An Archetype Dialogue Process

Today’s Best of Better Endings revisits archetypal character modes. These are your “inner voices” that can be associated with your Life Themes or typical kinds of situations in your life. I call such archetypal aspects “Archemes” because they are associated with your recurring situational themes. Do you have a Teacher (or, Student) Archeme associated with a theme of Education in your life? A Nurturer associated with being a parent? Or perhaps a Lover Archeme connected with your Romance theme? I will develop this concept for you more later when this blog converts to a Life Mapping focus later this month (or see lifepathmaps.com). For now, let me reprise a post about the personal development tool of “Archetype Dialogue”. I invite you to try it! And of course, I always welcome your feedback and insights.- LW (5/6-7/14)

“For every typical situation in life,

There is an archetype corresponding to that situation.”

– Carl G. Jung (Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious)

Can you think of an issue about which you are conflicted or undecided, for which you can express “two sides” of the situation? E.G. whether to move or to stay with a job or to change a relationship? Or do you have a “personal conflict” over some area of your life that persists through the years without clear resolution?

When you have opposing viewpoints within yourself over an issue that is important to you, it’s as though you are two or more people within your same body or mind. Here, we are talking about what Carl Jung and many others since have called Archetypes. These are submerged viewpoints, your ‘inner voices’ that might feel at odds with each other about how you should approach something.  James Hillman would say these various archetypal aspects of your Self are in your “Personal Unconscious”, and Jung would say we have even deeper sorts of archetypes in our “Collective Unconscious” that are universal.

As an anthropologist I take a practical approach as well as a “depth psychology” approach to archetypal character guises and traits. We all take on various ROLES in our lives that are associated with various STATUSES. These can include kinship statuses and roles (like Mother or Child, husband and wife) as well as occupational and recreational roles, like Doctor and Golfer. Each of these personal ROLES is associated with specific kinds of SITUATIONS we engage in regularly. And each of these brings out deep archetypal—not just formal ‘status’—aspects. Considering various Themes, or KINDS of situations in our lives, each Life Theme may be associated with archetypal character dispositions.  For example, ROMANCE might bring out the Lover in You, whereas EDUCATION may bring forth your Teacher and/or Student “parts of Self”, and SPORTS or MILITARY SERVICE might bring forth the Warrior. Each of these “situational archetype” parts-of-self has their own ‘character’ presence in your unique assemblage of archetypal outlooks. Some are deeply buried or suppressed (e.g. some may be in “Shadow” mode), while others may be more actively integrated within your conscious personality.

The Life Mapping activity for this week’s topic about Attitudes asks you to write or to imagine a DIALOGUE with two opposing viewpoints—both your own—around a topic you may feel conflicted or “dual” about. It can help to get these divergent sides talking to one another about a situation you are trying to better understand or resolve, especially if leaving it unresolved keeps you “stuck” about that issue.

Let me share an example from my Life Mapping cases. Mindy is a woman who had been experiencing a persistent dilemma for many years. In the course of life mapping she identified two Archetypal outlooks that she associated with a spiritual aspect—she called this her inner Warrior—and a Physical-life side of self, which she called her Descender. Around some of the same issues in her life, her Warrior-mystic and her Descender modes were at odds. Her Warrior wanted to follow inner spiritual nudges: make a move, take or end a job, accept a relationship. Her Descender, though, hated to be pinned to any decision.  Mindy journaled a dialogue between these two archetypal parts of self.  She found that one value was important to both of them: Freedom. But they each defined freedom in diametrically opposite ways! The Mystic thought freedom was about following inner nudges of spirit; it was “Spiritual Freedom”. The Descender wanted Freedom from commitments! So, for many years, Mystic-Mindy would boldly step forth and change locations, jobs or relationships. But almost immediately thereafter, Descender-Mindy would want to bolt; to leave that location, job or relationship. When Mindy put the two to talking with each other over a couple of weeks in her journal, they/she came to recognize how these opposing, archetype-driven points of view were interfering with her ever establishing a STABLE set of conditions. So she started asking them about their goals and she found some they shared. She needed a job, for instance, with built in variety and flexibility. Now Mindy has become a successful public speaker for a health supplements company she believes in. She gives workshops on various products and travels around the country. Both her Mystic and her Descender selves are happy, for once! Mindy has embraced and ‘integrated’ more of her total Self.

Writing an archetype dialogue allows you to tap into aspects of yourself you might otherwise suppress. Offer a “safe space” to these feelings and viewpoints, knowing that your core Self will remain strong and centered throughout the exchange. Just as an example to get you started, let me illustrate briefly. I call this approach: “Open Mike”. Just set a topic about which you have dual or multiple ‘attitudes’, and invite your various situational selves to speak. If you’re not sure what topic to introduce, ask ‘them’ to suggest one for you!

Open MikeTopic: My currently overburdened schedule

This is crazy! How can we keep this up? You are going to collapse at this rate.

(Self in italics) Who are you?

Just a part of You that wishes you would lighten up a bit…

A Nurturer, I would guess.

Yes. You do need to give yourself more time to relax, dear. Breathe. Go to the gym. Read a Maeve Binchy novel; I want to!

I know but there is just so much to do. I have bitten off so much this year, with so much at stake…

This Life, don’t you mean? I am with you and want to see you reach your goals, too, Lindy, but she is right; you need to find a  balance. Trust that you will get what you need to get done even better when you accept some time limitations.

