The Sun – At Play With The Child
Listen Now or Subscribe in iTunes
The Sun from the Raider Waite deck
Here Comes the Sun! After the dark debacle of the stage represented by the Moon card, the nineteenth card of the Major Arcana shares its rays of light on the Archetypal Tarot Podcast. Inside the protective walls of a golden kingdom, two children (or a child and horse in the Rider Waite) are happily at play. Like Romulus and Remus, suckled from the wolves of the last card, it is as if the birth of a new Rome has taken place as a long-awaited result of this Tarot journey’s recent trials. Julienne Givot and Cyndera Quackenbush explore this stage of rebirth by delving into the child archetype in its many manifestations, including its shadow.
Listen as Julienne and Cyndera share a synchronistic moment and find out how to have fun while even riding a city bus. In the Hollywood realm, Robin Williams as Puer (eternal youth), Tom Hanks in the film “Big” and Shirley Temple are discussed as examples of this stage. In the Sun card enjoy yourself in a land somewhere between the Teletubbies and the Secret Garden.
Popular associations with the Sun card:
• Optimism—Expansion—Being radiant—Positive feelings
• Enlightenment—Vitality—Innocence—Non-criticism
• Assurance—Energy—Personal power—Happiness
• Splendor—Brilliance—Joy —Enthusiasm
Film and Television References:
- Teletubbies (TV 1997-2001)
- Sesame Street (TV 1969-present)
- Big (1988)
- Little Buddha (1993)
- Kundun (1997) Martin Scorsese
- Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (2007) All characters embody various aspects of the Child archetype.
- August Rush (2007)
- The Secret Garden
- Leon: The Professional (1994) Natalie Portman (shadow)
- Hanna (shadow) (2011)
- Actress Shirley Temple
- Actor Robin Williams
The Child: Innocence, Fun, Trust
The Child archetype resides in us all and is the first that we come to know. The Child archetype is sometimes called the guardian of innocence and it represents our beginning point. This archetype sets up our earliest perceptions of life, safety, loyalty and family. The heart of the Child archetype is one of dependency and responsibility. Addressing the Child archetype within can awaken a new relationship with life, a new start.
Related Articles:
Summertime and the Child Archetype
Three Archetypes of Awesome
The Child Archetype
Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium
No Teletubbies were harmed in the making of this podcast.
The Moon, Madness and The Artist
Listen Now or Subscribe in iTunes
After emerging from the water’s edge of the lovely Star maiden, the Archetypal Tarot podcast heads to the eighteenth card of the Major Arcana – the Moon. Sounds romantic, doesn’t it? But what’s this – a barking dog, a howling wolf and a …. lobster climbing from the depths?!?! Julienne Givot and Cyndera Quackenbush have a WTF moment as they explore the depths of this surprising, surreal imagery incorporating the archetype of the Artist and the penchant for creative madness.
Our hero of the Tarot Journey has reached her dark night of the soul and finds that she has spiraled back to the dark wisdom behind the High Priestess’s veil. In relation to the “lunacy” encountered in the moon, Julienne presents to us the Artist archetype and its shadow. Cyndera shares some highly personal details and a passage from Carl Jung’s Red Book. The following films, discussed in this edition, beautifully illustrate the Moon themes of madness, creativity and dreams: The Hours, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep.
The lunatic, the lover, and the poet
Are of imagination all compact.
~William Shakespeare
Popular associations for the Moon:
• Lack of clarity —– Tension —– Doubt —– Fantasy
• Deception —– Psychological conflict —– Obscured vision
• Confusion —– Illusion —– Fear —– Imagination —– Worry
• Romanticism —– Anxiety —– Apprehension —– Unrealistic ideas
Film and Fiction References:
- The Hours (2002)
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) & Science of Sleep Directed (2006) by Michel Gondry
- Vincent Van Gough – Lust for Life (1956) , Vincent and Theo (1990)
- Pi (1998)
- David Lynch – Blue Velvet (1986)
- Fight Club (1999)
- Being John Malkovich (1999)
- The Piano (1993)
- A Beautiful Mind (2001)
- Bob Geldof in Pink Floyd The Wall (1982)
Books:
Valis by Philip K Dick
Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Girl Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
Artists:
Salvador Dali , Basquiat, Frida (to name just a few. . .)
