Dora M. Kalff, with Janet Tatum, MSW, ACSW, LICSW, JA, CST-T

Journal of Sandplay Therapy
Volume 1, Issue 2, 1992

Keywords

hare, fox, Kalff, East, West, sandplay therapy, symbol, animal

Abstract

Dora Kalff, the founder of Sandplay Therapy, wrote this article in 1957 for the Journal of Analytical Psychology when she was beginning to develop her theories of Sandplay. The interplay between the fox and the hare is extensively described from the Eastern and Western perspectives. Both are correlated to the feminine, and symbolizing long life, intelligence and light/dark. In the East, the tales relate a friendship between the two, which was comparable with the West, but during the 1300s in the West, the relationship of the two changed to that of enemies. Kalff considers this shift to be the time of the separation of spirituality with nature. Sandplay cases reveal these opposing postures of the fox and the hare, as well as the cooperation.

The article includes a preface by Janet Tatum.