CIOP

Archetypes are patterns of thought and behavior that manifest themselves repeatedly in a person and shape their actions and attitudes.  Philosophers started talking about archetypes as far back as Plato in the fourth century B.C.E., and the concept was advanced by psychiatrist Carl Jung, around 1919.  According to Jungian psychology, archetypes are expressed in human behavior and are shaped by individual and cultural experiences.

  

Medical intuitive and author Carolyn Myss describes archetypes as  ”the psychic lenses through which we view ourselves and the world around us.”  She says your archetypes influence your spending habits and the quality of your relationships, what work you choose to do, how your spend your time.  Some examples of archetypes are the Judge, the Caregiver, the Innocent Child, the Rescuer, the Victim, the Starving Artist. Many archetypes show up in fairy tales and myths – the Wounded Child, the Wicked Stepmother, the Hero, the Rebel, the Prince who rescues the Princess, the King and Queen.

 

Sometimes archetypal patterns are helpful to us. But sometimes our archetypes get in our own way.  You might have noticed that you do something that is not in your best interest over and over; your intellect tells you that you shouldn’t, yet you feel compelled to behave in this way.   According to Myss, examples of such recurring issues are arguments you repeat with someone, difficulties at work, and addictive behaviors, and she says there is an archetype that is driving these. 

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What will you learn in this workshop?

·  What are the 5 universal archetypes and how do they manifest themselves?

·  How can we learn to identify our other archetypes?

·  How can knowing about archetypes help us in life?

 

Participants will be invited to discuss and write about these concepts, but of course, one hour isn’t enough to explore these ideas thoroughly.  There will be some optional “homework” (thinking and/or writing about your own archetypal patterns over the following weeks) and a follow-up workshop will be scheduled on Tuesday@2 in which to talk about what you discovered and still want to explore.