What is an archetype and why should I care?
Have you ever read a book or seen a movie that took you to a dream world you wish you never had to leave? Have you ever felt like the world you live in seems a bit mundane? Today, I have some good news for you and some insights for putting the extra into your ordinary (that’s extraordinary, not more of the ordinary).
So, the good news is that there is magic all around and waiting to be invited into your life, it just takes some different lenses to unlock the muggle facade and let the extraordinary shine through. Myths and archetypes, the tales of heroes and villains, wars and epic adventures aren’t just entertaining stories, they are cross-cultural reminders of the mystical origins of humanity, and when they are understood, they hold deep and very real keys for living a life beyond your wildest dreams. A life filled with real magic, wonder and beauty.
Check out this week’s inspiration for the scoop.
Yes, it is true. You can’t relax in the easily accepted, seldom criticized, safe world of “normal” if you want the magic to flow in. The magic is magic because it is from the Unkown. It is magic because it is beyond the comprehension of the left brain. It can feel chaotic and unpredictable. In a sense, if these elements aren’t at least a part of its qualities, it isn’t really magical. And since chaos and unpredictability don’t allow us to be in control (though we aren’t really in control of anything anyway), it is scary.
So, many of us end up pretending that the magic is just pretend. Just make-believe, so we can go about our ordinary existence without the lingering hunger for that greater adventure, sparkle and wonder. Over time, we forget, altogether, that there is anything but that 9-5 grind, the daily routine (which you can’t spell without r-u-t), and the insurance of an average, predictable and uneventful life. When it does show up in our lives, as my teacher, Martin Prechtel has said in many ways “we are likely to call the police,” rather than invite it in for tea or let it unlock the chains that we’ve allowed to bind us in to our safe and comfortable lives.
The archetypes and myths that have been passed down from all of our ancestors are here to remind us that we are the Divine in physical form. And while it is full of the limitations inherent in being bound to the material world, it is still full of limitless possibilities and miracles. The archetypes are examples and inspirations of what we are capable of.
I invite you to discover YOUR ancestral mythologies and let them awaken the dreams and seeds of magic that have, for generations, been passed down, waiting for the right time to sprout. There’s no better time than now. AND SHARE your experiences of the mythic, the epic, the archetypal here in the comments section.
AND, if you are interested in exploring the Divine Feminine archetypes (not just for women!), you are warmly invited to join me in my explorations of the living wisdom that is explored each month in my Living Wisdom School. We’ll be starting again in January 2014. See the links below for more details on your opportunities for learning more about what these archetypes and mythologies can awaken for you!
Oh, and I will be doing a 1 hour radio show on archetypes and mythology on November 22nd, 2-3PST on Human Spirit Radio. It’s the beginning of my new series on the Conscious Evolution of the Divine Feminine Archetypes. Catch me live, or tune in on the archives.