Budda, Christ, Harry Potter and Maggie in Million Dollar Baby are all examples of the Hero archetype. Their stories follow a shared pattern of stages such as an unusual birth or childhood, an initiation, an exile, a period of many trials and tests, a symbolic death, a rebirth or transformation, and a return home. Archetypes […]
Things that go bump in the night … ‘Bad’ Dreams
You are running down a dark alley with someone chasing you. You find a shed to hide in only to find moments later the door slowly opening. As you are about to face the chaser you awaken in a fright. Bad dreams or nightmares are a universal human experience. Twenty-five percent of children aged 5 […]
Asking for what you want
“Excuse me, my soup is cold. I would like it heated up.” For many, saying this statement to a server in a calm, respectful manner is difficult. Why so? Many people were raised in a home in which their thoughts and emotions were not valued. We learned that our inner world of feelings and desires […]
Expressing your Feelings (Stop Being Nice!)
“Sit there and smile” and “Never contradict your father” are statements we may have been told in the name of good manners. We learn very early about what is acceptable in family and social settings. We sit up straight, suppress our tears and laughter, and consciously decide, “I better not say that.” Decades later, these […]
The Public You is a Compromise – The Persona
Oceanside Star February 24, 2011 The actor Claire Danes recently stated, “The life of my persona has nothing to do with me.” In Latin, persona originally meant a mask worn by actors to indicate the role they played. Carl Jung used the term persona to represent the ‘I’ that one presents to society. It is […]
Connection with your Dreams
Originally published, Oceanside Star, January 27, 2011 According to Carl Jung, “The dream is a little hidden door in the innermost and most secret recesses of the psyche.” Dreams are one way in which the Self or soul sends unconscious material to our awareness. They symbolically show you previously unknown qualities that need enhancing or […]
