A series of livid waking nightmares arose in the year or so since my mother’s death. I’ve had five or six in the last month. In all the dreams, someone stood by my bed and pointed their hand toward me. I knew 1000% that if they touched me, I would die. Instantly. Four or five times I leapt out of bed to get away and fell to the hard floor. 😩 Once I hit my husband, believing he was my attacker.
A month ago, on the night I shared a novel I’d just finished that exposes my worst year of sexual trauma, the hand returned. I fell twice, unknowingly injured my throat and both shins while running out to my friend’s 4th floor deck. I shut the door and waited in terror until I realized the threat wasn’t real.
Jung is a longtime spirit guide since childhood (the Red Book became my blueprint for awakening). Intuition showed me the time and place for a ritual of active imagination. I was guided to the underworld, where I was the egg that became me - inside my mother’s 4-year-old body (factually true). There I felt and witnessed a large man lay upon her, with his hands around her neck. Likely her uncle. She couldn’t breathe and felt she would die. Result: her lifetime of trying to heal the trauma in her body - and mine. The insight: her truth. “Touch kills.”
I believed the nightmares would end, but I had three more in the week after. In one the hand held a bar soap. Symbol of an emerging memory, my grandmother’s abuse of me in the bathtub. Guided to do a time-travel healing ceremony last week, I held my toddler self as a wise, loving elder while the scary things occurred. No more dreams since then.
I feel so blessed by these dreams and healings. Doing the intergenerational work I’ve long tended, deep into my ancestry (it’s the theme of my novel, half told by my soul).
My questions: can a person be “done”?? 🤪 If you were me, would you seek trauma therapy to support my inner work?
I did a class on nightmares last winter, relating them to the first stage in alchemy, the nigredo (https://www.theartemisian.com/p/nightmares-and-nigredo). One of the points I make is that overwhelming, painful, disturbing images and dreams are often the beginning of an arc of inner transformation. In alchemy, the process begins in death and destruction, and is accompanied by very similar symbols that we see in nightmares.
If we approach nightmares (and traumatic experience) in that way, we might conclude that meeting the darkness is only the first step, afterwards is usually a longer process of assimilation, new perspective, renewed vitality, integration, etc.
In terms of seeking out therapy to support your inner work, it might be helpful to reflect on the journey you've been on so far with this material. Does it feel like a major integration has happened since the dreams stopped? Or might this just be the next stage you're in? I think therapy is always such a lovely support for inner work, whether we are in crisis or not.
For what it's worth, I have found that the work doesn't really end, we're never done, but new iterations arise with further opportunity for understanding, healing, and deepening. It doesn't mean it will always haunt and wound us, but like a spiral, we meet new versions of it. Also, the deeper we go, the more regulated we tend to be, so it doesn't throw one off as much!
Thank you so much for your generosity offering this thread, and with the depth of your reply. I’ve been through the death/nigredo and other stages of alchemical transformation, so I’m familiar with the process. But not with this layer of multigenerational trauma material. Thank you for framing it that way! so I can feel into the path ahead. I’ll look into your nightmare class too. Yes, a spiral! 🌀
Hi Alyssa! I've been deep in archetypal work and even doing research on the feminine archetypes and I'm wondering how to navigate with so many archetypes! I was realizing I feel like I do not fit into any single archetype, and even studying feminine archetypes, I genuinely feel like I'm all of them lol. I was thinking maybe I classify as the "maiden who has seen to much but not yet a queen, mother, or crone" lol. I'm not sure how to make archetypes study useful when it feels so vast! Any ideas would be appreciated on finding the one that most resonates.
Which sources have you been referencing during your research? Depending on the books/teachers, you may get a very different explanation of archetypes.
Archetypes are the bedrock of the psyche, psychological structures that underlie our experience. Sometimes they're described as psychological instincts, primordial patterns, or dynamic forces. In essence, they are the generative, creative field of the psyche that sits at the heart of our inner and outer life.
Archetypal figures (like the maiden) are not the archetype itself, but a product that arises from it. There is something within us that coalesces around themes of feminine youth and sovereignty, it conditions us to approach life in certain ways, creating patterns of behavior, and also generates typical images and symbols like heroines in fairytales. We don't know exactly what the archetype is, but we understand it's influence and presence from these products and influences. Even calling it the archetype of the maiden is imprecise...but it's the best we can do!
