Catch Bull at Four: A Jungian-Alchemical Journey of the Soul

Cat Stevens’ Catch Bull at Four (1972) is more than an album—it is a sacred text of sound. Framed within a mythic structure, it follows an inner pilgrimage through the psyche, mirroring both Jung’s process of individuation and the alchemist’s Great Work. Through its poetic lyrics and mystical soundscapes, it becomes a musical grimoire of transformation.

The album’s title itself references the Ten Bulls of Zen, which describe the stages of spiritual awakening. Catch Bull at Four aligns perfectly with the fourth stage—wrestling with the unconscious forces within—before entering into union with the divine source of the Self.

Sitting: The Threshold of the Unconscious

The album opens with Sitting, a track that immediately plunges us into an inner landscape. The opening lines:

Oh I’m on my way, I know I am
Somewhere not so far from here

suggest an internal voyage—a movement toward self-awareness. The phrase “not so far from here” implies that this journey is accessible through introspection.

“Sitting on my own not by myself, Everybody’s here with me,” is a powerful acknowledgment of the unconscious realm. In Jungian terms, “everybody” represents the archetypes—the collective unconscious and the multifaceted aspects of the self.

The line, “I don’t need to touch your face to know, And I don’t need to use my eyes to see,” emphasizes the importance of intuition and inner vision, transcending the limitations of physical perception. This is the beginning of the descent into the nigredo—the dark night of the soul.

The anxieties expressed in:

I keep on wondering if I sleep too long
Will I always wake up the same (or so)?
And keep on wondering if I sleep too long
Will I even wake up again—or something?

reflect the fear of ego dissolution—the terrifying question of whether the self will survive the journey through the unconscious.

Boy with a Moon and Star on His Head: The Alchemical Marriage

The narrative progresses with Boy with a Moon and Star on His Head, a tale rich in symbolic imagery. The gardener’s daughter, with her silver hair and diamond eyes, embodies the Anima—the feminine archetype that guides the masculine psyche toward wholeness. Their meeting in the Whispering Wood, beneath the holy magnolia, signifies the hieros gamos—the sacred marriage between the conscious and unconscious.

These themes are beautifully crystallized in the lyrical passage:

Her silver hair flowed in the air laying waves across the sun
Her hands were like the white sands, and her eyes had diamonds on

We left the road and headed up to the top of the whisper wood
And we walked ’till we came to where the holy magnolia stood
And there we laid cool in the shade singing songs and making love
With the naked earth beneath us and the universe above

The girl’s ethereal presence—with silver hair and diamond eyes—elevates her beyond the mortal. She is not merely human but archetypal, luminous and transcendent. The scene within the Whispering Wood becomes a sacred space of alchemical union. The imagery of “naked earth beneath us and the universe above” captures the conjunction of opposites: body and spirit, matter and cosmos, feminine and masculine. It is a vision of totality, of the sacred marriage that births the Divine Child—the moon and star—into being.

The boy with a moon and star on his head is the Divine Child, the alchemical product of this union. The moon and star symbolize the integration of opposites: lunar and solar, feminine and masculine, intuition and intellect. This is the moment in which the opposites that have danced throughout the psyche are finally reconciled—not just in theory, but embodied in a new creation.

He is the goal of the Great Work in alchemical thought—the lapis philosophorum, the perfected soul. He is also the mythic child of light who appears in countless mystical traditions: the Christ-child, the Horus of Egyptian myth, the radiant Bodhisattva of Mahayana Buddhism. This child is both a product and a guide—a promise of future wholeness and a reflection of eternal truth.

The basket left at the door mirrors the archetypal motif of the child born in mystery: Moses on the river, Karna in the Mahabharata, or even the Christ child in the manger. It is the moment when the unconscious reveals its gift to the waking mind—unexpected, undeserved, and utterly transformative.

Angelsea: The Anima as Divine Guide

Angelsea delves deeper into the Anima’s numinous nature, portraying her as a mystical figure:

She moves like an angel
And seven evening stars
Dance through the window
Of her universal house

This imagery places her in a cosmic domain—her universal house—which may be interpreted as the collective unconscious, the archetypal reservoir from which the Anima emerges. The seven evening stars are rich in esoteric meaning, possibly referencing the classical planets, chakras, or stages of alchemical transformation.