Related Articles:
An Artist Walks into a Monastery by Julienne Givot
Exploring Artistic Creativity And Its Link to Madness
Creativity and Madness
Artist (Artisan, Craftsperson, Sculptor, Weaver)
The Artist archetype embodies the passion to express a dimension of life that is just beyond the five senses. The Artist psyche is animated with the energy to express it into physical forms. The nature or relative grandeur of any form of expression is irrelevant; a chef can be as much of an artist as a painter or landscaper. The signature of artists is not in what they do but in how intense their motivation is to manifest the extraordinary. Doing what you do in such a way that you create an emotional field that inspires others also indicates the Artist energy at work, as does the emotional and psychological need to express yourself so much that your well-being is wrapped up in this energy.
The shadow Artist comprises many cliches, including an eccentric nature and the madness that often accompanies genius. The Starving Artist represents the fear of financial ruin or the belief that fame and fortune come only after death, which often cause artists to suppress their talents. In evaluating your relationship to this archetype, recognize that the need to bring art to others, such as dedicating part of the energy of your life to supporting artists, is as much an expression of the Artist archetype as actually holding a brush in your hand.
The Star – Finding True North
Listen Now or Subscribe in iTunes
The Star card from the Raider-Waite deck.
Archetypal Tarot celebrates its 20th podcast! With some much needed respite after the tumult of the falling tower, Julienne Givot and Cyndera Quackenbush cozy up in some Dutch slippers and delve into the nourishing waters of the 17th card of the Major Arcana- The Star.
Picture the Fool (our Hero in this journey) laying on the grass in a field after the sudden liberation of the last stage. She is coming to and is not yet able to articulate what just happened to her. The symbols of the scene represented in the Star feature a naked woman who is both vulnerable and in harmony with the elements as she tends to what needs to be done.
Stripped of clothing (ego identity) and back down to the earthy basics, the beautiful maiden featured in this card helps us to replenish after a shock and (re)discover the true “guiding star” that will help us along on our journey. We see the importance of humility to be open to true guidance.
Another potent symbol of this stage is water. Water is often seen as a symbol of emotions and the unconscious which in this stage flows freely and the woman can been seen as a conduit for letting the waters flow back to their source as well as nourishing the ground. The stars in the sky twinkle above clear and undeniably present, the Fool wonders how she never noticed they were there all along.
Stars have been the symbol of aspiration and guidance since ancient times from the three wisemen following stars to the mythic stories of Mithras. Stars symbolize hope and to look up with an understanding that even we are connected to the stars.
This is a time after the storm where there is clarity. A recollection that grace need only be received and that the first stage of regeneration/rebirth is to be open to follow our true desire – what we are really on the journey for. It’s interesting to note that the word desire itself comes from the old French “of the stars”.
Julienne discusses how the symbolism of the film Beasts of the Southern Wild relates to our taroic hero’s journey so far and Cyndera references the aspect of the Star in relation to Maidentrip, a documentary about a young Dutch girl who completed a solo around the world voyage on a sailboat.
“When it all goes quiet behind my eyes, I see everything that made me flying around in invisible pieces. When I look too hard, it all goes away but when it all goes quiet, I see they are right here. I see that I am a little piece of a big, big universe, and that makes it right.” -Hushpuppy, Beasts of the Southern Wild
- Calmness —– Free-flowing love —– Trust
- Tranquility —– Peace of mind —– Pure essence
- Hope – Serenity —– Inspiration —– Generosity
- Optimism —– Joy —– Faith —– Regeneration
- Good will —– Optimism —– Harmony —– Renewal of forces
Helpful questions for this stage:
• What do I allow to guide me?
• What is the role of nurturing myself and others – is there an imbalance?
• How do I live the connection to nature?
• What can I do to allow more tranquility into my day?