All of that to say, we are not archetypes, but they are a part of us. All of the archetypes are inherent within and become activated during different periods of life. So you might step more into the archetype of the mother if you are nurturing a creative project or preparing for physical birth. You might notice typical symbols of the mother archetype in your dreams or feel drawn to mythic mothering figures.
Then, in other areas of life, other archetypes may be activated (or dormant). So I think it's best to consider a particular life situation or phase, and begin to uncover the archetype that feels most central to it.
Thank you for linking these resources here, excited to dive in. There's been a lot online about feminine archetypes and how you can use them to help position yourself for the business and romance opportunities you want, so I've been reviewing those (admit it's a bit basic but sometimes I find the overtly practical discussions helpful lol). So that's why I was saying I just didn't feel like I fit into any of the female archetypes presented so I like what you say here we are not them, but they are apart of us. I don't know if the archetype-led marketing will be for me LOL. but excited to learn more on archetypes in general on my spiritual journey.
I love when resources can be practical, I try to offer that in my work as much as possible. The issue with a lot of online sources, I find, is that they're approaching archetypes in a very one-dimensional way. Essentially as types of figures, as labels of things we are or could be, without any of the psychological complexity that archetypes actually carry. More times than not, those approaches create more confusion!
Like in this case, it's trying to force you into a narrow label, just one expression of feminine archetypal experience, when in reality, you move between many! It doesn't mean you can't narrow in on one-you absolutely can!
Over the last six months I've made myself fairly familiar with Jungian concepts, probably just enough to be dangerous. But it's genuinely helped me. Several times, lately, I've been able to reframe my responses to parenting situations and personal relationships through the lens of the Shadow. Instead of pushing certain reactions aside or pretending they're not there, I try to name them, have that internal conversation, and move forward in ways that are more constructive than what my Shadow would want from me.
That's been useful enough that I'm curious what other archetypes might work similarly in everyday life. The Shadow feels intuitive once you get it, but I keep bumping into things like the Anima and I'm not sure when or how those show up in practical, ordinary situations. Not neuroses or major psychological crises, just, you know, like on a Tuesday.
I guess what I'm really asking is: are there archetypes that translate as cleanly as the Shadow does into everyday parenting, work dynamics, personal relationships? And are there common life situations where you'd say "that's classically this archetype showing up"?
Part of my problem is I've been going to Jung’s primary sources, and I often struggle to connect the theory back to my normal life. I wish I had a Jungian therapist to think out loud with! Short of that, if you know of practical books oriented toward using these concepts in ordinary life rather than clinical contexts, I'd love a recommendation or two.
Thanks for doing open office hours. This is a cool thing to offer.
I think all of the archetypes can translate easily and cleanly onto our lives in certain capacities. And then, in certain expressions, it is completely unique to the individual, so you have to do a bit more work to identify it. Does that make sense?
For example, the anima plays a huge role in relationships - who we're naturally drawn to, where we project unconscious dynamics and our un-lived inner life, etc. That soul-image can look really different for each person, which can translate to the type of person you find yourself in relationships with, their qualities and characteristics, figures in your dreams, recurring relational issues, etc. From person to person, it's a totally different landscape, but the inner architecture is the same.
For books, it's generally easier to get topic specific and then find one's that are more grounded and easily applicable to everyday life. Meeting the Shadow is a great book for working with the shadow. The book Inner Work by Robert A. Johnson is great for dreams and active imagination.
Hi Alyssa! I would love some reading recommendations for fiction books that might expand archetypal/Jungian understanding. I love novels for reading before bed! Thanks!
Are you familiar with Robin Hobb? My absolute favorite fantasy series is written by her and I think it touches into some really potent psychological and archetypal material in a way that feels natural to the format - exploring relationships to magic, psychological wounding, relational dynamics, etc. It begins with The Farseer Trilogy!
I dreamt that I was queuing up to go to the Opera with a group of friends. We all had tuxedos and gowns on and everybody was waiting in line for tickets, and apparently paying in cash. It was €50 - I had to get the cash out of my wallet to pay the man (who also had a tuxedo on). He seemed like a very kind friendly man.
When I tried to get the money out at first I couldn't find it. I only had €10 and €5 notes. Eventually I found it but I pulled it out and it had other receipts attached to it so it took me a while to pay, which was all a bit embarrassing. Then once I paid he gave me a little receipt which I assumed would be exchangeable for the ticket later on. I didn't say anything and then I set off walking with this friend of mine - who was actually the mother of a childhood friend of mine (so around 30 years older than me IRL), although in the dream she was my age and didn't look exactly the same.