Her voice a crystal echo lies humming in your soul
So patiently awaiting for your ears to behold

She speaks not with language but with resonance—her crystal echo suggesting purity, vibration, and subtle guidance. She is the quiet wisdom that waits within us, often ignored but always present.

She ripples on the water
Leaves diamonds on the shore
And fish from every distance
Watch her ocean cellar door

These lines evoke her presence within the unconscious, represented by water. Her ripples stir the depths; the diamonds on the shore are glimmers of consciousness retrieved from the depths. The fish—symbols of the soul and transformation—gather around her mystery.

Her breath a warm fire
In every lover’s heart
A mistress to magicians
And a dancer to the gods

This is the Anima in her most exalted form—she is divine and erotic, elemental and celestial. She awakens the creative fire in the heart. Her presence is not limited to the personal but touches the mythic and magical realms. This is the High Priestess, the Muse, Sophia, Shakti—the feminine source of mystery.

Her clothes are made of rainbows
And twenty thousand tears
Shine through the spaces
Of her golden ochre hair

Here we see her as the totality of human experience: joy (rainbows), sorrow (tears), and divine light (golden hair). She is the Anima in full color, embodying the emotional spectrum of the soul’s journey.

Ooh my babe I want you
And on my life I swear
My conscience will I follow you forever
If you meet me everywhere

This closing vow reveals the ego’s desire to follow the Anima completely—to integrate her not just as a muse, but as a guide of conscience, a spiritual path. Her promise to meet him everywhere reflects her archetypal nature: she appears not in one place, but in all moments of longing, beauty, and mystery.

Angelsea corresponds to Citrinitas—the stage of illumination, when the soul begins to see clearly, guided by inner light. The Anima here is not only a symbol of desire but of wisdom and transpersonal truth, pointing the way toward the Self.

Silent Sunlight: The Dawn of Integration

After the transformative encounters of the earlier songs, Silent Sunlight offers peace and stillness—a gentle return. The line:

Silent sunlight, welcome in

invokes the Rubedo, the final alchemical stage. It signifies wholeness, rebirth, and renewed innocence—not a regression, but a return with wisdom. Here, sunlight is not blazing or boastful—it is silent, as is the Self when it has achieved integration. The silence speaks of peace.

There is work I must now begin
All my dreams have blown away
And the children wait to play

This verse suggests the end of illusion and the beginning of conscious living. The children waiting to play are the forces of renewal and spontaneity, now ready to animate a soul fully integrated with the Shadow.

Morning songbird, sing away
Lend a tune to another day
Bring your wings and choose a roof
Sing a song of love and truth

This is the voice of the integrated psyche—welcoming the return of joy, love, and authenticity. The Self has emerged from the crucible and now calls upon life not as a burden, but as a song.

When all things were tall
And our friends were small
And the world was new

This beautiful invocation of innocence connects directly with the divine child archetype. We are brought back to the beginning, but transformed. It is a return to Eden—not as naive innocence, but as realized integration.

Sleepy horses, heave away
Put your backs to the golden hay
Don’t ever look behind at the work you’ve done
For your work has just begun

These closing lines call the listener into embodied, conscious action. Even as the soul rests, it moves forward. Rubedo is not passive—it is living the wisdom gained through transformation.

Silent Sunlight is the final stage of the Great Work. It is calm, grounded, and luminous. The alchemical gold has been forged—not in fire, but in light. The Self, once fractured, is now integrated—yet the journey of becoming never ends.

A Journey Through Alchemical Transformation

Catch Bull at Four unfolds as an alchemical journey through the four stages:

• Nigredo – Sitting: The dark night of the soul and initial descent into the unconscious.

• Albedo – Boy with a Moon and Star on His Head: The sacred marriage and emergence of the Divine Child.

• Citrinitas – Angelsea: The illumination and wisdom of the Anima as divine guide.

• Rubedo – Silent Sunlight: The final integration and rebirth of the whole Self.

Cat Stevens’ masterful blend of lyricism and archetypal storytelling invites the listener into a deeply personal and universal journey. Catch Bull at Four is not just an album—it is a call to enter the whispering wood, to embrace your divine counterpart, and to emerge from the darkness bearing the light of the Self.

• Tags:
• music
• jung
• esoteric
• alchemy

comments powered by Disqus