• Am I allowing peace and relaxation to flow through my life?
• How do I acknowledge and take peace from knowing I am a little piece of a big universe?
The Tower – Lightning Liberation
Listen Now or Subscribe in iTunes
The Rider-Waite Tower card
Questions or suggestions? Email us ATPodcast@archetypist.com
Archetypes related to the Tower card: The Liberator
The Tower from the Marseilles deck
Popular Associations with the Tower Card:
- Chaos —– Sudden change —– Impact —– Hard times
- Crisis —– Revelation —– Disruption —– Realizing the truth
- Disillusion —– Crash —– Burst —– Uncomfortable experience
- Downfall —– Ruin —– Ego blow —– Explosive transformation
Film references for The Tower Card:
Cast Away (2000) Tom Hanks – A FedEx executive is transformed physically and emotionally after a crash landing on a deserted island.
The Hunger Games (2012) – Jennifer Lawrence
The Beasts of The Southern Wild (2012)
Film references for the Liberator archetype:
Lincoln (2012)
Norma Rae (1979)
Religion/Myth: Milarepa
Dancing with the Devil and the Addict
The Devil card of the Marseilles
Listen Now or Subscribe in iTunes
As we enter the last row of our Tarot Journey (and a new year for the Archetypal Tarot Podcast), we are met with the formidable character of The Devil, the fifteenth card of the Major Arcana. Our hero, well on the path to rebirth, must first meet his own shadow and face addictions and attachments.
Julienne Givot and Cyndera Quackenbush also discuss the Pan-like characteristics of the Devil, who invites human beings to recognize their animal natures that rebel when they are suppressed. As always, this podcast adds to your growing movie list with some subtle and interesting studies of the Devil archetype in film.
Archetypes related to the Devil card: Provocateur, Addict, Scapegoat, Addict/Mystic, Perfectionist
Key Words:
- Materialism —– Ignorance —– Stagnation —– Self-bondage
- Lust —– Egoism —– Obsession —– Anxiety —– Anger
- Hedonism —– Passion —– Instincts
- Sexuality —— Temptation —– Doubt —– Vice
- Futility —– Physical attraction —– Pessimism —– Insight
Film References for The Devil Card:
Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (2005) and Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory (1971) There are many references to the archetype of the Devil, Provocateur and Addict in these films. Each member of the group (both children and adults) is obsessed with getting something, food (Augustus Gloop), attention (Veruca Salt), being right (Mike Teevee) or even something as innocent as wanting a better life for their family (Charlie). Everyone is tempted and everyone gives in to the temptation, Charlie though is true to the angel of his better nature at the end of the film.
Election (1999) Reeese Whitherspoon & Matthew Broderick.
The Housewives tarot Devil card
The Addict archetype:
Every one of us is touched by the Addict archetype. Besides the usual suspects–drugs, alcohol, food, and sex–one can be addicted to work, sports, television, exercise, computer games, spiritual practice, negative attitudes, and the kinds of thrills that bring on adrenaline rushes.
In its positive aspect, this archetype helps you recognize when an outside substance or influence has more authority over your will power than does your inner spirit.
Confronting addiction and breaking the hold that a pattern or substance has on you can impart great strength to your psyche. Discovering the empowerment that comes with perseverance has a life-long impact, “I know now that if I can quit _______, I can do anything.”
From a symbolic perspective, the shadow aspect of the Addict represents a struggle with will power and the absence of self-control. The shadow Addict compromises your integrity and honesty. The shame associated with addiction.
Film References for the Addict archetype:
Natalie Portman – Black Swan (2010)
Ben Stiller – Permanent Midnight (1998)
Ed Harris in Pollock (2000)
Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married (2008)
Robert Downey Jr. in Less Than Zero (1987)
Nicholas Cage and Elizabeth Shue in Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
Leo DiCaprio – The Basketball Diaries (1995)
Religion/Myth: Tantalus he was invited to share the food of the gods but abused the honor and was punished by being “tantalized” for all eternity by food and drink he could not reach).