We were walking back to the house where we were staying and I said to her, out of the blue, "Have you ever tried moving water?" She said, "What do you mean?" I said, "Trying to divert water when it rains. Have you ever tried doing that?" She still didn't know what I meant and I pointed to a drainage ditch alongside the dirt road that we were walking up. She seemed completely bemused by what I was saying.
I was thinking as we were walking along, "There's nothing I'd rather be doing than going out in the rain and diverting water or digging swales, creating water retention landscapes." I thought that's one thing I'd really like to do. I want to do it before I die. I thought I'd really prefer to just design the landscapes than have to dig them myself as maybe I'm a bit old to be doing that sort of hard manual labour.
Then we went to this house, which I think was a little bit like the house that I rented when I went with a friend to a festival in Portugal. I think I was talking to this lady a little bit more there but then I woke up.
I had the dream last week. I'd say the dream is a 'coincidence of opposites' dream, which I have quite a lot: the 'civilised' opera vs the 'earthy' desire to work with water retention.
I am waiting to be paid some money but bureaucracy is delaying it. Also there may be a feeling of 'deserving' this money, or not, or not feeling at home in the 'opera' atmosphere. I actually went to see an opera in the cinema a few days after this dream, but not because of the dream - I only consciously remembered it afterwards.
The 'moving water' stuff is something I have actually done on a very small scale in the community I used to live in. It's inspired by Paul Krafel's book 'Seeing Nature', where he describes how observing deeply how nature works inspired a new way of looking at the world and pulled him out of a depression.
The friend is a parent of a childhood friend who I eventually realised was not a good influence on me and with whom I cut off contact. I mean I cut off from the friend, not his mother, who my family did stay in touch with and who I do continue to speak to occasionally. She's much older than me IRL but in the dream we were the same age. Weirdly she resembled Ann from the show Arrested Development - Ann is a very uptight, boring girl from a family of religious fanatics, and has nothing in common with the mother of my friend.
The emotional tone would be 'expecting disappointment but actually things working out pretty well, with hope for the future, as long as I 'go with the flow''. I think it's a very significant dream.
I did a tarot about this dream which was illuminating and I can share it with you but I'd like to hear your thoughts first please.
I wonder at the deeper symbolism of money, beyond its ties to what’s happening in waking life.
When I think of money, I think of exchange, resources, worth, abundance vs lack, the cost of something, etc.
You need the exact right bill, €50. There’s something very precise about this, no flexibility, no bringing together other notes to make up €50. What are you paying for (or feel that you have to pay for) that carries this kind of exactness? Or, where might you be in a relationship of exchange where there are certain costs and expectations to engaging (the fancy clothes, the ticket)? Does this feel directly related to the situation you mentioned, or does it touch into other elements of life?
What I find interesting is that you seemingly meet those parameters in the dream and then circumvent the event all together!! Perhaps the struggle to find the money, all of the receipts (imprints of past experience?), takes you out of the opera environment and into somewhere you feel more called to.
Do you think water in this dream carries a similar meaning as the association you mentioned? Perhaps getting into relationship with one’s psychological nature so it allows a new of way of seeing to emerge? To experience emotional renewal?
In that case, digging into the landscape, or designing it at the very least, is about excavating one’s psychic landscape. Designing it in a way that one's emotionality, longings, dreams, etc flow with ease rather than getting dammed up or wasted?
It sort of feels like a call to find more reciprocity with one’s inner water system - whatever that may truly be to you.
The movement of the dream is important though: the interaction at the opera and the exchange with the kindly man conditions the next scene to happen. I would consider what that might mean to you.
Lastly, the friend plays an interesting role in making you vocalize and make your statement clear. It starts out sort of vague, but her questioning brings clarity. Is she helping you further break out of something related back to the opera and money exchange?
That it leads to a house is a good sign! New psychic structures, perhaps? Although you mention it's just a place you're staying…so it feels temporary and requires some more permanent commitment and serious attention.
Thanks a lot Alyssa, that's very insightful, a lot to ponder there. The tarot reading I did about the dream seemed to highlight several of the same points - that I need to dig below the surface chaos (Five of Wands) to the living water underneath. Will contemplate, thanks again.
