The Archetypal Ground
Uncovering Hidden Patterns and Potential
What is the archetypal ground of your experience?
Beyond the personal layer there is an archetypal force that anchors and informs each situation we find ourselves in. We are often caught up in all the components that the archetype has drawn to itself; the emotions, interpretations, behaviors, thoughts, images that orbit the center. In Jung’s words:
“The archetypes are the numinous, structural elements of the psyche and possess a certain autonomy and specific energy which enables them to attract, out of the conscious mind, those contents which are best suited to themselves.” (Symbols of Transformation)
Like the great celestial bodies, they have a force of gravity that shapes reality. We begin to notice their presence by the patterns that surround it. Patterns that are constant; continuously manifesting via the psyche of humanity over space and time. This is the fertile ground by which we draw upon to create mythic stories. Where instincts and images rise from the unconscious and are shaped by narrative and creative expression.
Tapping into the numinous structure of the archetypes can help us contextualize times of suffering or understand the intoxicating attraction of a new love interest. The act paradoxically creates distance from the intensity of our personal experience while rooting us more deeply into ourselves. It serves as a counterpoint to the subjective factor and presents us with the opportunity to find resolution, clarity, insight.
Placing ourselves on the archetypal map is not an invitation to become identified with the archetype:
“The great lure of the archetypal situation is that you yourself suddenly cease to be. You cease to think and are acted upon as though carried by a great river with no end. You are suddenly eternal.”
- C.G. Jung, “Nietzsche’s Zarathustra: Notes of the Seminar Given in 1934–1939, Vol. I”
Rather, we must approach this process like we stand at the altar of an ancient god. Awesome in its power and reach, we can never fully grasp its essence nor gaze upon it with mortal eyes. We are tasked to come into relationship with it. To receive the boons of its guidance while understanding how it seeks to be actualized and honored.
Are we hesitant to heed the call of a Chthonic Deity who requires a descent to the underworld? Are we overwhelmed with desire since being shot by Cupid’s arrow? Are we emboldened with the rage and courage of the Warrior?
How to uncover and work with archetypes
To illustrate this idea, I’ll showcase my own archetypal unfolding, the confrontation with the Great Mother, and the ways I’ve learned to work with this energy. Personal reflections will be italicized, followed by general guidelines.
I. Hone in on a situation
I did not go searching for an archetype. I did not seek to apply these abstract principles to my struggles. I wanted only to attend to the increasing symptoms that plagued me. To find a sense of peace and integration. I had been circling core issues for many years, attempting to peel back the layers. There was a conscious choice; a focusing on particular disturbances that needed my attention. At the same time, something felt like it was choosing me, drawing me in, deeper and deeper.