Temperance – The Angel of Our Better Nature
Subscribe in iTunes or Listen Now
“What we strive for in perfection is not what turns us into the lit angel we desire.” ~David Whyte
Julienne’s rendition of the Temperance card
With a little rest after the Death card the Archetypal Tarot Podcast explores the beginning of the rebirth cycle with Temperance – the fourteenth card of the Major Arcana. Julienne Givot and Cyndera Quackenbush discuss the Angel archetype and the healing and recovery that can take place internally and even below conscious awareness. At the end of our second row, the Realm of Equilibrium, we have a resolution to the ongoing theme of opposites. Here, two elements are alchemized to create “the third thing” that mediates and transforms opposing realities. Listen to the podcast for more on this next step of the journey.
References
Cyndera mentions A Blue Fire by James Hillman specifically chapter 3.
Julienne mentions this related article: Original Fairy Godmother
“I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”
~Abraham Lincoln’s first inaugural address
Angel & Fairy Godmother/Godfather Archetypes in Films & Television:
-Angels In America – The Play / TV Mini Series (2003)
-Aunt March played by (Mary Wickes) in Little Women (1994)
-It’s A Wonderful Life – Film (1946)
-Danny Glover, Kevin Kline in Grand Canyon (1991)
-Rosalind Russell as Mame Dennis in Auntie Mame (1958)
-Audrey Tatou in Amelie (2001)
-Dustin Hoffmann in Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (2007)
-Robert DeNiro as Captain Shakespeare in Stardust (2007)
Shadow:
-Marlon Brando in The Godfather trilogy
-Glenn Close in Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
Television:
-Touched by an Angel
-What Not To Wear
Fairy Tales:
-Glinda in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
The Winter of Listening
By David Whyte
No one but me by the fire,
my hands burning
red in the palms while
Rider-Waite Temperance Card
the night wind carries
everything away outside.
All this petty worry
while the great cloak
of the sky grows dark
and intense
round every living thing.
What is precious
inside us does not
care to be known
by the mind
in ways that diminish
its presence.
What we strive for
in perfection
is not what turns us
into the lit angel
we desire,
what disturbs
and then nourishes
has everything
we need.
What we hate
in ourselves
is what we cannot know
in ourselves but
what is true to the pattern
does not need
to be explained.
Inside everyone
is a great shout of joy
waiting to be born.
Even with the summer
so far off
I feel it grown in me
now and ready
to arrive in the world.
All those years
listening to those
who had
nothing to say.
All those years
forgetting
how everything
has its own voice
to make
itself heard.
All those years
forgetting
how easily
you can belong
to everything
simply by listening.
And the slow
difficulty
of remembering
how everything
is born from
an opposite
and miraculous
otherness.
Silence and winter
has led me to that
otherness.
So let this winter
of listening
be enough
for the new life
I must call my own.
Death – Superstition and Psychology
Listen Now! or Subscribe in iTunes
“We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.” ~Joseph Campbell
Who knew that Death could be so funny? But here it is, card number 13 in the Major Arcana. Join Julienne and Cyndera as they look at the archetype of Death from a symbolic and psychological point of view with a dash of added humor. Learn why this inevitable stage for the Hero isn’t the end but an important element to the rest of the journey.
The Death card liberates all that has reached its end, and cuts away stagnation so that life can continue. Beyond the literal interpretation of this card, there is a rich array of deaths that visit in our daily lives: the end of jobs, relationships and also the visitations of depressions and other forms of “falling apart.” What advantages are there to dismemberment and disintegration? How do Zombies and Batman play a role at exploring this the ultimate mystery of life – it’s end. Or is it the end? You’ll just have to get the podcast and find out.
PS: Listen to all the way to the end for a surprise (and possibly a laugh or two).