Hi! I I have two questions if OK. 1) have gotten pentacles in the unconscious position (in my latest two card spreads, related to work and feeling stuck, where one card is the conscious attitude and the other is the unconscious). Could the Pentacles in this position point to an issue of perfectionism (Knight of Pentacles and10 of pentacles)?
2. In another card spread about figuring out what I really want, I got the below and it seems to me that I haven't even scratched the surface. Do you have any thoughts? Thanks!
Card 1 Conscious: 8 of pentacles. I consciously know that I want to make things with my hands, to create more consistently, to meaningfully contribute, to live less in my head and on my phone, and to be more present and engage with the world through direct experience. I think this card also indicates my desire to work on concrete and not abstract projects. I also want financial security.
Card 2/Unconscious: Judgement. I judge myself so much that this card scared me. I was struck by the image of children in open tombs. I wonder if the tombs being flung open are the doors to my psyche and desires and wants being flung open and making their way to the surface. I see it as a card of taking accountability for one’s journey and flinging your arms open to change, and maybe I am ready for a big change. But I don’t know what that change looks like yet. Am I completely off here?
Perfectionism might be the culprit. There's so much attention to detail, execution, and the product itself when dealing with the pentacles. Do you sense perfectionism in yourself?
I also wonder, given the Knight of Pentacles and the 10 of Pentacles, if there isn't an element of time and process at play here. The Knight of Pentacles is really methodical, the development is slow and incremental. It can feel as if nothing exciting or meaningful is happening (though that may be an illusion). The 10 of Pentacles, being the end point of the pips, also speaks to the long cycle, how much effort and time goes into establishing something abundant and self-sustaining.
Might there be frustration with how long things are taking? Is that contributing to the feeling of stuckness?
8 of Pentacles, in its most exalted expression, is doing work that we love and are committed to. It's honing your craft and developing your skills so that the effort feels powerful and worth every moment of struggle. It's your vocation, truly lived and embodied. Are you engaged in that work currently, or trying to find it?
Judgement makes me wonder if you are in alignment with your deeper calling, vocation, or living a life that feels right. In the unconscious position, it means that the archetype of true awakening is activated but you're not working with it as consciously. This usually requires a kind of breaking free of old habits/ways of being, reconciliation, stepping onto a new path, etc. If you've been resistant to change, than this card says...it's happening no matter what, will you work with it or against it?
I hope you're keeping well! I was wondering if I could get some guidance on a Tarot spread I recently did regarding a creative project. I did a 9 card spread with a crossing card on 5
But the spread was as follows
Top Row
1 The Star upright
2 6 of wands upright
3 King of Wands upright
Middle Row
4 8 of Pentacles reversed
5 10 of swords upright
6 9 of cups upright
Bottom row
7 The world reversed
8 The Fool upright
9 The chariot upright
5 was crossed with The Hanged Man.
Sorry, I'm not familiar with whether you can post pictures in comments on Substack or I would have done that.
Sorry I forgot to mention my own interpretation as perhaps the project needs a complete overhaul because mentally it's not working out, but unconsciously it points to a new beginning with more momentum, but something blocks it. Or it's also about my own impatience to see the completion of it but maybe getting overwhelmed by that desire too.
So I read the top row as Higher Calling, Middle Row as my consciousness/present day and and the bottom row as the unconscious. The question I really focused on was where is this creative writing project heading and what do I need to learn or do on my end to see it to completion. I also read the crossing card as an additional energy to think about while addressing momentum for the project. I hope that makes sense!
The cluster of wands joined with The Star is heartening and supportive for creative work. Especially in the higher calling position, it seems that achievement and accomplishment are indeed possible. The King, however, gives me pause. Oftentimes, they press us to the boundaries of our ownership, they challenge us to step into self-authority and sovereignty. The Star, too, implies previous hardship (The Tower) as essential to the path you’re walking. I wonder if that is why the middle row has some difficult cards.
Does the creative project feel stalled out? The 8 of pentacles rx can feel that way. Coupled with the 10 of Swords, it seems like there needs to be a reconciliation with ideas, beliefs, attitudes, approaches that have fundamentally undermined this work. Especially if it blocks 9 of Cups themes, which can center around self-confidence, belief in one’s gifts, a willingness to be seen and appreciated, etc.
