Archetypal Alchemy

Carl Jung’s recognition of the value of encountering unconscious archetypical aspects of Self through active imagination leads to his understanding that this is a process leading to the “integration” of archetypal energies within the overall, individual identity of one’s Self. James Hillman further recognized that there is value in experiencing the dynamic vitality of usually submerged unconscious archetypal persona aspects, not necessarily to ‘raise them to conscious’ habitation but to explore the dynamics of their own field of influence within the Depth levels of Self.

Each archetypical mode or energy complex within our overall human consciousness formation has Its own nature and can be a staunch Ally in Its most positive (Strength, to me) mode— or an impediment if repressed or in Shadow. To me, as with Jung, Hillman, and Jean Houston, the forming of an Archetype Council— what I like to call your Ensemble Cast of Mystic Archetype Characters— is an important process that facilitates the integration and mobilization of your dynamic archetypal energies in the most positive way. I think in terms of Archetype Pairings and Archetype Constellations within your Total Self System.

Allying with your Warrior nature can be a good opportunity to forge an Archetypal Constellation in working toward a specific life goal or addressing a situation in your life that seems to call for your Warrior— at least in one aspect— to step forward. By Itself in full force, Warrior can lead the charge, when needed, to bring about a major shift in a situation. But Warrior also combines well with any of the other 11 universal archetypes (and/or their sub-modal, individualized forms), especially when you desire to establish a more tempered, balanced approach to a situation.

Combining archetypal modes or ‘guises’ normally happens unconsciously, but as an “alchemical” practice, the individual can choose consciously to enlist and combine specific archetypal elements in order to facilitate a specific objective. By the way, if this is not done, and as Joseph Campbell has reminded us, in some situations you might feel ‘dissociated’ or ‘split’: one part of you thinking or acting in one manner, another feeling or speaking from a very different ‘location’ within your Self. This is represented by the classic “angel on one shoulder, devil on the other” motif.

One technique I offer to you for forging an archetypal Constellation to explore how best to approach a specific goal or deal with a difficult situation, is what I’ll call the Roundtable Room technique (based on the symbol of King Arthur’s Roundtable):

1. FRAME a question or a situation;
2. State your goal in relation to this situation or decision;
3. On the picture below, circle those persona archetype characters you feel might be helpful to enlist to help you realize your goal or arrive at your decision:

 

4. Enter into an Active Imagination (imaginative contemplation) session and Descend to the Roundtable Room where these selected Archetype characters have been assembled. Now invite each of these Archetypical personas to offer how they can help your overall Self with the situation or decision. Have an open conversation with these parts of your Self, seeking their input and asking to draw upon each of their Strengths in a team-based, collaborative manner.

5. Emerge from your Active Imagination contemplation and write down all that transpired (you can also journal this conversation as it occurs if that works better for you).

Below are some spaces where you may print this post and  record which archetype modes you have invited to help you work with the situation you have focused on with your active imagination.

 

SITUATION:

Ensemble Cast Allies/Strengths to Draw Upon:

Warrior  /  (e.g. resolve)

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

 

So, choose a situation for which your inner Warrior would be one ‘part’ of your Self that it feels appropriate for you to recruit in the Roundtable Room. What does your Warrior want for you and of you in the situation? How can he/she help you to deal with the situation and achieve your goal? What other parts of your Self have something to add to this? What Strengths can these Archetype Allies each contribute to help you implement this plan and manifest your goal?

images from pixabay.com

I welcome your comments and stories!

 

How to Calm the Shadow Warrior

All persona archetype energies or unconscious character forms may express in either what I would call Strength (positive attributes) or Shadow (negative attributes) modalities. A jilted romantic partner might dwell for a time (sometimes a long time!) in a Shadow Lover domain of unconscious feelings or beliefs, or the Shadow Idealist might express itself strongly when one’s ambitions feel shattered. The Shadow Warrior is a ‘side’ of a person that might become enraged at not accomplishing a desired goal or might become incorrigibly stubborn to the point of obstinacy, refusing any offer of aid as a symbolic gesture of defiance.

       

The next and final March-Warrior post which I will publish next Tuesday will explore the notion of Alchemical Pairings and Constellations of Archetypes in the pursuit of attaining a greater INTEGRATION of archetypal influences within one’s Total Self System. Integration, which can be thought of as forming a Council of Archetype Allies (Jean Houston also looks at this aspect), can bring about a much more balanced approach to everyday life events and to situationally important moments than relying primarily on one or another archetypal identity ‘shard,’ especially if that locked-in aspect of self presents in a Shadow mode.

images from pixabay.com

When you feel “caught” in a personality mode that you know is  “not fully who you are” or that “comes out” only in certain situations such as an argument with your spouse or family members, this is a good sign that you may be  allowing one archetypal sub-identity to govern that situation, for good or for ill.

