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The Star – Finding True North

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Listen Now or Subscribe in iTunes 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...

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The Tower – Lightning Liberation

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 Subscribe in iTunes Is it the Tower of Destruction or the House of God? In card number sixteen of the Major Arcana, we are met with yet another image that often inspires fear and superstition. This is the first podcast in which Julienne Givot and Cyndera Quackenbush are divorced from their own tower (the recording studio) and explore this card’s symbolism from the telephone. With the sudden shock experienced in this stage of the fool’s journey, will those tethered to their addictions be struck from their habits? Does hitting rock bottom ultimately free us? Cyndera explores...

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Dancing with the Devil and the Addict

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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...

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Temperance – The Angel of Our Better Nature

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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 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....

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Death – Superstition and Psychology

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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...

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Heart Break Through

Posted by in All Articles, Archetypes and Dating, Featured Articles, Guest Contributors, In search of wisdom blog | 1 comment

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...

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Who are you really? A Halloween Experiment

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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...

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AT Podcast is Now on Stitcher!

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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...

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Hang Time and the Martyr

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Listen Now! or Subscribe in iTunes What happened!?! Our hero is hanging upside down! In the thirteenth edition of the Archetypal Tarot Podcast Julienne Givot and Cyndera Quackenbush help to dispel the superstition that often surrounds cards such as The Hanged Man, card number twelve in the Major Arcana. After an exploration of the Hanged Man’s symbolic imagery and the martyr archetype, this podcast illuminates an invitation to test the inner strength gained in the previous card and make valuable sacrifices during this period of “hang time” (yes, a sports reference made its...

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Strength Is More Than Muscle

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Listen Now! or Subscribe in iTunes The Archetypal Podcast returns from its Summer Sabbatical with its Twelfth Edition starring the eleventh Tarot card, Strength. After a turn on the Wheel of Fortune our Hero/Fool is taken in a new direction and learns from the Lion and Maiden depicted in this card.  Inner strength is called for with the knowledge that it’s made up of patience, self-control, and the awareness of one’s instincts and drives. Archetypal Consultant Julienne Givot gives us the breakdown of the empowered and disempowered archetype of the Damsel and reflections on...

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Dating Survival Guides Part 3: Safety vs. Strength

Posted by in All Articles, Archetypes and Dating, Dating Survival Guides, The Core Archetypes | 1 comment

If dating seems like an ordeal, you are not alone.  I’ve heard many versions of  “I’m not dating because it sucks”  from all sorts of people; gay, straight, men and women of all ages.  I’ve expressed that sentiment myself more than a few times, but I also know that it doesn’t HAVE to be that way.  Each of the archetypal guides in this series can help illuminate why dating can be difficult and how we can experience the process in a more grounded, wholehearted way. This next archetypal guide is a biggie – it’s probably the main reason dating can be...

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Dating Survival Guides Part 2: You Are Enough

Posted by in All Articles, Archetypes and Dating, Dating Survival Guides, The Core Archetypes | 3 comments

They say to always lead with your strength. I’m going to lead with one of my weaknesses – sometimes I feel like I’m not enough. Not smart enough, pretty enough, rich enough, thin enough etc. Basically, take any positive quality and put ‘not’ in front and ‘enough’ behind it and I can, at some point, feel that this is so. It’s a type of nefarious self-judgement that most people can identify with and it can make dating un-fun and stressful. These self-judgements can take over and have us thinking that inadequacy is the only possible reason why we...

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Victim-Victorious

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Let’s consider for a moment that we all have a container in our psyche that holds the entire history of our being wounded: betrayal, abandonment, shame – the whole painful enchilada.  This same container also holds the story of our healing: past, present and future. The archetype of the Victim is our guide through these storylines and shows us either a heroic triumph or an exasperating epic that never seems to end. The difference being which side of the pattern we pay attention to. The Victim, like the rest of the survival archetypes has a bad reputation which might be why...

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Wheel of Fortune – Taking Risks and The Gambler

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Listen Now! or Subscribe in iTunes You can’t plan this stuff! In card number 10, the Archetypal Podcast is met with the Wheel of Fortune – a fortuitous card that marks a new stage of awareness in the Fool’s journey. After evaluating new moral issues presented by Justice, and time to reflect with the Hermit, the Fool/Hero is ready to chance life more consciously with The Wheel of Fortune. Though she thinks she may have control, the Wheel (often a favorable card when appearing in Tarot readings) quickly shows her that much of life is an inexorable force operating out of our...

