an extension of the eye’s vision, the arm’s direction, and the psyche’s focus and desirethe arrow that flies tthrogh the air and magically finds its target will remind us of the far reaching and penetrating power of humankind’s mental, physical, and spiritual focus.  the bow and arrow, with its beautifl and intelligent design is a combination of feminine (bow) and phallic (arrow) shapes, which together symbolize. penetration by light, love, death, perception, and insightin zen, egoless, archer and target becomeo onebow and arrow are associated with subtle and nseen powers transcend space and time, hitting the mark without consciousness of self or goalshamans and medims used the twanging of a bow to summon deities whose powers they wished to invoke the greek understanding of “sin” was “missing the mark”we still speak of “hitting the bull’s eye in reference to getting something exactly rightThe bow and arrow is an attribte of the huntress Artemis, Mistress of Wild Things, whose arrows bring sudden death, and whose hounds can unerringsly “sniff out” their unseen prey. Artemis moves between the boundaries of civilization and wildness, and the bow and arrow as symbol bring together these aspects of the psyche. The bow and arrow represents and transcends humankind’s duality: the unalterable conseqences of aggression and death, opposed by the inner strength and unity deriving from correct use and developmentt of the “killer instinct”. Saggitarius - centaurian archer represents philosophy intuition higher learning and wisdom. The archer unites the animal and divine in human natureThe power of the bow and arrow derive not from brute sttrength, but rather from focused attention and spiritual maturity, where “less is more”. The arrow and the archer are one, ths the arrows of the gods never miss, and only the warrior with a pure heart will immediately hit the bull’s eye. Throughout all cultures, from Paleolithic to modern, it represents an ascension symbol, the transformation of hunting magic by the sublimation of desire into penetration of the heart of the self. book of symbols 496