Archetypes and Shadow Work
There are some universal themes that link humanity together, across cultural and geographical lines. There’s an intrinsic connection in the consciousness within humanity and they are commonly explored as archetypes. Archetype’s definition is an original method or pattern, but in psychology it’s modeled as “[a]universal, inborn models of people, behaviors, and personalities that play a role in influencing human behavior.” One of the common ways we see this play out is in the stories we tell; the prince saves the princess, the hero’s journey, rags to riches and more. That’s why some stories feel familiar to us, almost formulaic, because there is a model in the background.
Archetypes in the construct of personal growth and inner exploration are a bit more complex. This concept is explored extensively through the work of Carl Jung, an American psychologist, where he identifies 12 unique archetypal figures. This includes the Ruler, Creator/artist, Sage, Innocent, Explorer, Rebel, Hero, Wizard, Jester, Everyman/common person, Lover and Caregiver. Another source that I really enjoy on this topic is Caroline Myss through her book Sacred Contracts. She explores over 70 archetypes in her research and assists the reader with identifying the 12 that fit within the different parts of your life. I have personally explored these archetypes and I find that they resonate more strongly for me while also having a fair amount of overlap with Jung.
Within the context of women and modernity, there are several archetypes and roles that we are asked to either accept, examine or reject. Some of the chief ones include the Madonna and Whore, Maiden and Mother and Crone, Lover and Servant. I have noticed that often these archetypes are restrictive to minute parts of a person’s personality or being. It’s a minimization of the different parts a woman can have; that she can only be a whore or a saintly mother, and this often appears in the way women are portrayed in the media. They are either villanized or idolized about small portions of their accomplishments or personalities. It’s important to confront and examine these different archetypes that we see in the media and reinforced by the people around us. The essence of this type of work is Shadow Work.
Shadow work is another concept that was developed by Carl Jung, which is probably why these two concepts work hand in hand with each other. The formal definition is “a type of psychotherapy that focuses on the parts of the psyche that people often keep hidden.” These parts can be defined by the archetypes and through addressing these shadows, these unclaimed and unaccepted parts of ourselves, can lead to a stronger sense of self. By accepting all parts of us, even the ones that feel uncomfortable, we are putting a light of love onto those wounded pieces of our souls. Taking the Madonna-whore complex for instance: it idolizes the Madonna, the virgin mother of God’s son, and villanizes whores.
What happens when the virginal being has sex?
Are Madonnas only possible when God intervenes?
Is the woman who becomes a mother tainted through the conceiving act that’s mandatory for motherhood?
The archetype doesn’t have the space built into this type of duality; there are no two “rights”, only one and the reality of being a Madonna has only happened once in the known history of humanity. By accepting that these archetypes can influence your shadow and/or sense of shame, to shed the weight of the imperfect box that they hold you in, you can step forward with empowerment and a stronger sense of self.
