Archetypes - What are they?
Hello all,
Namaste! Last week we discussed how we can get some valuable lessons from the way Sri Krishna lived his life. We discussed how many times we keep him on high pedestal and are never able to reach his level. We also dissected how we may be able to lead our life modeling on how such historical personalities led their life. Today how about we analyze a very different aspect of these historical personalities and see what we can learn more from them ?
As we know Sri Krishna in Hinduism, Jesus in Christianity and Buddha in Buddhism are known worldwide and people pray and pay respects to them and try to live their life according to the principles given by them. Are they just charismatic personalities who lived an authentic life accessing their 'Swaroopa' (authentic self) or is there more to them? Here I want to introduce the concept of 'Archetypes'. What are Archetypes?
Before that, I have to introduce another personality who proposed the concept of ' Archetypes'. Carl Gustav Jung ( pronounced as Carl Yung) was a Swiss psychiatrist (1875-1961) who was an expert in the study of symbols and myths. He proposed that the mythology and the symbols associated with the historical stories we tell ourselves through history and epics permeate both our conscious and
subconscious mind and later from there they get into our thought and make patterns and forms. These thoughts and patterns we enact in our daily lives become habits and that later become who we are.
These thought forms and patterns are called 'Archetypes'. He also proposed that all these mythological thoughts and symbols are stored in what is called 'collective unconscious', which consist of the unconscious mind having ancestral memory and experience and which is common to all of the human kind. This basically gives rise to the idea that all of the human kind are basically acting according to the tendencies or behavior passed down through ancestral experiences and how they acted when they had to go through good and bad experiences. This is mentioned as another concept in Hindu philosophy, which is called Vasanas.
In Vedas, 'Vasanas' (वासनाः) are the tendencies which we are born with or built in. In 'Advaita Vedanta' or Hindu philosophy these are called hidden or latent tendencies and it has also been said that many times these come from past lives ( for those who believe in it) and we become habituated to our subconscious tendencies and many times we are not even aware of it. We can also try to analyze this using an entirely different concept.
All of us have inherited our DNA from our parents. In genetics research, it has been shown that in roundworms called C.elegans (nematodes) epigenetic memories have been passed down up to 14 generations.So if we extrapolate this to humans, due to our particular DNA inherited from our parents, we may be having 14 generations of our ancestors living through us. So according to whether a particular gene is turned on or off ( the study of epigenetics), in a family there can be habits or thought patterns pertinent to that particular family. This is how in a family, members behave many times in similar patterns. Same way in many cases a particular disease can be running for multiple generations in a family. For example, it is a known fact that the disease Hemophilia runs in English Royal family.
So we may be able to presume from the above discussion, Archetypes, Vasanas and the DNA we inherit from our ancestors, all are pointing towards the same thing. Even before we are born or when we are in the womb itself, we are patterned into a particular thought process by virtue of the collective unconscious or the DNA we are carrying. Of course the environment we are born into and grew up in also plays a big role in the development of our personality. So we are a whole package born from nature we inherited and nurture we received.
Coming back to Archetypes and Vasanas, all of us at many times in life accept the role of a caregiver or the nurturer archetype. It can be to nurture someone like our kids or something like our ideas and pet projects. In both cases, we need to birth the baby or the idea and bring it into the existence. Then with loving care and nurture bring up the love of one's life with utmost care and concern. In both cases time, effort and dedication are needed. This can be considered the 'Mother' archetype.
How about we connect the mythology and symbolism and analyze all of this with two examples, both from Hinduism and Christianity. Let us come to the mother goddess in Hinduism and Christianity, Parvathi, and Mother Mary respectively.
Both these goddesses represent the highest form of motherhood - nurturer, caregiver, guidance counselor, mentor and above all a good friend to her kids. In Hinduism, Parvathi is considered the mother of two Gods, Ganesha and Subramanya and there are many stories where she protects them, cares for them and guides them when they need guidance. She also has fought a war with her husband (Shiva) for the sake of her kid Ganesha. In this case, the Mother archetype can turn into a mother bear as well if she/he feels some threat to the life or existence of her/his child. The Same way she is prayed to, by millions to protect them from all negative influences like a mother protecting her child and give them health, prosperity and her divine grace.
In Christianity, Mother Mary is the all nurturing mother who cared for her son, crucified on a cross and we have seen many times the way Mother Mary keeping her dead son in her lap (Pietà ) and shedding tears for the son she lost. She is considered love incarnate and healer of all types of ailments and diseases. To avail the unconditional grace and blessings, millions pray to her and get the divine providence in the form of a nurturing mother who heals their soul, heart and mind.
