The Symbolic Meaning of the Genie and the Lamp

Some schools of thought of the ancient eastern world viewed the physical body as a tool to reach the divine. The spirit, which is a person's true identity, needs to take a body made of flesh and blood in order to acquire consciousness, and learn the difference between good and evil. The body is full of wishes and desires – it becomes attached to the matter and longs for material things, forgetting that the body is just a temporary home for the spirit.

So, when Aladdin goes to the Cave of Wonders in order to find the magic lamp, he is advised not to touch anything, despite all the gold and sparkling gems he finds in there. This is a metaphor also used in the Bible, when Adam and Eve are told not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, symbolizing that the consciousness should not be entranced by the wonders of the physical world.

The genie, then, is the ego that comes along with the physical body. The ego naturally tries to grant all the wishes a person may have, which is an important part in the evolutionary process of the soul. The wishes, when used wisely, can make a person excel in all tasks and reach goals. The ancients understood that a person's highest goal should be to reunite with the source and no longer need a physical body, and therefore, knowledge should be used to attain this objective.

Princess Jasmine represents the other half of the soul who awaits until the incarnated consciousness comes home after a long journey in the physical existence. Many philosophical traditions of the ancient world theorized that people reach the human ideal once they become conscious of their true spiritual nature and are able to abandon the worldly pleasures.

So, when Aladdin releases the genie, he arrives at the final destination, proving he no longer needs the ego. This is when he can merge with his soulmate, and become one again with his true spiritual self.

http://www.suite101.com/content/aladdin-and-the-magic-lamp---meaning-and-symbolism-a344878