Stand by your idea to enact change in your life that is meaningful and fulfilling, change that is lasting and for your greater good. If you change yourself the whole world will benefit. For if your energy is stuck and stagnant so is the energy around you. But if your energy is released from stagnation in a positive way, it will flow with ease and the energy around you will too, thus allowing for better flow of energy overall. Hold yourself to a high standard. And with the intention of releasing energy that is stuck within you, release yourself, purposefully, into the greater flow of life and all that it has to offer. Take advantage of what is available to aid you in your growth process. After all, you are responsible for your decisions and choices in life, as well as how you choose to use your energy, within and without.
Why so angry? Why so resentful? Why so sad? Look at the world as your spirit’s playground, as the school of your choice, as the challenge you decided upon once long ago in another time. You came to Earth to do exactly what you are doing in order to spiritually advance your Soul along its eternal path. You are not a victim of your life but the instigator of it. Hold yourself to a high standard every day while also holding in your heart the knowledge that you are learning lessons you need to learn and that you relish. Remember your ultimate goal. The memory of it lies within you. Once you discover it, your anger and resentfulness and sadness will become the greatest secrets to your evolution and the most promising insights to your future joy.
Stay on the path of balance that you have set out upon. Maintain stability and equanimity within yourself. Remain committed to honing the self in as many ways as possible, mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Do not be too hard on the self, for flexibility is a major ability as you grow and change. For instance, if one thing isn’t working for you try another. The ability to be focused but fluid, to be intent but in the flow of life, is by far one of the most desirable. For balance implies just that, a constant shifting, the ability to be supple and engaging, light as a feather in the air but also as solid as the bird from whom that feather fell. Find your balance every day and go forth with the knowledge that you are enough.
Ever-present in the background of ego consciousness is the archetypal human, that which, with its accumulated wisdom from having lived the entirety of human history, lives inside us and reacts along with us as we think, imagine, and encounter the phenomenal world.
Imagine standing at the edge of a tall mountain, flying in a plane, or crossing a turbulent river. The immediate instinctual reaction of our inner archetypal human might be anxiety, as it accents its knowing of potential danger. Archetypal triggers are the emotional downloads of ancient wisdom, gleaned from prior human experience, that automatically react to similar stimuli that appear in present-day life.
Our ego reaction to these same imaginary scenes might be to quickly rationalize the overwhelming statistics of the safety of flying and the ability to stay calm and in control in challenging situations. These efforts are attempts to minimize archetypal fears and master the challenges presented.
Ultimately, ego is tasked with becoming the Hero, who finds the means to surmount the archetypal challenges being presented. Ego does well to begin with humility. Instinctual reactions are automatic; there is no blame in the reaction of terror.
The thought of giving a speech or performing before an audience might provoke immediate terror. It’s a completely valid instinctive response. This is the archetypal mind scanning the power of groups in myriads of human encounters throughout history and delivering its verdict—terror.
The lowered consciousness of group mind in such experiences has resulted in many tragic consequences in the course of human history. The ego does well to acknowledge this truth and to consider how it might best prepare itself for such a challenging event.
Sometimes ego might attempt to puff itself up to feel equal to or greater than the power of the archetypal trigger. Positive self-talk in such circumstances may be helpful but is not likely to maintain the confidence needed for true mastery.
The Hero’s journey is its own archetypal journey of ego development. First and foremost, one must heed the call to action. The call originates from our High Self or Spirit, informing us that it is time to grow: “Yes, you must meet with this person whom you experience as the archetypal bully or harpy.”
The instinctive reaction to freeze or retreat is respected but not chosen for this challenge to be successfully met. One might engage in yoga, breath work, meditation, neurofeedback, or any body-centered technique to increase conscious control over the instinctual reactions of the central nervous system generated by the archetypal mind.
The home of the archetypal human is the subconscious mind, which responds immediately to triggers or suggestions by generating chemical and electrical reactions in the body. The use of conscious positive suggestions to the body present new behavioral options to the subconscious mind. Just as the subconscious mind reacts to instinct, it also reacts to consciously generated suggestions.
Thus, regular self-hypnosis that suggests actions of calm and mastery can give the ego greater control over the habitual, instinctive reactions of the archetypal mind. The calmer we can be in an archetypal encounter the greater will be our ability to remain present and to respond quickly and thoughtfully to rapidly changing conditions.
Practice, practice, practice! This is the guidance given to all music students. Its wisdom can be generalized to prepare all of us for all kinds of archetypal encounters.
For instance, visualizing the scene and the myriad of possible permutations of an event, accompanied by the bilateral recapitulation breath as you live those scenes, allows you to gain greater clarity, fluidity and calm over the actual event.
Ego is also free to ask for help and support from its High Self, who appreciates ego’s efforts to meet its appointed task. In particular, one might ask the High Self for help in gaining access to the appropriate words and ideas that would be helpful as it navigates the challenge before it. Memorization has its place, but a quickness of mind is best suited to be fully present and responsive to an unfolding challenge.
Ultimately, the archetypal human is extremely conservative. Its aim is to keep us safe and alive. In fact, in actual life-threatening circumstances this ancient human can take possession of the ego and the body and perform superhuman feats. Don’t leave home without your archetypal human self!
On the other hand, realize that consciousness was evolved at the behest of the archetypal mind, who saw the wisdom of being able to change course on a dime, rather than suffer the consequences of habitual patterns ill-fitted to changing circumstances.
The ego is the child of the archetypal human who must truly become the adult to the personality, working respectfully with its archetypal partner and cohort.
Archetypal triggers are merely necessary tests meant to be mastered. Also, life always provides many makeup tests!
Early springtime poses many changes, from warm and pleasant days to cold and snowy ones buffeted by heavy winds. It’s the time of precipice, before spring births forth. Within the self the time of precipice shows up at any time of year, the struggle for something new to emerge. As with the days of early spring there is a settling that will take place and the tensions of the precipice will abate. With patience, what was once so urgent and even dangerous at spring’s awakening will smooth into a warm summer’s day. With a confident heart and steady eye on the future look forward to what is to come in the sure blooming ahead, as it always comes.
