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Jungian Archetypes: The Characters in Our Dreams
Who are these Characters who come to us in our dreams? What are their potent messages that, if we ignore them, can lead to Spiritual emptiness and insanity? How can we understand them?
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"Archetypes were, and still are, living psychic forces that demand to be taken seriously, and they have a strange way of making sure of their effect. Always they were the bringers of protection and salvation, and their violation has as its consequence the 'perils of the soul,' known to us from the psychology of primitives. Moreover, they are the unfailing causes of neurotic and even psychotic disorder..." Carl Jung, PSYCHE AND SYMBOL
From the beginning of his study of Dream Interpretation, Jung was aware of "potent primordial images" and "dominants of the collective unconscious." Jung quickly recognized Mythical themes and symbols rooted in the common history of Humankind that were appearing in everybody's dreams. These themes, these motifs, these Characters weren't coming from the personal experiences or memories of his dreamers, but were coming from a deeper, ancient source in the human unconscious.
Jung found the same characters, or Archetypes, in every person, every culture he studied. He concluded that to deny the power and message of each of these Archetypes could lead to an empty, meaningless, unspiritual life: exactly the state many find themselves living in this modern techno-driven society. The Africans called the state a "loss of Soul." Neurosis and Psychosis then, was the result of not understanding the Archetypal Characters who come to us in our dreams.
Who are they, then -- these Archetypes, these Characters who come to us in our dreams? What are their potent messages that, if we ignore or do not understand, can lead to Spiritual emptiness and insanity?
Jung described Five Major Archetypal Characters:
THE SHADOW The Shadow is literally our "dark side" or "other side." Jung called it "the thing a person has no wish to be. Unfortunately there can be no doubt that Man is, on the whole, less good than he wants or imagines himself to be."
At the same time, everything must cast a shadow if it is truly three-dimensional: psychically whole. Our Shadow Character is that part of us that we may deny but remains attached to us, just like our daytime shadow. The Shadow Character is the primitive, instinctual part of us. The more we attempt to deny its existence, the greater the chance that it could "burst forth suddenly in a moment of unawareness."
Like Shakespeare's Caliban or Dr Frankenstein's Monster, it exists and must be understood or it will rage out of control. Confronting your Shadow takes an act of courage. It means taking a mercilessly critical look at your own behavior. Projecting the Shadow onto others ("He/She is to blame, not me!") is self-destructive. The Shadow must be faced. But when it is faced, we not only learn more about ourselves, but become more complete. More at peace with one's own self and the world.
THE TRICKSTER Sometimes confused with the Shadow, the Trickster is both dangerous and fun. The Trickster is the child within us. Jung said, "Trickster is a figure whose physical appetites dominate his behavior; he has the mentality of an infant..." Although, like a child, the Trickster can be cruel, self-centered, mocking, even unfeeling -- it can also be a laughing, fun-seeking and emotionally vulnerable figure. Charlie Chaplin's Tramp is one of our great Cultural Tricksters. Native American folklore is full of Trickster stories. Unless we have deliberately taken all the fun out of our lives -- the Tricksters message in our dreams is usually just a gentle reminder to "Lighten up!"
THE PERSONA The Persona is the Character we have made of our own Self to present to the world. The Persona is what we wear, the job we do, the personal mask we wear, what we want others to think of us. Jung said: "The Persona is a compromise between individual and society as to what a man should appear to be."
Since we must survive in the real world, we all must assume a Persona to some degree. It's only when we assume the outward Persona too much that the Shadow or Trickster can appear in our dreams to remind us that we are MORE!
THE ANIMA/ ANIMUS Just as we have an Outward Image: the Persona, we also have an Inward Image: Soul Image, represented by the Anima/ Animus.
We have within us the whole potential of the Human, including masculine and feminine. The ANIMA is the Feminine Principle: emotional, mysterious, inward, a character of feelings. The ANIMUS is the Masculine Principle: logical, outward, exploratory, moral, a character of steadfastness. If ignored, these can be the characters of temptation, seduction, treachery and betrayal. If understood, these are the lovers, the friends, the partners, the Soul Guides.
To fully understand these characters often takes serious dream interpretation.
THE WISE OLD ONE The Wise Old One brings messages that will truly guide you. Jung called the Character a "mana" personality, a primal source of vitality and personal growth. In dreams, this archetype can appear as a Wise Old Man -- a Magician or Spiritual Guide (an Indian guru), a spirit of Nature, a King, doctor and so on. Or as a Wise Old Woman -- a priestess, Earth Mother, Queen, teacher, and so on.
The Wise Old One is usually the same sex as the dreamer. But not always. The most important thing is to listen to and understand the Message the Old One brings!
Jungian archetypes, then, draw on all the potentialities of the human psyche -- "a vast store of ancestral knowledge about the profound relations between God, man and the cosmos. To open up this store in one's own psyche, to awaken it to new life and integrate it with consciousness, means nothing less than to save the individual from his isolation and gather him into the eternal cosmic process."
To live a full, happy Spiritual life, we must understand the archetypal Characters who appear in our dreams. And we need to know their messages. That is why we cannot stress enough that Dream Interpretation is truly your personal Key to the New Spirituality!
Written by YOUR DREAM TEAM
www.yourdreamteam.0catch.com
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