Note 693 — Chapter VII · THE DUAL MOTHER RÔLE

Introversion = to enter the mother; to sink into one’s own inner-world, or source of the libido, is symbolized by creeping in, passing through, boring. (Scratching behind the ear = making fire.) Boring into the ear, scratching with the nails, swallowing serpents. Thus the Buddhist legend is understandable. When Gautama had spent the whole day sitting in deep reflection under the sacred tree, at evening he became Buddha, the illumined one.