Both of these Mother Goddesses can be considered as Archetypes deeply engraved in the human subconscious (or in other words Psyche) and when we are asked to perform a role as care-giver or nurturer (especially for ladies) we draw strength from these subconscious patterns and enact our role as the mother to our kids. In this way, there are many other archetypes like the Wounded Healer (Jesus), Guidance Counselor/Mentor (Sri Krishna) or the Hero (Arjuna or Alexander).
The archetypes can be positive, which is the Self or the negative aspect, which is considered as the Shadow Self. Humans are pulled constantly between these two axes subconsciously and we are always in a struggle to be balanced between these two very strong polarities. So inside each one of us there stays both of these polarities and a person who is balanced and able to maintain a middle ground with more tendencies towards positive Self can be considered a winner in this subconscious pattern and thought form war. Pretty deep manifestations indeed.
So can we overcome these ingrained patterns and tendencies, which we many times are ourselves unaware of? When we lead our life subconsciously in an autopilot mode without much conscious effort to overcome these patterns and tendencies, we become puppets in the hands of these higher, subconscious forces. So first we need to realize and become awake to the fact that we may be controlled by our inherent tendencies and thought forms. Then we have to overcome these latent thought patterns and then lead a very conscious life with true intention and purpose. This is how we make the very best of our total potential. To conclude, let us remember the words of Swami Vivekananda,
"उतथीष्ठता | जाग्रता |
प्राप्य वरान निà¤ोधता | (Sanskrit)
"Uthishthatha. Jagratha.
Prapyavaran nibhodhatha."
Meaning: Wake up, Be aware and Don't stop till you reach your destination!
I wish you a good weekend and I'll see you next Friday! 😉
Next week: 'Samudra Mathanam' - The churning of the milky ocean! - Part 1
Note: Images of Carl Jung and Mother Mary taken from Wikimedia Commons.
Ralph Waldo Emerson writes, "There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance ; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better for worse as his portion that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till. The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried".
All rights reserved to the author (SwaroopaStargazer) and SwaroopaBlog.
To my Blog readers: As all of you know, the European Union has passed laws regarding the collection of the user data. This is just to inform all my EU blog readers, I use Google Analytics, which Google provides, to look at from where readers are reading my blogs. I also use Specific feeds for their service for subscription. I don't collect or intend to collect user data to sell or provide to third-party applications. Regards,
SwaroopaBlog.
Disclaimer: This is a personal blog. The opinions and viewpoints shared here are that of the author/owner only. Even though the author/owner will try to research well before posting the information, the author/owner of this blog does not make any portrayal of the accuracy or correctness of the content on this blog or the links provided. The author/owner will not be liable for any omissions or inaccuracies occurred. The author/owner will not be liable for any damages or losses due to the use or display of this blog. These terms and conditions can change at any time. This blog is purely for informational purposes only.
© SwaroopaStargazer and Swaroopa, 2017.
Namaste! Last week we discussed how we can get some valuable lessons from the way Sri Krishna lived his life. We discussed how many times we keep him on high pedestal and are never able to reach his level. We also dissected how we may be able to lead our life modeling on how such historical personalities led their life. Today how about we analyze a very different aspect of these historical personalities and see what we can learn more from them ?
As we know Sri Krishna in Hinduism, Jesus in Christianity and Buddha in Buddhism are known worldwide and people pray and pay respects to them and try to live their life according to the principles given by them. Are they just charismatic personalities who lived an authentic life accessing their 'Swaroopa' (authentic self) or is there more to them? Here I want to introduce the concept of 'Archetypes'. What are Archetypes?
Before that, I have to introduce another personality who proposed the concept of ' Archetypes'. Carl Gustav Jung ( pronounced as Carl Yung) was a Swiss psychiatrist (1875-1961) who was an expert in the study of symbols and myths. He proposed that the mythology and the symbols associated with the historical stories we tell ourselves through history and epics permeate both our conscious and
 |
| Carl Gustav Jung |
These thought forms and patterns are called 'Archetypes'. He also proposed that all these mythological thoughts and symbols are stored in what is called 'collective unconscious', which consist of the unconscious mind having ancestral memory and experience and which is common to all of the human kind. This basically gives rise to the idea that all of the human kind are basically acting according to the tendencies or behavior passed down through ancestral experiences and how they acted when they had to go through good and bad experiences. This is mentioned as another concept in Hindu philosophy, which is called Vasanas.
In Vedas, 'Vasanas' (वासनाः) are the tendencies which we are born with or built in. In 'Advaita Vedanta' or Hindu philosophy these are called hidden or latent tendencies and it has also been said that many times these come from past lives ( for those who believe in it) and we become habituated to our subconscious tendencies and many times we are not even aware of it. We can also try to analyze this using an entirely different concept.
