Lesson Four:
Archetypes in the Dream Language
Memo from the Instructor
Hi everyone, I appreciate the many dreams you have sent in. Most of you are looking up symbols correctly, and adding good insights about what the symbols mean to you, personally.
I find that dream students in this class fall into three cagegories:
The majority (about 60%) are new at dream journaling and have trouble interpreting the language of dream symbols. If this lesson (archetypes) seems too difficult, please repeat lessons two and three and turn this in for your lesson four. Repeating lessons two and three will help you grasp the concept of symbols. You will have a chance to catch up with the class in the next assignment.
The second category, a minority of about 15%, has a natural flair for dream interpretation and a good grasp of the symbol language. These students are ready to learn about archetypes. Several students in this category have been offering a lot of good advice to others in the study groups. Please keep it up! Sweet dreams!
The third group are students who report trouble with recurring dreams and nightmares. If you fall in this category, please take part in the fourth, fifth and sixth assignments with the advanced group, because the information in these lessons will help you work with bad dreams for greater self-awareness and peace of mind.
Dream Quote:
"To dream is to open your mind to the good things in life, for what is life if you cannot dream?"
--Krystal Webb (quoted in "The Diary for Dreamers," by Diana Lilley Smith).
Assignment Four
Every dream addresses one or more themes, or archetypes. Choose a dream that you like (it can be the same dream you've already worked with) and write a title for it. The title should be like a headline, giving a preview and overall summary of what is in the dream. One way to think of a good title is to determine what archetype it is addressing.
Following is a list of archetypes. Keep your dream in mind as you read over this list and look for archetypes that the dream may be addressing. Of course, there are many more archetypes that what I have on my list, so feel free to choose one that I have omitted. Use your imagination to discover what universal element your dream is addressing, then write a title. Please send your dream (with title) and a brief explanation of why you chose the title.
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the hero magic initiation rites of passage death creation cosmology relationship sacred space sacrifice transformation inner alchemy androgyny the trickster sacred dance the child storytelling education music silence the shadow obstacles |
woman earth spirit the goddess progress the mask demons sleep dreams sin ceremonies holy war guilt animals mantras theft pilgrimage food wholeness exile the body the witness |
memory sadness mirrors the hermit addiction forgiveness sense of humor creativity renewal questions the mountain the disciple tradition tree of life triad time attention liberation hospitality money the hunter craft |
community solitude power energy crossroads the city calling twins clothing writing hidden treasure the stranger language Eros prophecy the soul peace play work ways of knowing conscience consciousness |
The figures of the tarot deck, notably the higher arcana, represent archetypes (as listed in the "Motherpeace" tarot, by Vicki Noble):
The Fool, Magician, High Priestess, Empress, Emperor, Hierophant (representing religious hierarchy, a meaningful card for me as a former member of a religious cult), Lovers, Chariot, Justice, Crone, Wheel of Fortune, Strength, Hanged One, Death, Temperance, Devil, Tower, Star, Moon, Sun, Judgment, World
Archetypes
In the interview, Nandini asked me:
Q: Universal themes, archetypes, and symbols are found in dreams. Is this our universal mind at work as expressed by Jung or are these just coincidences? Why?
A: Carl Jung said that we are all part of one mind, known as the collective unconscious. His patients dreamed of symbols that they were unfamiliar with on the conscious level, but they provided profound realizations. This is no coincidence: it is as if we somehow know a lot more than what we may have experienced in one short lifetime. In order to elaborate on this important question, I'm including about a few pages of information about archetypes. After you read this, there is a short assignment at the end, which I hope will be a fun one for you.
Twentieth Century Archetypes
Archetypes are the soul's framework for reality. During our lifetime we gather material to fill in each archetype, and this is our reality. "Mother" is an archetype; our material for interpreting the archetype comes from experiences with our own mother, with other mothers we've known, from being mothers, reading about mother images, and so on. The re-emergence of the Goddess in recent times adds material to our image of mother. Collectively, as a society, we explore archetypes. One of the major archetypes of the twentieth century was travel and new frontiers. We still have frontiers to explore, such as inner space, and cyberspace, but in the last hundred years the planet became smaller as we traveled and interacted more closely with our neighbors.