The unconscious row has an interesting tension. The World rx makes me wonder: are you resisting the ending of something (maybe the 10 of Swords)? Does the creative work feel stagnated? The Hanged Man implies that the stagnation has purpose though, and it’s about leaning into that to uncover deeper insight that brings forth change. When that happens, new energy unfurls - movement, direction, renewed self (The Fool + The Chariot).
Yes, it definitely does! When I was looking at the cards I felt like the King of Wands was directly looking at the 10 of Swords as if saying "get up!". And that image really stuck with me.
The project feels stalled because I feel like I got bogged down in the details and characters. And the initial steam/excitement got lost in a sense of overwhelm. But then I thought the project needed a revamp. I think the end I'm resisting feels like it's about life rather than the project. But then maybe the first iteration of the project has to die for a new version to emerge.
Thank you so much for the interpretation!! You've given me a lot to think about!!
You're welcome! I'd also come back to the Hanged Man and consider, "what might I not be seeing that he wants to reveal?" Usually with that card, what is obvious is not essential thing, but something deeper that only reveals itself through pause, contemplation, seeing things from new angles, etc.
A series of livid waking nightmares arose in the year or so since my mother’s death. I’ve had five or six in the last month. In all the dreams, someone stood by my bed and pointed their hand toward me. I knew 1000% that if they touched me, I would die. Instantly. Four or five times I leapt out of bed to get away and fell to the hard floor. 😩 Once I hit my husband, believing he was my attacker.
A month ago, on the night I shared a novel I’d just finished that exposes my worst year of sexual trauma, the hand returned. I fell twice, unknowingly injured my throat and both shins while running out to my friend’s 4th floor deck. I shut the door and waited in terror until I realized the threat wasn’t real.
Jung is a longtime spirit guide since childhood (the Red Book became my blueprint for awakening). Intuition showed me the time and place for a ritual of active imagination. I was guided to the underworld, where I was the egg that became me - inside my mother’s 4-year-old body (factually true). There I felt and witnessed a large man lay upon her, with his hands around her neck. Likely her uncle. She couldn’t breathe and felt she would die. Result: her lifetime of trying to heal the trauma in her body - and mine. The insight: her truth. “Touch kills.”
I believed the nightmares would end, but I had three more in the week after. In one the hand held a bar soap. Symbol of an emerging memory, my grandmother’s abuse of me in the bathtub. Guided to do a time-travel healing ceremony last week, I held my toddler self as a wise, loving elder while the scary things occurred. No more dreams since then.
I feel so blessed by these dreams and healings. Doing the intergenerational work I’ve long tended, deep into my ancestry (it’s the theme of my novel, half told by my soul).
My questions: can a person be “done”?? 🤪 If you were me, would you seek trauma therapy to support my inner work?
Hi Christine,
I did a class on nightmares last winter, relating them to the first stage in alchemy, the nigredo (https://www.theartemisian.com/p/nightmares-and-nigredo). One of the points I make is that overwhelming, painful, disturbing images and dreams are often the beginning of an arc of inner transformation. In alchemy, the process begins in death and destruction, and is accompanied by very similar symbols that we see in nightmares.
If we approach nightmares (and traumatic experience) in that way, we might conclude that meeting the darkness is only the first step, afterwards is usually a longer process of assimilation, new perspective, renewed vitality, integration, etc.
In terms of seeking out therapy to support your inner work, it might be helpful to reflect on the journey you've been on so far with this material. Does it feel like a major integration has happened since the dreams stopped? Or might this just be the next stage you're in? I think therapy is always such a lovely support for inner work, whether we are in crisis or not.
For what it's worth, I have found that the work doesn't really end, we're never done, but new iterations arise with further opportunity for understanding, healing, and deepening. It doesn't mean it will always haunt and wound us, but like a spiral, we meet new versions of it. Also, the deeper we go, the more regulated we tend to be, so it doesn't throw one off as much!
Thank you so much for your generosity offering this thread, and with the depth of your reply. I’ve been through the death/nigredo and other stages of alchemical transformation, so I’m familiar with the process. But not with this layer of multigenerational trauma material. Thank you for framing it that way! so I can feel into the path ahead. I’ll look into your nightmare class too. Yes, a spiral! 🌀
Hi Alyssa! I've been deep in archetypal work and even doing research on the feminine archetypes and I'm wondering how to navigate with so many archetypes! I was realizing I feel like I do not fit into any single archetype, and even studying feminine archetypes, I genuinely feel like I'm all of them lol. I was thinking maybe I classify as the "maiden who has seen to much but not yet a queen, mother, or crone" lol. I'm not sure how to make archetypes study useful when it feels so vast! Any ideas would be appreciated on finding the one that most resonates.
