Shrew U: The Road and The River

Archetypes of the Human Spirit (Story Analysis)

Part Nine

Archetype #3: The Road

“Pay attention to all that is seen and not seen.”

We all travel a unique road in our metaphysical “journey”.  No matter your sex, skin color, religious belief, or up-bringing, the story is only yours.  The start of this journey is new to the Self and offers a glimpse of innocence.  Allowing yourself to know  the concept of innocence in this way can help you to clear away any emotional baggage that you carry from your physical life.  Be curious on this journey.  However, if you stray from the road you will always be off course.  The road leads to your purpose, and everything that comes across the road is a necessary developmental stage.

  • What cultures or religions emphasize a journey of inner personal growth?
  • Are you able to imagine yourself without sin?
  • In your daily life are you as aware of those things that you cannot see or know as you are about those that you can see or know?
  • Do you discover those things that you cannot see or know by using contempt (sinful)? Or, do you discover them with curiosity and humility (moral)?

Archetype #4; The River

“Choices give life definition like a river that has cut its path through time.”

Choices are like a river that is in your way.   This archetype is very important because if you never try to cross it (i.e. Make a choice), your Self will never mature as it should.

The water in a river moves downstream and you cannot know it’s depth unless you go into it.  Crossing to the other side  represents a change to your Self.

  • How do you feel when there is change in your life or when you know you need to change your behavior?
  • River water is perpetually returning waters.  In life there is usually more than one choice.  What do you think about your own choices?

Shrew U: Three Anchient Pillars

Archetypes of the Human Spirit (Story analysis)

Part Eight

Archetype #2; Three Anchient Pillars

“Three anchient pillars remain steadfast and sure as if they contain the wisdom of all generations”

This archetype represents support. As we know, it takes at least three legs to support a stool or a table. Think of the Trinity (the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit) or the great triangular pyramids that symbolize the integration of self and soul. Three represents the physical nature that is heaven, earth and waters as well as The Triad of beginning, middle and end.  All of these are measures of maturity.

Inside this strength formation is light that is reaching toward infinity. This is the great power of your Self which has no limits unless it is burdened by your own judgements as represented by the clouds.  The clouds that cut across the pillars form the shape of a cross or dagger representing bravery.

There is a road leaving and a road returning. This is the metaphysical path of the hero’s journey.  It is not enough to be born into existence, you must be “born again” to self actualization…A Femal Priciple of transformation.

  • What or who is part of your spiritual support system?
  • Where are you in the story of your Self?
  • What limits do you place on your own power of self discovery?
  • Are you brave enough to take this hero journey?

Shrew U: Archetypes for Being

Archetypes of the Human Spirit

Part Seven

“Humans have been literally torturing each other for centuries as they grope toward a chalice of fulfillment.”  The Shrew

How do we teach each other about each other?

Our individual experiences help to shape what we believe to be true about ourselves and about each other.  Consequently, an individual is easily given to influences.  Those persons, or “influencers”, around an individual can be mistaken as the mold for that individual, and when this happens the individual is no longer that unique creature of his or her life and liberty.  Therefore, we each bear the responsibility to seek a greater awareness of our unique purpose also known as our pursuit of happiness.

These are not new concepts.  Humans have been literally torturing each other for centuries as they grope toward a chalice of fulfillment.  In the United States we have the best chance of attaining individual freedom based on actual resources of shared opportunities.  I believe this is where we are today.  It is most interestingly evidenced by the women in our U.S. Culture, and the influence here is what I call the Female Principle (FP).  Those who embody the FP are know as a Shrew.

In my first blog post (The Shrew View, Nov. 3, 2017) I describe the Shrew as having these qualities:

  • Emotional maturity
  • Openness as a condition toward wholeness
  • Fortitude
  • Humility

My story, Archetypes of the Human Spirit, recounts the metaphysical steps toward individual happiness.  It is a forward driven motion of heroic proportion that when actualized on an individual level can reveal the promise of what our “Creator” intended for his or her human creature.  The following analysis provides a deeper understanding of this story for the purpose of finding the happiness we all desire…

Archetype #1; Light and Dark

“Your light of truth will evolve as you leave the storm of darkness”

I depicted this Archetype in two ways:

  1. A vast dark area with a bright spot in the shape of a triangle pointed downward.
  2. A combination of two fetuses with a separation between them.