Another universal theme was technology. Technology made us more comfortable, more productive and more mobile. Until recently, most people thought all technology was good. Now we are changing this perspective, due to technology's effect on the environment and human well being.
Psychology was another powerful archetype of the Western world over the last century because it helped us interpret how we felt about ourselves and how we treated each other. At the beginning of the century, Austrian doctor Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) invented psychoanalysis, the beginning of Western psychology. As a doctor he studied hypnotism, which was the common method used to treat hysterical patients, but found this inadequate. He noticed that sometimes patients felt better after talking about their problems. From this discovery, he formulated his practice of "free association," in which the patient reclines comfortably on a couch and attempts to recall emotional episodes, thus recognizing and releasing frustrated emotions. Freud sat behind his patients like a father confessor, listening to their memories and probing their dreams for symbolic content that would reveal their inner life.
Freud viewed unexpressed sexual desire as the source of most neurotic behavior. He projected abundant sexual images into his patients' dreams, and much of his practice revolved around helping his patients come to terms with their repressed aggression over unexpressed sexual urges. Freud's legacy was a fusion of science and religion, and he is regarded as one of the most influential men in the twentieth century. Freud still pervades the lives of most Westerners.
In 1900 Freud published The Interpretation of Dreams, which was widely revered in the medical community, and in 1908 Freud addressed the first International Congress of Psychoanalysis in Vienna. Many young doctors, some of whom became famous in their own right, attended this meeting; among them was Carl Gustav Jung. Dr. Jung (1875-1961), a Swiss analytical psychologist, traveled with Freud to America in 1909 to lecture and receive honorary degrees. The two men had a tremendous influence on each other for six years, but shortly after Jung published his Psychology of the Unconscious in 1912, he broke away from Freud. The book revealed the areas where he disagreed with his mentor. For example, Jung's definition of libido embraced the totality of life's processes, not just sex drive, as Freud had postulated. Jung openly disagreed with Freud's emphasis on repressed sexuality, arguing that there were other forces at work that defined the individual's relationship with the rest of society. In other words, Jung believed there was much more to the unconscious than sex. Incidentally, many modern Freudians side with Jung on this issue, bringing modern Freudian (neo-Freudian) practice more in line with Jungian theory.
Jung enlarged Freud's notion of the unconscious to include what he called the "collective unconscious," made up of universal elements of human experience, or archetypes. According to Jungian theory, humankind shares a common and inborn unconscious life. He believed that we connect with the collective unconscious through dreams, fantasies, cultural stories and myths that contain archetypal symbols. He believed that stories in and of themselves are healing, and that we could find the keys to our own complexes through analyzing our culture's stories. Jung's formal break with Freud led to a long period of soul-searching, which Jung described in his autobiographical Memories, Dreams and Reflections.
During this time he developed the concept of the shadow as the unacknowledged part of the self that carries our fears and guilt, which we project out on the world in the form of conflict with other individuals. He said that our emotional suffering always contains an element of the divine, and thus discovering this kernel is the beginning of healing. He also wrote about the anima and animus, the internal male and female parts of the psyche. Rather than just trying to unravel complexes, as Freud believed was necessary, Jung developed new methods of therapy.
Borrowing from alternative traditions such as Buddhism and new age mysticism, Jung sought to draw out the human creative potential. Jung taught that therapy was a process of integrating the conscious and unconscious forces, which would result in a meaningful wholeness. Jung became an influential teacher, promoting the theory that personal symbols were powerful healing tools. He found that experiencing the transpersonal Self through symbols and stories could connect people with their own inner depths, and that within the darkness they would find their own answers. This is formally called "depth psychology," which he studied and developed as a form of psychotherapy.
Some people revere Jung as a prophet, and equate his form of psychotherapy with religious experience. Throughout history religious organizations have told people how to believe, but Carl Jung, through his own self-searching, learned that the divine manifests to each individual in a different way. In his psychotherapy practice, he helped patients recognize the personal symbols from their dreams, fantasies and other sources, to allow them to connect with divinity in a meaningful, personal way. Jung used the word "numinous" to describe the experience of the divine.
