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The ORPHAN: symbol of eros, pathos, and hope
The archetype of the orphan, closely related to the hero, evokes powerful feelings of abandonment, deprivation, and hope. From Harry Potter to Little Orphan Annie from Daenerys Targaryen to Cinderella, orphans who triumph over adversity inspire us.
PASSING THE TEST: embracing the refiner’s fire
Tests are a fundamental part of the human experience, marking our rites of passage and shaping our journey toward personal growth and transformation. The word test originally referred to an earthenware vessel in which metals were smelted to separate ore from dross. Like ancient vessels holding the heat of the refining fire, our task is to contain the tension of the test. Tests smelt fantasy from the ore of reality and force us to adapt.
AWAKE TO THE WORLD: Jung’s Ethical Stance
Despite volumes written on morality and ethics, how do we determine what’s right? Values distilled over time by family, faith, and nation define and denounce wrong, but the effort to banish shadow only allows it to emerge as projection onto others.
IRRESISTIBLE INVITATIONS: the powerful seduction of possibilities
When you receive an invitation, it is a moment of recognition, an invitation to be a part of something greater, to feel wanted, valued, and accepted. In the hierarchy of human needs, the desire to belong takes a top priority, surpassed only by our basic requirements for survival.
APHRODITE’S SHADOW: Drowning in Beauty
When the goddess Aphrodite claims us too fully, over time, our bodies become abandoned temples of physical perfection, sexual allure, and romantic passion. Her seductive archetypal power has captivated us for eons, but in today’s world, the enhancements of fashion, beauty, and physical appearance have intensified veneration of this goddess. However, her enchantments can have profound consequences, particularly when it comes to aging and the pressures of perfection.
Sacred Marriage: A Fusion of Instinct, Spirit, and Grit
The purpose of marriage is a journey of individuation, a chance for each partner to grow and flourish within the embrace of a supportive union – it is a crucible of transformation. Tempered by our shadow, it can forge us into our best selves.
THE SCHIZOPHRENIA COMPLEX: How Do We Love Those in Chaos?
The submergence in the unconscious that defines schizophrenia generates negative emotions in others. Yet when we look at Jung on psychosis, he shows us that we are different from those diagnosed with it only in degree. Jung’s Word Association Test proved that the unconscious influences our daily lives, and his work with psychotic patients led to his discovery of the collective unconscious, the mythopoetic substrate of humanity.
BIPOLAR DISORDER: A Jungian Perspective
Imprisoned by the sea with his son Icarus, mythological craftsman Daedalus constructed wings to escape. Beeswax held feathers in place, so Daedalus told Icarus not to fly too high or too low: the sun’s heat would melt the wax and sea spray would weigh the wings down. Elated, Icarus flew too high–and fell. Like Icarus, the moods of people with bipolar disorder swing from soaring into mania to sinking into depression.
