Archetypes
By
Jimmy Henderson (MA psychology, FRC)
Archetypes can be described as an accumulation of drives, unfulfilled
dreams and desires, suppressed wishes and even aspects of our personalities
that need improvement. They are found deep in the subconscious areas of our
minds and often appear to us during dreams, meditation or advanced imagery as
human or partially human figures due to our mind’s ability to transform energy
patterns into recognisable forms using our symbolic processes. In fact, many of
the first figures appearing to us during meditation and visualisation will be
our own archetypes.
They have an energy basis and an elemental consciousness (derived from
our own consciousness) and any area of our lives in which there are unfulfilled
desires and feelings can form an archetype and tie up much of our energy. For
instance, suppressed feelings of love could give rise to the archetype of ‘the
lover’, those parts of us that still require nurturing may gather as our ‘inner
child’ and unfortunately, aspirations that have been frustrated and distorted
during our lives could accumulate into in a more negative form as a
down-and-out ‘victim’ of circumstance.
In order to clear the way for higher consciousness, unwanted archetypes
can be balanced or freed using meditation and advanced processes of imagery and
their blocked energy released. However, this requires us to work directly with
them and this can sometimes be disturbing, as some can appear unpleasant. We
will therefore need to put aside our doubts and fears and proceed with total
confidence and need to remember that they are only repressed or hidden parts of
our own personalities.
The process
If you wish to proceed with clearing and balancing archetypal energy,
begin with a meditation to relax and clear your mind. Set an intention to enter
your subconscious and meet with your unresolved archetypes.
Close your eyes, engage spontaneous imagery and see yourself descending
a flight of stairs and opening a door to an underground chamber (use the
first–person visualisation perspective if at all possible. In other words, see
the room and the floors though imagined eyes and yourself not as a
separate figure). As you pass though the doorway, allow the scene to unfold if
its own accord. Notice how the archetypes present themselves in the form of
strange humanlike figures. Allow them to challenge you on at a time about the
unresolved issues that have brought them into being. This means facing and
communicating with each of these apparitions in turn, trying to reach a
resolution by explaining your past actions and motives, accepting any message
or lesson they bring, asking forgiveness and recommitting to a new course of
action. This could take more than one session.
They will appear to you in a symbolic form which reveals the
characteristics of their energy. In other words, a neglected inner child may
appear to you in the form of a dirty, impoverished, abused child. It is easy to
distinguish an archetype from a guide or other spiritual being, as they will
always admit to ‘being part of you’. Once you have resolved each matter
satisfactorily, the figure will smile and retreat or fade into the distance. In
some cases you may feel the need to actually embrace the archetype (such as picking
up your ‘inner child’).
Thank them all for their willingness to share with you and conclude your
visualisation by taking back
control of the scene. See yourself moving out of the chamber and back up the
stairs towards the light. Try to end at the point where you started. Return to
your body consciousness by slowly moving your fingers and hands and opening
your eyes.
Jimmy
Henderson is a metaphysical teacher and the author of a number of books and
articles on inner self-development. He has an Honours degree in philosophy
(metaphysics) and a Masters degree in Psychology and is busy with his PHD. He is also a Metavarsity
facilitator and based in Durban ,
South Africa
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