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The Hermit – Integration and Introspection

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Listen Now! or Subscribe in iTunes The Tenth edition of the Archetypal Podcast takes us to meet The Hermit, a figure waiting off the beaten track with the wisdom that only remote regions can give. Card number 9 allows our hero traveling through the Major Arcana to either meet or become this humbled figure full of in-sight, as represented by his seeking lantern. A re-evaluation of his journey is required after a run-in with the objectivity of Justice, before he can once again chance the Wheel of Fortune (Card number 10). Consideration of this card allows us all a moment to reflect without...

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Justice, The Judge and Mediator

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Listen Now! or Subscribe in iTunes The Ninth edition of the Archetypal Tarot Podcast attempts to do justice to the Justice card, which is number 8 of the Major Arcana. After setting out on a newly realized journey on the Chariot, our hero quickly faces some form of judgement. Justice, pictured as a stern-looking woman is reminiscent of the Goddess of Wisdom, Athena, who assists our hero to view his challenges with a rational, dispassionate perspective. Holding both sword and scales, Justice cuts through to truth and weighs the balance of our ways. Listen in as Julienne recounts the myth of...

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Meet Your Dating Survival Guides

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Dating can feel like a trip to the amusement park, filled with excitement, ups, downs and the occasional sense of inertia. Certain archetypes can help serve as guides for keeping grounded while amidst the thrills and spills of dating life. So far I’ve written about archetypal attraction based on shared patterns, paired needs and romantic chemistry. Now it’s time to dig into some of the archetypal characters that will likely show up for everyone dating. They also can play into why some people don’t even dip their toe into the dating pool. I call these our Survival Archetypes....

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The Hero and The Warrior

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Listen Now! or Subscribe in iTunes The Chariot: Hero, Warrior, and the Crossing of the First Threshold The Eighth edition of the Archetypal Tarot Podcast explores the movement and meaning encompassed by the Chariot, card number 7 of the Major Arcana. For the first time, we see our hero of the deck breaking beyond the boundary of the Emperor’s domain. In the last stage, the Lovers, he was faced with a choice and is now thrust down a particular path, reminiscent of the “crossing of the first threshold” of Joseph Campbell‘s stages of the hero’s journey. Will all...

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The Lovers – Balance and Companionship

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Listen Now! or Subscribe in iTunes The Seventh edition of the Archetypal Tarot podcast reveals our heroic Fool at his/her first genuine choice point represented by card number six, The Lovers. The Lovers brings into focus this important first choice and reminds us that love, balance and companionship are called for. This stage has us examine the archetypes of the Lover as well as the Companion. A reminder to access both our masculine ‘doing-ness’ and feminine receptivity. Listen in on a conversation with Tarot Dream Stone consultant Cyndera Quakenbush and Archetypal Consultant,...

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The Heirophant – Seeking Higher Guidance

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Listen Now! or Subscribe in iTunes The Sixth edition of the Archetypal Tarot Podcast explores the meaning of the Hierophant card of the Tarot as a stage of a journey where one examines the traditions, organizations and structures of one’s life as well as how and who to seek higher guidance from. The Hierophant, also called the Pope card in traditional Tarot decks also symbolizes the archetypes of the Priest, Guide, Guru, Shaman,Wise Man and Messiah. Truly a symbol of higher wisdom, this card is a symbol of seeking greater or spiritual knowledge. Listen in on a conversation with Tarot...

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The Archetype of the Father and King

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The Fifth edition of the Archetypal Tarot Podcast explores the meaning behind the Emperor card of the Tarot as a stage of a journey where one is asked to create structure and practical plans for your project or dream so that it can be fortified before going on to the next stage of the journey. The Emperor symbolizes the archetype of the Father as well as the King. Listen in as Julienne and Cyndera discuss these important patterns to our growth and flourishing. Listen Now! or Subscribe in iTunes Listen in on a conversation with Tarot Dream Stone consultant Cyndera Quakenbush and Archetypal...

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Three Archetypes of Awesome

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Little things can mean a lot. Let’s say you’re having a crappy day and you’re at the store when the cashier pulls out a coupon that saves you a dollar. This gives you a boost and you walk out the door in a better mood.  Maybe you don’t honk at the numbskull ahead of you for doing whatever it is that annoys you.  That person doesn’t get irked with you for being a numbskull honking at them and who knows what other little improvements occur because someone did you a solid just for the heck of it.  Little bits of beauty & generosity have a tendency to carry on...

