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February Salon

March 1, 2002

TITLE: DEVELOPING YOUR ARCHETYPAL IMAGINATION

Before we begin this month's Salon, I want to thank all of you for your support in allowing me to forgo my January Salon. I was on a book tour, as most of you know, that took me through twenty-four cities, and I gotta tell ya, half the time I wasn't sure what city I was in. I had some great adventures, and at the same time I became all the more aware of how deeply our nation has been affected by that dreadful day, Sept. 11. That awareness I credit to practically living in airports for six straight weeks. The sight of soldiers with guns all over the place, coupled with being randomly searched more times than I can recall, made real to me that the country I grew up in is no more. I was particularly gripped with horror when I had to deal with many of the people who have the jobs of checking through your luggage and clothing. Their voice tone matched that of prison guards, as the basic "please" and "thank you," spoken in a bright or mellow voice were replaced by harsh-toned directives. I suddenly realized that I was a suspect until proven otherwise -- and I didn't like the feeling one bit.

OVERVIEW

The entire spectrum of life is essentially an archetypal playground. Everything in the universe is symbolic. The planets are named for their symbolic power, not their location in the solar system. Mountain ranges, oceans, and the plants of the nature kingdom bear titles that refer to their power, not just their physical beauty. The myths, folklore, and teachings from all spiritual traditions and all great literature credits the profound significance of the symbolic truths that are carried within and through the themes and characters of those stories. Flood stories are not just about weather disasters; they represent a Divine purge that is meant to flush away the emotional toxins in a person's nature, or in an entire society. This symbolic truth and wisdom is passed down from generation to generation. Literal history has its place, of course, but when a universal truth can be found at play within a literal event, then the event is elevated to the status of legend.

YOU ARE LITERALLY BLOCKED

My skill at giving someone an accurate reading is influenced powerfully by my ability to resonate with the symbolic dimension of life. I never would have described intuitive language in that way years ago, because, for one thing, I was not familiar with archetypal information back then. But I have since come to believe that learning, or becoming disciplined at looking for the symbolic significance active within the literal fact, is the source of clear intuitive ability. I am forever referring to scriptural teachings because they contain the basic knowledge of life, and if I find a teaching that is inherent in all traditions, then I know that teaching to be a truth as opposed to something that is merely true. (As an example, it is true that I am sitting at my desk writing my February Salon right now, but the truth is that I am not fully aware of the reasons why I feel compelled to teach this material.)

THE DOOR INTO YOUR ARCHETYPAL IMAGINATION

Stories like Sal's beg the question, How, then, do you develop your archetypal imagination? And why is it so difficult to release the hold the literal world has on you? Among the advantages of the literal, physical realm is that you can touch it and see it, and so it automatically has a power of palpability over the symbolic realm. Your physical life is your practical, day-to-day life and your means to survive and thrive, and that fact cannot be underplayed. (For as powerful as a symbolic read on something can be, symbolic information often lacks immediate significance. It's interesting, intriguing, and often gives you hope, but it may not always seem practical or useful at first.) Your survival instinct automatically directs your attention to the physical world, which is exactly how it should be.

HOW DO YOU DEVELOP AN ARCHETYPAL IMAGINATION?

I am now assuming as I examine this question that you are armed with at least a few archetypes, such as the four survival (Child, Victim, Prostitute, and Saboteur), and that you are now going to focus on the task of approaching the various bits of your everyday life, such as relationships or work, with the intention of seeing and understanding the meaning of what is spinning around you. I'll forgo the need to say that you have to practice, practice, practice, and get on with telling you to practice turning the prism. First, get accustomed to asking yourself if you are seeing only the literal perspective and looking through only the obvious present moment. Here's an example. You are always going to be in some interaction that will generate a "What's going on here?" question. Do not read that with a tone of voice that automatically suggests a problem. "What's going on here?" is as much a response to something delightful as it is to something stressful; seeking an archetypal reference point is equally useful from both ends of that polarity. With love,
Caroline