Submitted by Queenie Q on
The caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland asked Alice, the proverbial, universal question, “Who are you”? Alice was quite befuddled and I bet many of us are when asked the very same elemental, yet profound question.
Knock, Knock who is there?
I submit that part and parcel of our spiritual journey is that very quest; traveling the inward journey to discover who we truly are. There are many models to employ in navigating the unknown terrain of our mysterious inner world. What are the forces inside our psyche that gives our power away, assists us in decision making, relates to authority, controls our defense mechanisms or encourages/kills our dreams? Who is it that we dialogue with when our patterns are operative and in full swing? They are entitled Archetypes, energies that are employed to defend our issues/wounds or guardian angels who create alchemy for our highest good.
Archetypes are our friends and allies who our souls fraternize with in our collective and individual unconscious along life’s journey. These essential forces are innate to the experience of humankind and integral to our life’s lessons. Depending upon the contract our soul agreed to, we invite and attract four universal and other primal energies to teach and guide us along the way.
What we do not observe has power over us.
If there is a part of us that is hidden, that we are in denial about, that which is too painful for us to see, does it have control over us? Perhaps, and if so, as workers of the light, is it not our prime responsibility to shine the light with open heartedness and courage on anything that is blocking or veiling us from being and recognizing all that we are? This part of us, the part we are in denial of is called the shadow. It is the part of us that we can see in others, not ourselves. It is the part we project onto those in our path and choose not to see in ourselves.
Would it not be prudent to identify our patterns and illuminate the energies that are functioning within our psyche? Prodding into our psyches and self talk with the objective observer will free us from some of the veils that hinder the recognition of our true state, spirits of love and light. If we do not understand the properties, qualities, resources, benefits or abilities that the new technologies contain, when operating them, we may only use a small percentage of what is available to us. I believe that we may liken this to the 90% of our brain that is dormant, we live life with only 10% of the powers inherent.
Universal Archetypes
Carl Jung, an Austrian psychologist, studied with Freud and went on to create his theory about Archetypes. They are the elemental universal forces that control our passions, desires, feelings, motivations, behaviors, actions, which imprint our personality and contain positive and negative aspects. Each of us possess at least 12 that are individual to our essence and mankind engages with four universal archetypes. They are: the Victim, the Child, the Prostitute, and the Saboteur. All four of the archetypes are paramount in our growth whether we are working negatively or positively with their qualities. They are extremely important as defense mechanisms protecting us from pain until we are developmentally prepared to confront a particular aspect or energy pattern that controls us that we may be in denial of.
The Victim
The Victim cries out about how unfair life is when it deals cards we cannot accept. It sees us as vulnerable and powerless and the only ones that are suffering. Life or someone is the bully and we are defenseless creatures, poor unfortunate souls. The positive aspect of the Victim alarms us to our wounds and weaknesses, our fear of getting hurt or victimized. It urges us to step beyond one of the
natural human feelings to remain paralyzed from fear when being oppressed.
The Child
The Child’s energies seeks to be dependent and taken care of. It is the force that is fundamental in the energy that rules lack of responsibility and accountability, whereby the mature authority figure provides what is needed and gets the work done. The polarity is the insight into what we need to become, like children in our faith, simplicity and purity. The Child may forewarn us if we are moving into a damaging pattern that keeps us unaccountable or needy.
The Prostitute
The Prostitute is the compulsion to sell our soul to stay in the status quo or our comfort zones. It is the energy that keeps us in a relationship, job, career, belief pattern, love interest, spiritual journey that no longer works for us because it is safe and in the harbor, so to speak. When we recognize the prostitute archetype operating it will forewarn us that we are stagnant, in entropy, not facilitating the power and indwelling talent waiting to be unleashed. It will nudge us towards our unique talent and the piece we have to offer to create the world we want to live in.
The Saboteur
Finally, the Saboteur, the ruler that defeats us when we are working towards a dream, creative license, intuition, or belief in ourselves. It is the devil’s advocate that states, “you, who do you think you are”? You are not smart enough, strong enough, do not have enough resources, attractive enough, to do…. You will fail badly… ” When acknowledged and accepted the saboteur will counsel us to beware of our fear of success, our fear of failure, that you may have what you dream, see what you imagine, taste what you desire. The Saboteur educates us that no one wins when we hide our light under a bushel.
Transforming the Personality
Do you wanna’ dance under the moonlight… it is time to take your archetypes by the hand and dance, dance dance. Discern who you are dancing with daily, create an ally, another spiritual guide to assist you in the magical adventure of truly learning who you are and what your life mission is. This exploration will lead you to a clearer more lucid understanding of the energies that you abide with. Once you have stared them in the eye, they will support your transformation and mentor you in completing your contract, sealing your mission and living your dream.
Remember a few of the transfiguring edicts the great teachers and masters gave forth as pathfinders for our ultimate good: “To thine own self be true”, “knowledge is power”, and the answer to “who are you?” may be to pioneer the path to “know thyself”. When we have a deep inner knowing of our Being, we curtail and eventually cease judgment; allowing us to walk the walk of the Christ, only seeing God in all, considering that to judge is to overlook our omnipresent God.
Suzen Fontana
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