Archetypal Psychology means dealing with mythic figures. There is drama and large themes are being dealt with. This can be very energising.
The problem is that we can get caught up in the drama and forget about the mundane.
We can forget that we are vulnerable human beings, just like everyone else.
This is the danger of grandiosity or inflation
(we can literally feel puffed up with the importance of what we are doing).
And it can feel great: until we crash.
Our lives do have profound and mythic dimensions. Denying this is to diminish ourselves. To deny our dependance and vulnerability is also to diminish ourselves, and the importance of or relationships. This is a special temptation for those who are celebrities and who can hire people to look after all the everyday stuff that they don’t want to do. A very good description of how easily this can happen is given in Michael J Fox’s autobiography. Most of us, being poorer, don’t have to fight this temptation.
What can we do to avoid this danger?
- Make sure you look after your everyday needs. Doing the washing up, eating healthily, exercising.
- If you have a spiritual tradition use some of the disciplines in it (prayer, meditation, gatherings).
- Focus on how the archetype is useful to you in your life.
- Assess the strengths and weakness of the archetype you are currently dealing with. What other archetypes do you need in your life?
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Thanks for the comment.
Good advice I think. Although you can learn from the ideas as well as the practices I think.