FACETS OF THE SOUL
FACETS OF THE SOUL
Archetype: The original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are based; a first form; a collectively inherited unconscious pattern, universally present in individual psyches.
Archetypes, the deep patterns within our multi faceted inner selves,open us to the transpersonal world. They connect us to a wider space, an infinite field of possibility, in which we can expand our self identity, becoming more fully who we are.
Every archetype has many forms. It can express itself in a highly developed form that embodies our uniqueness and depth. Or, it can be an immature, undeveloped expression of a facet of our soul that we haven’t attended to, or are acting out of an old idea.
An archetype that has powerful potential is the Lover. The Lover can be an expression of deep compassion and unconditional love. Quan Yin, the goddess of compassion, is an example of its highest form.
The Lover archetype is the basis for our desire to protect and nurture, for intimacy and sensuality, to pro-create- not only to have children, but to bring beauty and creativity, joy and warmth, into the world. The lover holds the pattern for unconditional love, for dissolving boundaries, merging and connecting.
How can there be a window where no wall remains?
Rumi
But, the lover has other expressions as well. It can be expressed as sexual perversion, obsessive need, or possessiveness. In its un-integrated states, it can be the source of compulsive caretaking and dependence.
The warrior archetype can be a great protector of our inner kingdom, or a ruthless bully. It can be the facet of our soul that comes forward with a strong ‘no’ when our boundaries need protection, the defender of right, fierceness in support of goodness and innocence, and a willingness to fight for what we believe in.
The warrior can also be the the cold blooded killer that doesn’t allow the tender parts of us to speak. It can be the mercenary, in service of energies and ideas that don’t serve us. How it shows up in our own inner worlds is dependent upon how we relate to it.
In hypnotherapy, we speak about creating a ‘high quality state’- a deeper state in which we bring the qualities of presence and centeredness, of caring, openness to new possibilities- of a little bit of magic, and the power of transformation. Within the high quality state, we connect with our inner archetypes. Perhaps our own warrior has been wounded in battle, and is tired of defending us without a break, or our inner lover carries the limited expression she learned from childhood.
Within the luminous space that we create in the session, our inner archetypes can begin to heal and to mature. We develop the deep knowing and sensing of these aspects of ourselves, and their potential. The facets of our soul that express the ancient archetypal patterns are polished, becoming our highest individual expression of those qualities, bringing them into our lives and into the world.
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