Caroline Myss on the Grand Archetypal Themes

We're sorry, the feature you were looking for is no longer available on Beliefnet. Archetypes have been around since at least the time of Plato. They've been described as forces of the collective unconscious that give tone and feeling to the individual unconscious. By definition, archetypes change and evolve constantly; they provide the foundation for our personality, our drives, feelings, beliefs, motivations, and actions. They can be situations (patterns) or figures (human beings). Each of us experiences a full range of expressions of our archetypes, varying in response to the situation. An archetype can be thought of as a guide/experience in relation to very specific aspects of a given situation. Certain situations are universal, meaning that they are, in some way, experienced by all of us. Each of these "Grand Themes" has limitless variations: Career/Work Power Death Sickness Family Relationships Sexuality/Creativity Victimization Finances Abandonment Justice (human vs. divine) The Twelve Major Archetypal Influences Twelve categories--corresponding with the twelve houses of the astrological wheel--contain every aspect of human life: 1. Personality--the persona we present to the outside world 2. Physical values--ownership/finances 3. Communication of will/choice 4. Home 5. Erotic energies, including creativity, sexuality, and synchronicity/chance 6. Work and health 7. One-to-one relationships such as marriage or partnerships 8. Legal systems and legal matters, including stocks and inheritance; death and/or closure 9. Spirituality, wisdom, publishing, travel 10. The highest potential of the individual 11. Interaction with the outside world 12. The collective unconscious Archetypal patterns filter through these categories and our "Grand Themes," directing the maturity of our spiritual development. Ultimately, every archetype is merely an individual expression of one universal energy pattern, which is our connection to the Divine. Exploring Your Archetypes Although certain archetypal energies may dominate your life at any point, there are 12 major archetypal energetic patterns, or clusters, which will be present to some degree at all times. Spending time carefully sensing, feeling, and relating to your archetypal energetic patterns can provide you with insight and understanding into how archetypes influence every situation in your life. The easiest way to begin this exploration is to examine your relationship to the four basic archetypes that we all carry: Child Victim Saboteur Prostitute In early life, each of us has experiences that bring out the four primary archetypes, both with positive and shadow potential.--> -->