Hi Kiki!
Which sources have you been referencing during your research? Depending on the books/teachers, you may get a very different explanation of archetypes.
Archetypes are the bedrock of the psyche, psychological structures that underlie our experience. Sometimes they're described as psychological instincts, primordial patterns, or dynamic forces. In essence, they are the generative, creative field of the psyche that sits at the heart of our inner and outer life.
Archetypal figures (like the maiden) are not the archetype itself, but a product that arises from it. There is something within us that coalesces around themes of feminine youth and sovereignty, it conditions us to approach life in certain ways, creating patterns of behavior, and also generates typical images and symbols like heroines in fairytales. We don't know exactly what the archetype is, but we understand it's influence and presence from these products and influences. Even calling it the archetype of the maiden is imprecise...but it's the best we can do!
All of that to say, we are not archetypes, but they are a part of us. All of the archetypes are inherent within and become activated during different periods of life. So you might step more into the archetype of the mother if you are nurturing a creative project or preparing for physical birth. You might notice typical symbols of the mother archetype in your dreams or feel drawn to mythic mothering figures.
Then, in other areas of life, other archetypes may be activated (or dormant). So I think it's best to consider a particular life situation or phase, and begin to uncover the archetype that feels most central to it.
A couple resources at The Artemisian to help:
- Archetypes Are More Than Mythic Figures (https://www.theartemisian.com/p/archetypes-are-more-than-mythic-figures) an article breaking down misconceptions.
- Meeting the Archetypes Within (https://www.theartemisian.com/p/meeting-the-archetypes-within) a workshop to help you uncover archetypes and work with them.
Thank you for linking these resources here, excited to dive in. There's been a lot online about feminine archetypes and how you can use them to help position yourself for the business and romance opportunities you want, so I've been reviewing those (admit it's a bit basic but sometimes I find the overtly practical discussions helpful lol). So that's why I was saying I just didn't feel like I fit into any of the female archetypes presented so I like what you say here we are not them, but they are apart of us. I don't know if the archetype-led marketing will be for me LOL. but excited to learn more on archetypes in general on my spiritual journey.
I love when resources can be practical, I try to offer that in my work as much as possible. The issue with a lot of online sources, I find, is that they're approaching archetypes in a very one-dimensional way. Essentially as types of figures, as labels of things we are or could be, without any of the psychological complexity that archetypes actually carry. More times than not, those approaches create more confusion!
Like in this case, it's trying to force you into a narrow label, just one expression of feminine archetypal experience, when in reality, you move between many! It doesn't mean you can't narrow in on one-you absolutely can!
Let me know if you have any other questions :)
Hi! Glad I stumbled in here!
Over the last six months I've made myself fairly familiar with Jungian concepts, probably just enough to be dangerous. But it's genuinely helped me. Several times, lately, I've been able to reframe my responses to parenting situations and personal relationships through the lens of the Shadow. Instead of pushing certain reactions aside or pretending they're not there, I try to name them, have that internal conversation, and move forward in ways that are more constructive than what my Shadow would want from me.
That's been useful enough that I'm curious what other archetypes might work similarly in everyday life. The Shadow feels intuitive once you get it, but I keep bumping into things like the Anima and I'm not sure when or how those show up in practical, ordinary situations. Not neuroses or major psychological crises, just, you know, like on a Tuesday.
I guess what I'm really asking is: are there archetypes that translate as cleanly as the Shadow does into everyday parenting, work dynamics, personal relationships? And are there common life situations where you'd say "that's classically this archetype showing up"?
Part of my problem is I've been going to Jung’s primary sources, and I often struggle to connect the theory back to my normal life. I wish I had a Jungian therapist to think out loud with! Short of that, if you know of practical books oriented toward using these concepts in ordinary life rather than clinical contexts, I'd love a recommendation or two.
Thanks for doing open office hours. This is a cool thing to offer.
Hi Adam, welcome :)
I think all of the archetypes can translate easily and cleanly onto our lives in certain capacities. And then, in certain expressions, it is completely unique to the individual, so you have to do a bit more work to identify it. Does that make sense?