Originally coined by Rudolf Otto, a writer who had a great influence on Jung, the word comes from the Latin root "numen," meaning "god," and verb "nuere," literally to nod or beckon. Thus, the word describes an experience in which God reaches out to tell us of His presence. According to Jung (and Otto), this religious experience is the essence of holiness, which is felt as inexpressible, irreducible and undeniable. The numinosum, the subject of the experience, feels like it comes from outside the self, an experience of the Divine Other. An experience of the numinosum cannot be forced, only experienced when the divine is invoked within an individual.
In his book, Religious Function of the Psyche, contemporary author Lionel Corbett describes the numinous experience and how it applies in the practice of Jungian psychology. The numinosum can appear radiant, pure and glorious, or it can appear with grisly, overpowering and profane horror. Corbett explains, "According to Otto, another element of this experience is its quality of 'absolute overpoweringness' so that the creature in relation to it feels extremely small, or experiences religious humility." (p. 12) He explains that the experience of awe and dread evokes a transcendence, and a temporary loss of material ego, in which a person feels extremely insignificant in the presence of God.
Otto called this manifestation of the numinosum the "mysterium tremendum," and the feeling of humility it produces the "creature- consciousness." Whether the numinosum occurs as a frightening form or loving, gentle form, the feeling is of wonder, due to being in contact with something that transcends ordinary reality. Experience of the numinosum is key to Jung's theory of the healing process.
This is where Jung crossed the line from the "science" of psychology to religion, because the numinosum cannot be contained within the secular realm of psychology. It cannot be quantified, measured, or invoked at the will of the doctor. Locating the numinosum within the psyche is a spiritual process, rather than a psychological one. Corbett explains, "Numinous experience is synonymous with religious experience. Translated into psychological parlance, this means the relatively direct experience of those deep intrapsychic structures known as archetypes. The archetype is a fundamental organizing principle which originates from the objective psyche, beyond the level of the empirical personality. In the religious literature, what the depth psychologist calls an archetype would be referred to as spirit; operationally they are synonymous. But crucially for the depth psychologist, the archetypes are not only numinous manifestations of the divine, they also play a part in the organization of the personality." (p. 15)
The revelation that numinous archetypes can arise naturally within the psyche, so that some aspect of the Divine personally shows itself to an individual, may appear as blasphemy to those who believe God will only reveal Himself through approved scriptures, or through particular saviors or symbols of their own religion. Jung's theory holds that the numinous experience is always felt as an intensely personal revelation, which is unique to each individual, that may cross cultural or religious boundaries. Jung thus taught a mystical tradition, in which each individual finds God through coming to terms with their own problems. Jung taught that a numinous archetypal symbol may manifest in a dream, a fantasy, a synchronicity, a waking vision or a feeling in the body. For example, in an emergency one may experience profound strength that they feel has been supplied from a higher source.
The numinosum may also manifest through a beautiful view of nature or through one's own creativity, for example a patient in art therapy or any artist may manifest a personal image of spiritual significance. The numinosum often appears in an unorthodox or nontraditional form, and therefore may be difficult to recognize or interpret without help. In the process of psychotherapy, the therapist's job is to recognize the numinosum when it appears and guide the patient to accept, appreciate and integrate the symbol into their consciousness. The numinosum may appear in a way that is completely obvious or the symbolism may be difficult to figure out.
Contact with the numinosum is an awakening that speaks directly to the individual. Usually the numinosum addresses itself to the person's area of greatest vulnerability, where they have the most urgent psychological needs and problems. Nightmares seem horrible, but once understood they convey a potent message for daily life. After awakening from a numinous nightmare, the dreamer may feel that the experience was at once frightening, but also sacred. After experiencing an awesome godlike figure in a dream, the dreamer is quite certain that she exists in relation to something greater that is conscious of her, thus relieving the feeling of aloneness and isolation.
