In search of wisdom blog

Musings on wisdom, experience, ideas and a life well lived.

Emotional Intelligence: A Conversation with Ke’oni Hanalei

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Ke’oni Hanalei is an alchemist, Hawaiian Cultural Practitioner and founder of Pohala Botanicals https://www.pohala.net/ in Kula, Maui, Hawaii. Ke’oni comes from a long line of medicine holders (called Kahuna here in Hawaii), his lineage extends far, far, far back in time. He inherited sacred fern medicine wisdom his Grandmother, Kau’ikeonalani. We hope your enjoy this conversation with Ke’oni as we discuss masculine & feminine energies, emotional intelligence and what we are all called to be and do to fulfill our destinies and the destiny of the planet. Definitely follow Ke’oni...

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Wonder Woman

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Cyndera and Julienne bring their provocative archetypal and tarotic insights into the new film Wonder Woman.  The archetypes in The Priestess, The Sun and the Chariot are at play in the film.   They also discuss how listeners can become a part of the Archetypal Tarot team by signing up to be a patron of the show.  https://patron.podbean.com/atpodcast Subscribe in iTunes   Treatise on Wonder Woman by Cyndera Quakenbush In an attempt to add a poster of Wonder Woman to my office, a new colleague of mine expressed her reservation to the addition of this image to the office environment,...

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Embracing the Grace of Change

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“Tell me, what is it that you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” – Mary Oliver I am so very excited to present this new Archetypes & a Movie course to you! The third edition of Archetypes & a Movie examines what happens when our old story has reached the end of it’s shelf life and how we can embrace the grace that change brings us. Using the film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel as contemplation on the choices and opportunities that lead us to an unexpected next chapter of our lives. This self guided workshop is comprised of lecture and commentary on the film plus...

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The Nature and Nurture of Passion (podcast)

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Subscribe in iTunes My co-host Cyndera and I are very excited to announce a new format for the Archetypal Tarot Podcast. We will be revisiting the Major Arcana but this time with special guests giving their insights on the themes and ideas presented by these ancient yet totally relevant archetypal stories. We start the new year off on the topic of Passion, it’s nature and how we can actually nurture a sense of vitality and adventure in our lives. Our guest for this edition is an author who has literally written the book on the nature and nurture of passion, Gregg Levoy.  Gregg is the...

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The Way: A Journey of Healing & Self Acceptance

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I am super happy to announce that another edition of the Archetypes & A Movie course is now available.  As the Producer of this series it’s an especially joyous occasion, not just a ‘job done’ elation but gratitude for how much I have learned throughout the process of producing the course.  My dear friend, teacher and client, Jim Curtan is doing something unique – he’s helping us See (and I mean that with a capital S) our lives in a new way by using the popular art of movies. This new course centers around the idea of a modern pilgrimage, of our journey...

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Books That Saved My Life

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Into each life comes information that changes the course of your life, in tiny ways and gargantuan ones.  For me, books have always been a source of life-changing information.  Fiction and non-fiction alike have turned the rudder of my life for as far back as I can remember.  There are some that I sought out, heard about from a friend or teacher and others that literally have leaped off the shelf and fallen at my feet. If you have a curiosity about meaning, creativity, relationships, connection, philosophy and just what the heck our purpose for being here is, you will get a great deal from...

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Harvesting from this year’s season

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I’ve been contemplating the fact that we are now almost half way through 2014.  How did that happen and where did the last 5 months go?   More importantly, what season is it? I mean this metaphorically.   It’s almost Summer here in my part of the western United States – but what season is it for me, in my life and business?   What needs further tending and what is ready for harvest?  So when I read the following from Poet and Author David Whtye’s recent article entitled 10 Questions that Have No Right To Go Away it was thought provoking for me on many levels...