All of us have inherited our DNA from our parents. In genetics research, it has been shown that in roundworms called C.elegans (nematodes) epigenetic memories have been passed down up to 14 generations.So if we extrapolate this to humans, due to our particular DNA inherited from our parents, we may be having 14 generations of our ancestors living through us. So according to whether a particular gene is turned on or off ( the study of epigenetics), in a family there can be habits or thought patterns pertinent to that particular family. This is how in a family, members behave many times in similar patterns. Same way in many cases a particular disease can be running for multiple generations in a family. For example, it is a known fact that the disease Hemophilia runs in English Royal family.
So we may be able to presume from the above discussion, Archetypes, Vasanas and the DNA we inherit from our ancestors, all are pointing towards the same thing. Even before we are born or when we are in the womb itself, we are patterned into a particular thought process by virtue of the collective unconscious or the DNA we are carrying. Of course the environment we are born into and grew up in also plays a big role in the development of our personality. So we are a whole package born from nature we inherited and nurture we received.
Coming back to Archetypes and Vasanas, all of us at many times in life accept the role of a caregiver or the nurturer archetype. It can be to nurture someone like our kids or something like our ideas and pet projects. In both cases, we need to birth the baby or the idea and bring it into the existence. Then with loving care and nurture bring up the love of one's life with utmost care and concern. In both cases time, effort and dedication are needed. This can be considered the 'Mother' archetype.
How about we connect the mythology and symbolism and analyze all of this with two examples, both from Hinduism and Christianity. Let us come to the mother goddess in Hinduism and Christianity, Parvathi, and Mother Mary respectively.
 |
| Mother Mary |
 |
| Goddess Parvathi |
Both of these Mother Goddesses can be considered as Archetypes deeply engraved in the human subconscious (or in other words Psyche) and when we are asked to perform a role as care-giver or nurturer (especially for ladies) we draw strength from these subconscious patterns and enact our role as the mother to our kids. In this way, there are many other archetypes like the Wounded Healer (Jesus), Guidance Counselor/Mentor (Sri Krishna) or the Hero (Arjuna or Alexander).
The archetypes can be positive, which is the Self or the negative aspect, which is considered as the Shadow Self. Humans are pulled constantly between these two axes subconsciously and we are always in a struggle to be balanced between these two very strong polarities. So inside each one of us there stays both of these polarities and a person who is balanced and able to maintain a middle ground with more tendencies towards positive Self can be considered a winner in this subconscious pattern and thought form war. Pretty deep manifestations indeed.
So can we overcome these ingrained patterns and tendencies, which we many times are ourselves unaware of? When we lead our life subconsciously in an autopilot mode without much conscious effort to overcome these patterns and tendencies, we become puppets in the hands of these higher, subconscious forces. So first we need to realize and become awake to the fact that we may be controlled by our inherent tendencies and thought forms. Then we have to overcome these latent thought patterns and then lead a very conscious life with true intention and purpose. This is how we make the very best of our total potential. To conclude, let us remember the words of Swami Vivekananda,
 |
| Swami Vivekananda |
"उतथीष्ठता | जाग्रता |
प्राप्य वरान निà¤ोधता | (Sanskrit)
"Uthishthatha. Jagratha.
Prapyavaran nibhodhatha."
Meaning: Wake up, Be aware and Don't stop till you reach your destination!
I wish you a good weekend and I'll see you next Friday! 😉
Next week: 'Samudra Mathanam' - The churning of the milky ocean! - Part 1
Note: Images of Carl Jung and Mother Mary taken from Wikimedia Commons.
Ralph Waldo Emerson writes, "There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance ; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better for worse as his portion that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till. The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried".
All rights reserved to the author (SwaroopaStargazer) and SwaroopaBlog.
To my Blog readers: As all of you know, the European Union has passed laws regarding the collection of the user data. This is just to inform all my EU blog readers, I use Google Analytics, which Google provides, to look at from where readers are reading my blogs. I also use Specific feeds for their service for subscription. I don't collect or intend to collect user data to sell or provide to third-party applications. Regards,
SwaroopaBlog.
Disclaimer: This is a personal blog. The opinions and viewpoints shared here are that of the author/owner only. Even though the author/owner will try to research well before posting the information, the author/owner of this blog does not make any portrayal of the accuracy or correctness of the content on this blog or the links provided. The author/owner will not be liable for any omissions or inaccuracies occurred. The author/owner will not be liable for any damages or losses due to the use or display of this blog. These terms and conditions can change at any time. This blog is purely for informational purposes only.
© SwaroopaStargazer and Swaroopa, 2017.
Superb Manni !!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you,Dhanya! All divine will!
ReplyDelete