So stay tuned! But meanwhile, if you feel a particular force of stubbornness or obstinate defiance running through you, you might look at the chart above and consider (or journal a dialogue with) what any other of these Twelve Primordial Archetype modes—as cast members of your own archetypal Assembly—might say to you at this time. What might your Nourisher offer to help dislodge you from an overly aggressive stance? What valuable advice might your Descender (familiar with dark spaces) or your Mystic (able to find meaning and lessons in any life situation) offer to you at this time?

I welcome your insights and stories!

(And thanks to Kery who offered a good interpretation of my Jaguar dream: the bike wheel spinning clockwise indicates forward motion, and the Jaguar (as Anima) suggests the importance of bringing my Feminine Energy along on this transition.)

Jaguar Dream

 

Sunday morning I had an interesting dream that I feel relates to the Warrior archetype concept that we are focusing on this month. In my dream I am preparing to take a big journey, to embark upon a transition/ turning point or a move. I have a pet Jaguar, young, all black (sleek, beautiful!), that I load into a large pet carrier in the rear of my car to bring with me on the journey.  There is a bicycle in the pet carrier, too, with a rear wheel that spins while I drive, so the Jaguar does not have a lot of free space in there. That’s mainly the dream, except that throughout the night I woke several times realizing I had made part of the dream journey, then went back, and gradually as I was waking I thought I wasn’t tending to the needs of my Jaguar in the rear of the car. In the dreaming itself this did not seem to be an issue, but it was to my waking awareness.

It feels to me that the Jaguar is my Warrior Archetype Ally, in the form of an animus/anima figure. (In my archetypal ensemble cast, I tend to have both masculine and feminine ‘anima’ images; maybe because I am rather androgynous myself.)

(Combine these to see more like my ‘real’ road companion, my pet Shorkie, Sophie)

The spinning bicycle wheel (while I am in motion, driving through the ‘move’) that occupies the same space frame as the Jaguar is a compelling dream image. I guess that may be my Mind, spinning rapidly as I negotiate my way through this upcoming big transition.  But my Warrior-Jaguar instinct or intuition is also important for me to rely upon, and to properly care for and attend to.  I need the Strength of my Warrior-Jaguar Ally to help me negotiate when I reach my interim destination. (This may be the book deal I anticipate or a choice I may confront about that since the proposal began circulating yesterday.)

 

It is interesting to be writing this blog during this time as well; sharing about the unfolding process and how archetypal psychology influences my own journey.

Have you had a dream image that may represent your own WARRIOR Archetype Ally? What form does it take? What message does it have for you regarding your life situations?

images from pixabay.com

I invite and welcome any story you may wish to share about YOUR Warrior Ally.

A Victory Cry

Last time I invited you to compose a Fight Call as a positive affirmation from your internal Warrior  Ally. The other side of the Fight Call or War Song is the VICTORY CRY. And because my own Fight Call (“Remember to Surrender / Always Give UP!”) seems to have worked fortunately for me this past week, I am ready to declare a Victory Cry:

Yes, Gratitude is my Victory Cry; after long patience and persistence, finally my book project (proposal) will begin to be circulated this coming week. I am deeply grateful to my agent for this, and to Spirit for bringing this about. It is a significant step in a long process of unfolding, so I am grateful for the unfolding of PROCESS for its own sake.

What is YOUR Victory Cry? You may print this out and write in the space below:

_____________________________________________________________

Here are some more examples:

Ah-iyaiya-iyaiYA! (Tarzan’s call)

We did it! Yay!

Onward!

images from pixabay.com

Your Fight Cheer

This message came through for me last night from my own Warrior archetype Ally: Compose a Fight Cheer to help you as a positive affirmation of determination and persistence to achieve a valued goal.

Here are some fight cheers I found online (Cheers and Chants):

Let me hear you yell GO! -GO!- (pause) Let me hear you yell FIGHT! -FIGHT!-(pause) Let me hear you yell WIN! -WIN!- (pause) Let me hear you yell GO FIGHT WIN!!!! -GO FIGHT WIN!!!!-

All the fans in the stands, yell GO! -GO!-, All the fans in the stands, yell FIGHT! -FIGHT!-, All the fans in the stands, yell WIN! -WIN!- All the fans in the stands, yell GO FIGHT WIN! -GO FIGHTWIN!!!!-

The Power, the might, can you believe the hype. Let’s go Tigers let’s fight, the Tigers will rock you tonight, yeah!

We are the Bears and we can’t be beat. We’re gonna knock you you right off your feet.

We can, we can, know we can, we can, we can we must, we can, we can!

Control is the key, to take that victory!

My own Warrior chant is actually a bit at odds with the norm. What came through from my own Warrior is:

Remember to Surrender;

Always Give UP!

How is this a Warrior cry, you might well ask? It reminds me to RELEASE my goal “upwards,” to Spirit, then trust and be patient, attentive to the Way it opens; then to ACT in keeping with the path revealed.

