Have you ever met someone by following the flow of synchronicity and suddenly ‘just knew’ that you would know them for the rest of your life? This is exactly what happened to me when natural magic led me to Lorna Howarth, my lifetime(s) friend and co-author of our new book baby, The Soulistic Journey.
This week we have been treated to many inspiring and innovating sessions as we have moved through World Unity Week. From waves of indigenous-led blessings over the solstice weekend, through song, movement and dance and archetypal patterning, we have truly entered into the realm of the imaginal.
One of the sessions that resonated most strongly with me, was the one held by Richard Olivier from Mythodrama on accessing archetypal wisdom. Having worked with archetypes as energetic patterns of identity and narrative for many years, I love Richard’s work (with his co-creator Lawrence Hillman) in bringing to life the planetary archetypes of our solar system in their evolving forms.
Much of my work involves meta-stories; deep and ancient narratives with characters that evolve and shape-shift over time.
One of the themes I have been working with personally and professionally in recent weeks has been that of the emerging feminine warrior. Often perceived through archetypes like Strength in the Tarot, Inanna/Ishtar the Sumerian Goddess of Love and Justice or Athena, the Greek Goddess of Wisdom and War, the emerging feminine warrior is taking back her power on our planet.
“Fear not
What is not real never was and never will be.
What is real always was and cannot be destroyed”
Bhagavad Gita
This is the way that one of our oldest and most powerful human archetypes is described in an ancient Hindu text. A character that is born free, lives free and dies willingly knowing that this ultimate life initiation only leads to greater freedom.
We are all taught from an early age to play certain roles in life. Some are unique to our family, culture or religion and some are more collective such as mother, father, leader or rescuer.
As our stories evolve, so do the characters (and roles) that form them. Throughout recorded history certain core human archetypes have danced through our collective imaginations. All we must do is look to a myth-making system like Hollywood or indeed the Tarot to see how our understanding of the archetypal nature of life has changed and continues to do so. Archetypes like the Hero, Guru and Fool are still present and yet have evolved into new forms. The core archetypes we are seeing in the world right now are trans-gender, trans-culture, and trans-dogma. They are archetypes that appeal to our transforming human mythology and unite rather than separate us.