Are you an Elder Leader?

No; a Communicator, you might say.

Thanks for all you contribute; all of you…

Nurturer: So what are you going to do to ease up a bit?

I will do what I can…feel free to nudge me when you see an opportunity for me to relax for a bit or take Sophie for a walk.

Oh just get over yourself! BORing!

Okay?

You are so frigging serious!

What would YOU have me do?

Wake Up!!

[This is just a brief example of how to begin an Archetypal “Open Mike” dialogue. It is helpful to have a journal dedicated to this practice. You can explore any topics; get to know these ‘parts’ of yourself that are always within you and can help you as  Allies to reach for your Dreams! Use whatever names you want for these; in Life Paths I will be introducing a specific ‘pantheon’ of 12 universal archetype figures based on Jung and on the works of a lesser known archetypal psychologist, Dr. Charles Bebeau-LW]

************

I invite your comments, insights and stories.

 

Better Movie Endings–Kong Lives!

May 5, 2014 (Best of Better Endings, Day 9):

We continue the Best of Better Endings today with another look at applying this transformational principle to some movies you love to hate (or hate to love), because of their endings!

But here’s the real point: if you can alter a movie script, you can transform how your own life may be going; see? We can choose our life experience, or at least how we respond to events.  Is your ‘ending’ for a key situation or theme in your life too predictable? Remember then, Let Kong Live!

November 26, 2013

Kong Lives!

I first came to the idea of “Better Endings” after watching the 2005 Peter Jackson movie version of King Kong. Knowing in advance, of course, that the tragic fate of the great ape that was imminent, I left the theater while Kong was still alive, holding his beloved Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) atop the needle of the Empire State building.  The military loomed large on the scene already and I knew all too well what was coming.  I just didn’t have it in me this time around to stay and watch–or to agree to–the fateful fall of Kong, or of the magnificent, gigantic forces of Nature being crushed by the cold machinations of an insensitive, urbane modern world.  So instead, I went home, put pen to paper, and re-scripted the ending of the King Kong story more to my own liking.  In my own “better ending” version of the tale, of course, Kong lives!

Kong’s fateful Fall from the Empire State Building still occurs in my re-visioning, but with the heroine still in one hand, Kong breaks his fall twice on the way down out of sheer willpower, grasping desperately at the side of the building and slowing the descent out of his superhuman love for Ann Darrow and an unwillingness to let her die. So, at the base of the building where Kong has landed with his beloved, he is injured by the impact but he has survived.  Out of still a superhuman primate drive to protect his beloved Ann from the dark forces of urban inhumanity, Kong drags himself away from the building as the military stalls from closing in, expecting Kong could not have survived such a fall so rallying around the opposite side of the building to organize how they will haul away his carcass. Kong limps with the now unconscious Ann still in his hand, instinctively navigating through mostly empty alleyways back to the frozen lake in Central Park where she and he had communed in the film version just before their climb up the Empire State building.

Ann wakes as they reach Central Park and quickly surveys the situation.  She leads Kong deep into a little known, trail-less, woodsy region she knows of in the Park.  They lay low there while Ann uses a powerful, backstage theater-prop style walkie-talkie that for protective reasons Jack Driscoll had slipped into her pocket (remember, it’s 1933).  Ann calls Jack, the screenwriter (still in my version played by Adrien Brody), who is also smitten with her.  Given this new chance to finally win Ann’s heart, Jack arranges to rent a rather large truck with a canvas cover. He waits for the dirigible searchlights to depart from over the Park then he drives to where Ann directs him to in the woods. Kong is nearly spent by his exertions.  He has enough life left in him, though, to drag himself, following Ann, into the cover of the truck bed.

Jack drives while Ann stays in the back of the truck with Kong. They transport Kong off to–you might have guessed it!–a recently constructed Primate Center in New Jersey that hasn’t opened yet to the public.  The sympathetic director of the Center, Jane (of course) takes immediately to Kong and gives him sanctuary.  Vets arrive to minister to his wounds under signed oaths of secrecy.

To make an even longer story short:  The Primate Center receives a large grant and builds an entire Great Apes wing all for Kong, bringing in native flora and some of the least harmful native fauna from Kong’s island to the primate center for Kong’s comfort.  Ann’s acting career soars; she marries Jack and eventually they have two kids that grow up to be ecologically sensitive and primate-friendly; their son Sam becomes a climatologist and their daughter Diane eventually becomes an apprentice to Jane. Ann visits Kong every weekend at the Primate Center.

Jane teaches Kong sign language, for which he has an amazing aptitude due to his special evolutionary adaptation as a Giant Pongid (plus his determination to be able to communicate with Ann)! Kong is able to communicate–with an IQ of around 90–with Ann and with Jane and an enthusiastic team of linguists.  Kong contributes to greater human awareness about his own insights and feelings and he provides humans with a greater understanding of the natural world he grew up in and about the loving, spiritual capacity of our primate cousins.

******   ******

So, what film would you like to write a Better Ending for? Feel free to Comment below and to Submit your own Better Endings  version of any movie!

Also, to receive a Guest Blog post (with your Author’s byline and bio), you can simply send in your answer (of any length) to: “What Do Better Endings Mean to YOU?”

Related articles

• Happy 80th Birthday, Kong! (bryanrutt.blogspot.com)
• King Kong (reelryan.com)
• King Kong asked, if I was crying… (maplesyrupnews.wordpress.com)