Overall, Corbett explains, "It is typical for the numinosum to present itself in a manner that is directly relevant to the developmental history of the experiencer." (p. 6) The numinosum manifests for the healing of the individual. It may be difficult to look at the symbol, because it usually addresses deep fears and inadequacies. Strong people can integrate these experiences without help, but if the personality is fragmented, intense numinous experiences can cause further fragmentation, or even episodes of psychosis.
Professional psychotherapy with a qualified counselor is essential for an individual who has trouble integrating intense archetypal experiences. Carl Jung himself said, "Sometimes the divine asks too much." A qualified psychotherapist can amplify the symbols, help the patient realize the deeper meaning they may hold, and teach the patient how to apply the realizations in a positive way to the overall context of their lives.
Jung recognized that our emotional suffering always contains an element of the divine. To Jung, the work of psychotherapy lies in uniting the opposing elements of the psyche, reconciling and transcending them through the divine (or higher Self within the psyche). The shadow side, which includes personal suffering, evil, aggression and abuse, is key to the process of uniting opposites. According to Jung, redemption is attained when the shadow material is processed and consciously integrated into the psyche, where it comes under the individual's control. Numinous experiences therefore often address the shadow material, bringing an individual face to face with things they wish to forget. Corbett explains,
The testimony of successful mystics and that of the consulting room suggests that contact with the numinosum may have an integrating effect which improves the overall cohesion of the self and consolidates and deepens one's sense of identity. But the problem with such contact is that it often challenges the very ideas about ourselves and the world which we have used to ward off anxiety and enhance self-esteem. Hence, numinous experiences may generate fear, which in the presence of a fragile self can be massive enough to require defensive maneuvers or precipitate psychosis. This is so because numinous experience is precisely relevant to our pathology, our self-object [developmental] needs and our areas of woundedness. These are just the places that the archetype tries to enter the personality for the purposes of restructuring and healing. (p. 30)
The conclusion is that the divine manifests through our pathology. While most people don't attribute much positive significance to the shadow elements, these must be considered to arrive at a realistic view of what is in our depths. As Corbett points out, "These and similarly painful areas are the effects of negative complexes, and they, too, have their archetypal, or spiritual, cores. To attend to them is no less a spiritual practice than to attend to the positive aspects of the numinosum." (p. 37) The places that are most vulnerable, the most covered in shadows, is where pressure from the unconscious is strongest. The numinous archetype arises in a natural attempt to provide what is missing in the emotional development. Therefore, Corbett explains, "True religious experience is potentially frightening, and may be related to areas of great difficulty." (p. 33) He calls fear of the numinosum a core anxiety that we naturally defend ourselves against. He concludes, "The numinosum does not necessarily respect our view of the world, but rather tends to present us with the need for radical re- evaluation of our beliefs." (p. 33) True religious experience pays no respect to man's dogmatic theories of how things should be.
Often, the numinosum beckons change in a way that causes an individual great anxiety. In a dogmatic person, this can wreck havoc in the psyche until the new ideas are integrated, and the change is complete. The ego may put up quite a resistance.
During a period of resistance to the inner calling of the numinosum, an individual may experience compelling dreams that are impossible to understand. These dreams have a message, but sometimes it takes a psychologist on the level of Carl Jung to figure them out. Another method is to write the numinous dreams down and read them over weeks or months later, when resistance has gone away. Often, dreams make more send to us years after they are dreamed. When the meaning of the dream is finally determined, look back and figure out why it was impossible to understand for so long. However, be gentle with yourself, because dreams come in peace from the deepest levels of your soul.
References
Corbett, Lionel. The Religious Function of the Psyche. New York: Routledge, 1996.
Assignment: Someone described archetypes in this way. If you set up magnets to form a picture beneath a piece of cardboard, then you sifted iron ore over top of the cardboard, it would stick to the spots over the magnets. These magnets are like archetypes; the iron ore is our experiences, the material we bring to the archetypes.
If you were to make a picture of your life, what would the magnets represent? How much of the iron ore have you filled in?
Dream 4/20/94: I explore old, crumbling buildings that were built about 50 years ago.
Parabola Magazine
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