Understanding Archetypes
Many who are fascinated with the psyche have tried to draw clear boundaries around the archetypes. I’ve worked on this for years in search of a framework that could help me understand myself, and I’m passing on what I’ve learned because it’s been useful; however, nobody knows for sure how closely our descriptions fit reality. In truth, it’s not possible to fully understand.
Meeting the Mistress of the Forest
Many of us have felt our spirits quicken through glimpses of something ineffable in the mist beyond normal awareness and longed to pursue it. But habitual assumptions are not easy to overcome. Moreover, the daily demands of life are so compelling that we usually defer our journey into the deeply alluring recesses of the forest until another day.
Two: The Number of Creative Tension
So many natural phenomena support a bipolar view of life that the number two has come to symbolize a very important reality: the opposition and conflict that initiates all development and leads to equilibrium. The creative tension of two-ness pertains to both the outer and inner life.
Which Masculine Archetypes Are Strongest In You?
Nobody can describe the archetypes with any certainty because they are deeply unconscious. However, there are many theories based on research and careful observation of human nature. Mine is largely based on Jungian psychology.
Freedom to Feel
As a young married woman I was utterly captivated by the film, Blume in Love, for reasons I didn’t understand. The same thing had happened three years earlier when I read my all-time favorite book: The Magus, by John Fowles. Why did I find it so incredibly fascinating? Did it have anything in common with Blume in Love, or were these just random coincidences? I didn’t know then. Forty years later, I do.
The Circle of Life
I know what I’ll be thinking about on December 31st as from the comfort of my home I watch the crystal ball being lowered in Times Square. Along with the birth of Baby New Year I’ll be celebrating the Births of my children whose lives fill me with joy, and of my grandchildren who have brought new blessings of hope, joy and love into my life.
How Are Your King and Queen Working For You?
When we project a dysfunctional King and/or Queen onto those from whom we expect nurturing, our behavior will be confusing to them and problematic for us. When they don’t give us exactly what we want from them—and many of our wants are unconscious or conflicting—we will misinterpret their words and motives and believe they are flawed or don’t really care.
How's Your God-Image Working For You?
Our ideas about God come from us. For approximately the last 5,000 years the West and Near East have projected our masculine archetypes—King, Warrior, Magician/Scholar, and Lover—onto a male God who is…
Hera Possession
When we were in our thirties my husband and I were invited to a party at the home of a couple we’d recently met. Halfway through the evening I was sitting on the stairs when a man I didn’t know sat beside me. As we made small talk I began to realize he was flirting with me. I’m not great at flirting so I was a bit uncomfortable. But he wasn’t saying anything the least bit offensive or inappropriate so I kept my manner open and friendly.
Dream Symbol: The King
Dream themes associated with our King address rules, crimes, morality, authority, order, leadership, and individuation. Two King dreams are especially auspicious. An old King dying to make way for a new one says we’ve outgrown our childish dependence on outer authorities and are assuming our personal authority. A wedding between a King and Queen suggests the conscious integration of our inner opposites.