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Heart Break Through

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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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Hedonist Revolutionary

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I haven’t found a more potent and exciting combination of the Hedonist and the Revolutionary archetypes than in Jamie Oliver (formerly know as the Naked Chef).   One of the the UK’s brightest culinary exports is  taking America by storm and I for one love him all the more for it.  He won the TED prize in 2010 and began by using his 100k grant to start a Food Revolution!. One year later his progress is stunning and includes a partnership with the American Heart Association and numerous thriving community projects. You can read more about it here at TED.com Jamie is an...

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Part of us is grouchy and lives in Florida

Posted by in All Articles, Guest Contributors, In search of wisdom blog, On Film & TV, The Core Archetypes | 2 comments

Understanding archetypes goes much deeper than a chat about a movie and beyond the confines of a psychology textbook.  An archetype is not just a pattern “out there” in theory but it is a recurring set of experiences that unfold through the course of a human life.  Our ability to spot when a particular pattern walks in the door makes the difference between acting out and making a conscious choice.  We begin to view the shape of our lives within an archetypal language by introducing ourselves to four patterns that we all share, the Survival Archetypes.  Let’s imagine...

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DMC and the Angel

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“Everything happens for a reason.” Says Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, who is one third of the pioneering rap group Run DMC and one of the most influential rap artists of all time.  At the age of 35, DMC made a startling discovery and suddenly, everything he thought he knew about himself had changed.  He told his story on stage at a Moth Storytelling event which was aired on the radio and subsequently published as a podcast.  Info on subscribing to the free podcast here. DMC’s story caught my attention because it’s about purpose, destiny and the seemingly small...

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What keeps you in the cave? Archetype of the Zombie

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We find ourselves in the middle of the first month of the New Year. The air is still fresh, dreams are new, and heartbeats run fast. Maybe, like me, you are starting to slump under the abundance of material on keeping resolutions for the next twelve months. Instead of yet another piece on holding your intentions for the next month, let’s look at an archetype that can be your ally for the rest of your life. The Zombie, which is only increasing its popularity in films, comic books, and classic novel mash-ups, is an image that hardly needs an introduction.  They are dead people returned...

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An Artist Walks into a Monastery

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How do archetypal motivations become passions that bring something new into the world? Sometimes one enriches another so much as to create a whole new experience. Inspiration is the deity of the Artist and contemplation the mark of the Monk/Nun. These two archetypes might not ordinarily be considered a natural synergistic match but in 2006, Bay Area artists Betsy McCall and Christopher Fülling began such an adventure in creativity and contemplation called The Art Monastery Project. The Art Monastery Project is a contemporary experiment in social sculpture inspired by the tradition of the...

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Myth and Motivation of the Martyr Archetype

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Know a Martyr? Most people have had the experience of working with or knowing someone with a  Martyr archetype,  or maybe you even see it in yourself.  I’d like to provide some information in order to help understand and work with this pattern. Bad Reputation The Martyr archetype seems to get a bad rap and I think I know why.   It  has to do with the Martyr’s very visible shadow form and a motivation behind the behavior that is not always clear.  You might be familiar with the ‘hand-on-forehead-oh-I’ll-do-it-because-no-one-else-will’ type of Martyr...

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The Poet

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I try to make a point to write about what could be called the ‘unsung’ archetypes.  One’s that don’t seem to have a popular or even a very present place in our culture.   Last month I wrote about the archetype of the Scribe to illuminate it’s presence and potential for positive change. I’ve recently come across some wonderful pieces of poetry and it brought to mind the power of the Poet archetype.   For many people poetry can seem lofty , arcane or just downright fluffy in terms of day to day life and yet a good piece of poetry can stop us in our...

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Chaos Calling

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The ingredients for a resilient, empowered and purposeful life are within you.  That knowledge is at the heart of my practice and my vocation is to provide the tools and guidance to not only learn more about the wonderful person that is you, but to live more fully by discovering your own powerful resources. Nearly every client I speak with and those I meet when I’m out and about, all share a feeling that they are being called to  live their lives more fully and use their resources for something greater than before. It’s no wonder that we are feeling this way.  We see the word...