Resources Mentioned in the Podcast:
Key Words:
- Ending of a cycle – Loss – Conclusion – Sadness
- Transition into a new state – Psychological transformation
- Finishing up – Regeneration – Elimination of old patterns
- Being caught in the inescapable – Good-byes – Deep change
Film / TV References:
The Dark Knight Rises (2012
Sean of the Dead (2004)
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Bones (2005-present)
Dead Like Me (2003-2004)
Julienne’s rendition of Card 13: Death
“Yet through depression we enter depths and in depths find soul. Depression is essential to the tragic sense of life. It moistens the dry soul, and dries the wet. It brings refuge, limitation, focus, gravity, weight, and humble powerlessness. It reminds of death. The true revolution begins in the individual who can be true to his or her depression. Neither jerking oneself out of it, caught in cycles of hope and despair, nor suffering it through till it turns, not theologizing it – but discovering the consciousness and depths it wants. So begins the revolution in behalf of soul.”
~ from Re-Visioning Psychology by James Hillman
The Holy Longing
Tell a wise person, or else keep silent,
because the mass man will mock it right away.
I praise what is truly alive,
what longs to be burned to death.
In the calm water of the love-nights,
where you were begotten, where you have begotten,
a strange feeling comes over you,
when you see the silent candle burning.
Now you are no longer caught in the obsession with darkness,
and a desire for higher love-making sweeps you upward.
Distance does not make you falter.
Now, arriving in magic, flying,
and finally, insane for the light,
you are the butterfly and you are gone.
And so long as you haven’t experienced this: to die and so to grow,
you are only a troubled guest on the dark earth.
Goethe
(translated by Robert Bly)
Like what you heard on the podcast? Share us on Facebook (handy button below) or give us a review on iTunes.
Heart Break Through
photo ©Julienne Givot
Heartbreak is a term most often associated with the unfortunate end of a romantic relationship. It’s also a pervasive pattern that intersects every single human life everywhere. When we hear a friend say, “My heart is broken,” we can relate in an instant without their details. Heartbreak is an archetype that enters our lives on more than one occasion and under differing circumstances but it is not a pattern that organizes a life in the same way that, for example, the Mother does. We don’t meet someone think they were definitely born to for heartbreak. What drives the broken heart is the inability of our expectations to meet the demands of life.
A few years ago, I had my first great experience of heartbreak. The life I thought I would have and where I thought I would be by that time was unfounded and I admitted it. I couldn’t breathe as one image in sequence crashed into the next. I found it hard to stand. In the rubble of my fantasies I fell into despair.
We are forever building cities to our fantasies. We say to ourselves, “I’ll always be with this person,” “I’ll always work here,” “They’ll never die,” and so on. Then the day comes that person doesn’t love us anymore, or we get fired, or that someone dies. One illusion crumbles into another, falling against each other in a long, dusty sequence. Shocked, alternating in loss and denial, we begin a grieving process. We won’t see that the ruin that is our pain is also the opportunity. Whenever we begin something new we have to start with a clear surface to work.
I wandered through my life in the weeks that passed, through the same rooms and spaces I’d known but I wasn’t in them anymore. Whether I was angry at all the time wasted or in denial that the whole fantasy could be resurrected, I was in mourning for the life that had passed away. ”Broken heart” became a mantra that I’d repeat to myself and then a visceral experience in my chest. When others saw that something was wrong and asked after it I couldn’t speak to what I was feeling. By myself, I’d weep a great deal. And then I began to ask, “What did break?” I knew I was alive so it could not be my literal heart. Something was broken but if not my heart, then a heart that was never real to begin with. And then there it was: A thrumming in my chest, a sensation that would become a guide back to the present. No longer was I drifting in the past and projecting towards a mythical future. Every motion a moment proceeding steady. With my attention there on my heart, I wasn’t dwelling on what was gone but I stayed here with was already still.
