilating and integrating it as part of who you are.
The "slaying and rebirth" analogy also seems appropriate
for MIC. In the courses we offer, you are challenged to "slay"
ineffective beliefs and habit patterns in order to "give
birth" to a new life for yourself. What's more, this cycle
of death and renewal is eternal... in other words, you are really
never "finished". There is always more to learn, more
to let go of, more growth.
The Final Touches
We picked red for the letters so MIC would be the color of
the root chakra of trust - the inner base needed for personal
growth. The surrounding serpent is violet for the crown chakra
- the higher direction of our growth. (Read
more about our colors)
And if all that isn't enough, there's one more fun fact that
makes the ouroboros even more appealing as part of our logo...
Mick's astrological sign in the Chinese system is in fact a
snake!!
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