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Mothers and Bears Oh my!

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I recently came upon a blog post by Arianna Huffingtoncalled  Sarah Palin, “Mama Grizzlies,” Carl Jung, and the Power of Archetypes . Huffington points out the use of the shadow aspects of the Mother and Bear archetypal symbols being used by Palin and her cadre, the self-proclaimed “Mama Grizzlies” as having a powerful and popular appeal among women. The “Mama Grizzlies” are  not the only movement of these two archetypes at large today however. The International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers represent a global alliance of prayer, education and...

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Summertime and the Child Archetype

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It’s summertime here in the northern hemisphere and it seems our Child archetypes are clamoring to go out and play.  I remember as a child, summer was about being outside and hanging out doing whatever we fancied at the time.   For most of us, childhood was the only time we’ve felt totally free.  Once the archetype of the responsible Adult comes along, any frivolous playtime tends to get reserved for weekends and vacations.  We box up the fun and put it on the shelf until the appropriate time. Summer can bring the Child out in all of us.  I’ve noticed it in my clients...

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What counts? Does productivity = happiness?

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How do we measure what makes life worthwhile?  When the dotcom bubble burst, hotelier Chip Conley went in search of a business model based on happiness. In an old friendship with an employee and in the wisdom of a Buddhist king, he learned that success comes from what you count.  Watch Chip’s 20 min talk on what he found. What’s pretty amazing is that we don’t really measure happiness on a meaningful level at work or in government.  I’m not even sure we have a good way to do this yet.  Oh sure, we look at indicators of things that *might* mean that the general...

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Storyfied: The Storyteller Archetype

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This is a true story about one woman, the Storyteller archetype and it’s power for both good and tragic.   I came across it on a podcast recording from The Moth which is a not-for-profit storytelling organization. When Nancy Finton was in her early 20’s she had a job as a bartender in New York City.  She tells of riding the subway home late at night and walking along  dark  streets making up stories about how she would defeat any attacker who came her way. Sometimes she would walk with such belief in her own goodness that she imagined that no one would dare hurt her.  She...

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Reunion: How We Heal Our Broken Connection to the Earth

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Reunion: How We Heal Our Broken Connection to the Earth by Ellen Gunter and Ted  Carter. This is an incredible and practical guide to reconnecting with our planet co-authored by one of my colleagues from the CMED Institute. Highly recommended! Click here to purchase editorial description: From the earliest mythologies, it’s clear we all start as a little bit of dirt. But these stories aren’t just entertaining. They also carry a profound message: each of us is born with a deep and abiding connection to the earth, one that many of us have lost touch with. The authors, Ellen Gunter...

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Facing the Bully: A New Karate Kid

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Poke fun all you want, but I am totally cool with their being a new Karate Kid movie (coming in June).   I’ve no doubt that Jackie Chan can pull off the Mentor role first played by Pat Morita (Mr. Miyagi).  He’s made an entire career playing Fools and Warriors with a lesson to teach (Teacher) so this role should fit like a glove.   From the trailer it appears that Jaden Smith is going to do well playing the scrappy  young Warrior-in-training as Ralph Macchio did in 1984. The Child/Victim taking down the Bully is one of our perennial archetypal stories.  It’s the David...

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Ok Go! music to get the funk out

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I love coming across wisdom and inspiration in musical form!  Nothing is better than some poignant lyrics accompanied by and infectious groove.  Double the fun with a highly entertaining video. Ok Go, the band that brought us the clever and highly entertaining music video featuring a routine performed on multiple tread mills has done it again.  And with some incredibly inspiring lyrics to boot!  With so much chaos out there I really appreciate the message of letting go and getting on with it. I am really enjoying the new album from Ok Go and have added it to my store. Buy the MP3...

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