I call the heart that broke was my thimbled heart; cold, hollow, capable of measuring out loves only as much as what was put in, and hard enough to resist intrusion. It didn’t beat much. I had to lay down the remains of my expectations, and in so doing the thimble heart of who I thought I was in order to see what still stood undisturbed.
photo ©Julienne Givot
The magnitude of suffering that quantifies “heartbreak” constitutes a transformational journey, one of such weight and consequence that the issue(s) which began the process cannot be discarded as a measure of coming through the experience and being healed. In fact that would be irresponsible. We don’t leave these things behind, for living bodies carry the scars of the wounds that have been suffered. Only corpses never heal. And let me say that crying on occasion for the person we have been is not an indication that our wounds haven’t healed, but is a signal that our hearts are alive and engaged. If anything we gain the capacity to see the heartbreak in others and a greater compassion for the condition of loss and expectation that beats in all human beings. Born from the tears cried in the suffering of our undesired experiences, a greater heart moves unrelenting. Then it is that we break upon our hearts and breaking open, bear it blazing for all beings everywhere. When we sit with one who is breaking, maybe the best we can offer is a strong witness to the grief they are bearing and allow them their experience. Of all things the greatest helper is time. Perhaps when the broken heart calls once again to visit, we can remember and bring our attention back to what is left as a practical respite from our unbearable grief of letting go.
”Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won’t either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up. And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself that you tasted as many as you could.”
The Painted Drum by Louise Erdrich
Who are you really? A Halloween Experiment
Awesome werewolf cupcake made by my friend Jan.
Halloween is such a great archetypal holiday. What other time do people get to dress up and show their alterna-selves? When my clients are trying to figure which of two similar archetypes fits them the best, I often suggest they try each one on and see how they fit. This is metaphorical but it’s also something one can do more literally by donning a costume. It can also be fun to try on something that is radically different from what you think is the norm for yourself and see how it goes. Halloween is all about this and we have the benefit of stores filled with costume ideas and accessories.
So what will your costume be this year? Does it represent an aspect of who you are or are you trying something different? Costumes can be a great way to explore and express ourselves. Whether you are going in for the whole Halloween costume thing this year (or any other time) try this experiment for some learning fun.
Archetypal Halloween Experiment
1) Visit my Discover Yours page and click the quality that you least identify with. What sort of costumes could you come up with based on the archetypes listed? What sorts of characters have those archetypes? Would you have fun trying on some of those outfits and seeing what would happen?
Next
2) Back on the Discover Yours page click the one quality that you think is the most ‘you’ of all of them. Click to open the box and see what archetypes are there. Could you imagine dressing up in a costume based on one of those listed? What sorts of characters have those archetypes?
Result: My guess is that you have probably dressed up (or thought of dressing up) in probably one from each 1 and 2. Why? We are drawn to what we have an affinity for as well as our opposites. Or I should say perceived opposites.
Carl Jung postulated that all archetypes reside within the collective unconscious and are accessible to everyone. In my practice I use about 12 archetypes with my clients which represent the core patterns they work with throughout their lives. Can we work with more than 12? The answer is yes! I believe along with many other archetypal teachers and researchers that we do work with many, many patterns but some are like situational one offs. For example someone who has the Peacemaker archetype can at times have a need to be a Warrior if circumstances call for it in a situation like defending a loved one. The Warrior might not be a usual archetype the person works with, but it can arise from time to time. Most people have done or said something and wondered “where did that come from?” which I would say is probably a shadow archetype popping up based on the situation. Jung also wrote about the archetype of the Shadow which in essence is the unseen or unacknowledged part of us. The Shadow could contain all sorts of archetypal characters and if you did the experiment above you might have found that one or two cropped up. Many times Shadow is referred to as being bad, but I try not to do that because making a hard judgement about something tends to shut down the learning process.
Have questions or want to post your results? Want some ideas for costumes to go with archetypes? Leave a reply below or shoot me a message!
AT Podcast is Now on Stitcher!
We’re pretty pleased to announce that The Archetypal Tarot Podcast is not available on Stitcher Radio. If you haven’t heard of Stitcher from their sponsorship of many great radio shows like “This American Life” or “RadioLab” let me tell you that it is pretty darn cool and a must for those of us who love talk radio and podcasts. Oh and it’s a free app which you can download from your iPhone/iPad or Android app store.
You can even scroll all the way down to the footer of this page to listen to the most recent episode.
Click this image to hear the latest episode.