What is YOUR Fight Cheer, your Battle Cry, your Affirmation for Success? Write out one that you repeat many times, or several. Place it somewhere you will see it through the day or where you most need to be reminded of your Goal. Do a cheerleader’s routine with your Cheer, if you like!

Go, Go, You CAN and Will Succeed!

Reach Your Target, Achieve your Highest Dream!

images from pixabay.com

What Do You Stand For?

When does your Warrior archetype show up for you in your life?  Is this a primary archetype for you, or situational? Remembering that all persona archetype characters have potentially both positive (Strength) and “negative” (Shadow) modes–and masculine and/or feminine forms, too–could you look back over your Life Story to trace times or situations when you have relied on the Warrior to help you move forward, or perhaps also when your Warrior nature may have embroiled you or held you back?

Let’s focus of the Strengrth mode of the Warrior. This is a facet of your Self that will step forward and stand up for a worthy cause that is dear to your Heart.

So, what do you STAND FOR with your Warrior spirit? What is worth claiming, worth defending or striving for?  I invite your Warrior nature to step forward and communicate. What do you stand for, Warrior?

I welcome the reader to go within by active imagination, and/or to journal from your Warrior’s perspective. As a sample, I feel my Warrior ready to declare some of what I stand for and have stood up for in my life.

I STAND FOR:

We (Self & Warrior) have always stood up in this lifetime for FREEDOM: Freedom of thought, choice, and action. For a long time as an adult this has meant standing up for “diversity,” defined in terms of minorities or underrepresented peoples. We pursued this with our degree in Anthropology–specializing in Native American studies, global gender studies, and the inviolability of indigenous peoples’ rights, cultures, choices, languages. More recently, however, this CAUSE has shifted its focus. Now, we stand up to proclaim:

“ALL LIVES MATTER!”

free images from pixabay.com

Spirit and Soul matter, along with all positive, freedom-granting, life affirming beliefs and spiritual practices.

“All lives matter,” as a new banner credo for my integrated Self, comes from a recent Mystic realization that: “All are cut from the same cloth.” This brings unconditional love.

I/we still care about diversity; variation is the palette of Divine love and reflects or may be a measure of the health and well being of the Cosmos Itself. But the divisions people devise to divide are, ultmately, illusory. Experience differentiates by community or culture, class, subculture, ethnicity, race, or religion; whatever. But underlying all that beautiful spectrum of diversity:

ALL ARE CUT FROM THE SAME CLOTH.

I oppose, then, only divisiveness or threats to the full expression of life affirming freedom.

What do You Stand For, Now?

I Will Fight No More Forever

One of the great Warriors of all times was Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce. Here is what Historyplace.com (http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/joseph.htm) documents about Chief Joseph:

Chief Joseph

Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce (1840?-1904) was known to his people as “Thunder Traveling to the Loftier Mountain Heights.” He led his people in an attempt to resist the takeover of their lands in the Oregon Territory by white settlers. In 1877, the Nez Perce were ordered to move to a reservation in Idaho. Chief Joseph agreed at first. But after members of his tribe killed a group of settlers, he tried to flee to Canada with his followers, traveling over 1500 miles through Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. Along the way they fought several battles with the pursuing U.S. Army. Chief Joseph spoke these words when they finally surrendered on October 5th, 1877:

Tell General Howard I know his heart. What he told me before, I have it in my heart. I am tired of fighting. Our Chiefs are killed; Looking Glass is dead, Ta Hool Hool Shute is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led on the young men is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets; the little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are – perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children, and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my Chiefs! I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever.

 

******   ******

A WARRIOR fights for his/her people, to preserve life and liberty or to restore wellness and a positive direction into a brighter future for those the Warrior serves. Chief Joseph, in seeking “to fight no more forever,” makes this statement bravely, declaring that once the battles of warfare have ended, there is yet a battle of peace and prosperity to be won.

There is a time for the WARRIOR to fight and there is a time to put down arms to ensure greater survival for that which remains after the ashes of warfare have subsided.

It takes great Wisdom to know what the Moment requires and to act accordingly; to surrender to the Great Spirit the passions of war; to, like Iroquois Native Americans, Bury the Hatchet under the Tree of Peace.

images are from pixabay.com

Enter the Month of the Warrior

April is associated with the Archetype of the WARRIOR. Like all archetypes, the Warrior has many sides, many facets, Strengths, and Shadow forms, masculine and feminine.

For myself, today, my Warrior is in hiding with my Descender due to some trust issues. So the most I can evoke to at least begin the Month of the Warrior is this cryptic poem from Yeats. Given the current state of political pundits and wannabe presidential candidates pontificating in sometimes demogogical fury, I find these are not true Warriors, not authentic leaders (at least on the Republican side right now in America). So, back to Yeats for today:

On Being Asked For a War Poem

(William Butler Yeats)

I think it better that in times like these

A poet’s mouth be silent, for in truth

We have no gift to set a statesman right;

He has had enough of meddling who can please

A young girl in the indolence of her youth,

Or an old man upon a winter’s night.