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Archetypal Tarot Podcast

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I’ve partnered with my friend and colleague Cyndera Quakenbush to publish a new series of podcasts on archetypes.  We are exploring the archetypes of the first 22 cards Tarot  (also called the Major Arcana) as both individual patterns and as stages of a journey. Search for ‘Archetypal Tarot’  in your  iTunes Store or visit our Podcast site http://archetypaltarot.podbean.com/ to subscribe using the links on the lower right.  Each podcast is between 25 and 35 minutes long and is packed with insights, examples of the archetypes in modern life. Feel free to leave comments,...

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Archetype attraction pt 3: Shared Archetypes

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In part 2 of this series, I wrote about the ways of Romantic Archetypal Attraction where people are drawn together by the complimentary needs and attributes of their archetypes.   Equally important is the kind of an attraction to someone because of shared qualities.  If you are interested in seeing how archetypes can help you select better dates, then taking a look at how Shared Archetypal Attraction works will help. Meeting someone with one or more of the same archetypes can mean near instant bonding as well as  attraction. I think of this as a kind of friend chemistry, which when it...

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Romantic Chemistry: The Knight and the Damsel

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The next in the series about Archetypal Attraction and Romantic Chemistry The Knight and the Damsel are a matched set of patterns with naturally occurring complimentary attributes and dysfunctions. This can be true of any couple with these archetypes no matter their gender, same, different or otherwise. While we think of the Knight as a man and the Damsel a woman, that’s not always the case. I’m going to go the traditional route here but keep an open mind that the archetypes are not necessarily gender specific. The painting to the right is an eloquent image of the romantic...

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Archetype attraction part 2: Romantic Chemistry

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Read Archetype attraction part 1: The Basics Romantic Archetypal Chemistry is based on complimentary needs.  Typically it’s either an archetype we value or one that reflects qualities we want to see in ourselves.  This is the kind of attraction we usually think of in terms of romance and dating.   You know, that subtle “the puzzle pieces just fit together” kind of attraction.  That’s great right?  Who doesn’t like feeling that way?  Of course there are some pitfalls to Romantic Archetypal Chemistry because the ingrained traits and their shadowy bits can...

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Archetype attraction part 1: The Basics

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We are attracted to people by archetypal patterns.  For most people it can be so subtle that you don’t know what’s going on, but paying attention to these powerful patterns can really improve your dating experience.  I mean, wouldn’t you want something to help guide you through the sometimes dark and murky forest of dating life and toward what you are really looking for? No need to take tests, get astrological information, blood type or genealogy, just pay attention, suss out the patterns and go from there.  In this series I’m going to break archetypal attraction...

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Archetypes and Dating 101

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I was at a gathering recently and mentioned that I was thinking of writing about archetypes and dating. Heads swiveled, glasses stopped clinking and I had the feeling that I was in some sort of TV commercial with all eyes on me.  Everyone wanted to know more and where they could go to read up on my insights.  The response, beyond being kinda funny, has been pretty much the same for everyone I’ve floated the idea out to.  It’s a fascinating topic and with that kind of response, how could refuse? Do archetypes play a part in dating?  Oh indeed they do!  In fact dating might be...

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The Networker Archetype and the Tipping Point

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Are you the hub that connects a diverse group of people?  If someone mentions they are looking for a new job or a place to have great Korean Barbecue do you have a list of suggestions for them? Do you make it a habit of never throwing out business cards or deleting numbers out of your phone, just in case you want to contact them or share their info with someone else (not counting ex-boyfriends/girlfriends).  These are all traits of the Networker archetype. We are in an age of connectivity and it doesn’t appear that we can ever really go back to a time of slow paced communications. ...

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Seizing the power of Lover Archetype

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“So much is happening in the world, earthquakes, revolutions and wars and you’re writing about the archetype of the Lover?”   My reply: “Heck yeah, with all this chaos how do we approach what needs to be done without the passion of a Lover!?”   She gave me a look of kind incredulity.  “But the Lover? what could be more dreamy and ungrounded?”.  I love my friend (pun intended), and her point is well made,  the archetype of the Lover can be fluffy.  The Casablanca version of this archetype is ubiquitous and needs little explanation, but to limit...

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