The fetuses represent the individual in a conflict of duality and with a separation that acts as the “waste” depository for unnecessary emotional baggage.

  • What does conflict mean to you?
  • What is your unnecessary emotional baggage?

The triangle of light represents the exit from the womb of darkness and dependency.

  • Can you think of religions or myths that rely on these Archetypes?  There are many, and this is just the beginning (Genesis!).
  • Can we consider this a Female Principle?

Next, I will reveal the Archetype of the number 3…

The Shrew View: On Good Will

Blogging for Blogging’s Sake

Where have my last two weeks gone!!  I haven’t been blogging.  Instead, I’ve used a lot of energy and creativity to work with other volunteers in my circle of goodwill to bring what we hope to be messages of joy and harmony.

Goodwill is the one and only asset that competition cannot undersell or destroy. – Ludwig Borne

There are so many opportunities to give to others.  I may not have grand sums of money to impart, but I would like to think that my time and effort has just as much value.  Have you ever thought about the value of goodwill?  I’d like to pose a break down of what is typically needed when taking on a campaign of goodwill:

  • Identifying the need…
  • Rallying the team…
  • Generating the task outline…
  • Mobilizing the funds if needed…
  • Delegating the responsibilities…
  • Implementing the effort…
  • Measuring the outcome…
  • Assessing for any needed improvements…
  • Thanking everyone involved!

Cause + Inspiration + Innovation + Benefators + Effort = Goodwill = Value

People take these efforts on all of the time.  If there is  no political aspect or greed attached to the effort then the value is enhanced tremendously because pure  generosity is the goal.

My two weeks off from blogging were time well spent. Until next time, peace out 🙂

I’m Shrewd: On Being Thankful

On Being Thankful…

My minister this past Sunday preached on the topic of “Decolonizing Our Faith” during what is traditionally our service of Thanksgiving.  She took a hard line approach on how the greed of Europeans who came to the Americas for riches eventually lead to the genocide of 98% of the Native American people.  I must admit that I was taken aback by the topic and tried my hardest to open my mind to how it related to Thanksgiving.  I left the sermon thinking that I should feel very guilty about my privilege rather than thankful for the blessings of community and my part in sharing with others the bounty of my hard work.

The dilemma of the current trend to identify white privilege and associate this with the term white supremacy I think keeps the United States focused on a regressive experience of shame.  It also assumes that there has never been progress achieved for healing deep wounds of our struggles around racism.

I love to reminisce about what pre-discovery Native American culture must have been like.  They cared for the earth and honored the changing climate by understanding that all of their possessions were not totally secure.  Mother Nature and Father Spirit could be unpredictable and it was necessary to move from time to time and adapt.  We know that there were boundaries between the tribes.  At times they challenged these boundaries among them, and death and destruction would occur.  This is the unfortunate truth of our human species.  As one native might have rationalized, “If I need to go onto unfamiliar lands to hunt buffalo in order to feed, clothe, and provide shelter for my family, I am going to take a chance and do that for our survival.”  Then, as another native of a different tribe might have rationalized, “Your tribe has killed our most honored buffalo on our ancestors’ sacred lands.  You must pay for your actions with your life!”  And so, the human struggle plays out as it has for generation upon generation on every continent.\

For a moment, let’s leave out how imperialist countries used their wealth and power to colonize American soil.  Let’s instead turn our focus on the Pilgrims.  Freedom to worship God in their own way was their cause for escape from their homeland.  They took a chance and came to unfamiliar territory.  And with an open mind the natives helped the pilgrims through a harsh winter.  The Pilgrims were thankful for the blessings of community and shared with their neighbors the bounty of their hard work….That’s it!  That is the message of Thanksgiving.

Without guilt or shame, a struggle to save lives was met with shared courage and deeper understanding.  This is the Female Principle in action all those many years ago.  Why do we ignore this?