For example, the anima plays a huge role in relationships - who we're naturally drawn to, where we project unconscious dynamics and our un-lived inner life, etc. That soul-image can look really different for each person, which can translate to the type of person you find yourself in relationships with, their qualities and characteristics, figures in your dreams, recurring relational issues, etc. From person to person, it's a totally different landscape, but the inner architecture is the same.
For books, it's generally easier to get topic specific and then find one's that are more grounded and easily applicable to everyday life. Meeting the Shadow is a great book for working with the shadow. The book Inner Work by Robert A. Johnson is great for dreams and active imagination.
Feel free to browse through my public book recommendations here: https://www.theartemisian.com/t/book-recommendations
I also have an extensive list in the paid member's Resource Library.
Thank you for the thoughtful reply
You're welcome :)
Hi Alyssa! I would love some reading recommendations for fiction books that might expand archetypal/Jungian understanding. I love novels for reading before bed! Thanks!
Are you familiar with Robin Hobb? My absolute favorite fantasy series is written by her and I think it touches into some really potent psychological and archetypal material in a way that feels natural to the format - exploring relationships to magic, psychological wounding, relational dynamics, etc. It begins with The Farseer Trilogy!
Assassin’s Apprentice downloaded on my kindle 😆. Thanks!
Yay!!! Let me know how you like it :)
Hi Alyssa, I'd like an opinion on a dream please:
I dreamt that I was queuing up to go to the Opera with a group of friends. We all had tuxedos and gowns on and everybody was waiting in line for tickets, and apparently paying in cash. It was €50 - I had to get the cash out of my wallet to pay the man (who also had a tuxedo on). He seemed like a very kind friendly man.
When I tried to get the money out at first I couldn't find it. I only had €10 and €5 notes. Eventually I found it but I pulled it out and it had other receipts attached to it so it took me a while to pay, which was all a bit embarrassing. Then once I paid he gave me a little receipt which I assumed would be exchangeable for the ticket later on. I didn't say anything and then I set off walking with this friend of mine - who was actually the mother of a childhood friend of mine (so around 30 years older than me IRL), although in the dream she was my age and didn't look exactly the same.
We were walking back to the house where we were staying and I said to her, out of the blue, "Have you ever tried moving water?" She said, "What do you mean?" I said, "Trying to divert water when it rains. Have you ever tried doing that?" She still didn't know what I meant and I pointed to a drainage ditch alongside the dirt road that we were walking up. She seemed completely bemused by what I was saying.
I was thinking as we were walking along, "There's nothing I'd rather be doing than going out in the rain and diverting water or digging swales, creating water retention landscapes." I thought that's one thing I'd really like to do. I want to do it before I die. I thought I'd really prefer to just design the landscapes than have to dig them myself as maybe I'm a bit old to be doing that sort of hard manual labour.
Then we went to this house, which I think was a little bit like the house that I rented when I went with a friend to a festival in Portugal. I think I was talking to this lady a little bit more there but then I woke up.
Hey Guy, this is a really interesting one! Love the water imagery here, and how exact the money has to be.
Before I offer insights, any context?
- When did you have the dream?
- What's been going on around the time you had the dream?
- Any particular associations to opera, the friend, water (in this expression)?
- Any notable emotions, feeling tones, etc?
I had the dream last week. I'd say the dream is a 'coincidence of opposites' dream, which I have quite a lot: the 'civilised' opera vs the 'earthy' desire to work with water retention.
I am waiting to be paid some money but bureaucracy is delaying it. Also there may be a feeling of 'deserving' this money, or not, or not feeling at home in the 'opera' atmosphere. I actually went to see an opera in the cinema a few days after this dream, but not because of the dream - I only consciously remembered it afterwards.
The 'moving water' stuff is something I have actually done on a very small scale in the community I used to live in. It's inspired by Paul Krafel's book 'Seeing Nature', where he describes how observing deeply how nature works inspired a new way of looking at the world and pulled him out of a depression.
The friend is a parent of a childhood friend who I eventually realised was not a good influence on me and with whom I cut off contact. I mean I cut off from the friend, not his mother, who my family did stay in touch with and who I do continue to speak to occasionally. She's much older than me IRL but in the dream we were the same age. Weirdly she resembled Ann from the show Arrested Development - Ann is a very uptight, boring girl from a family of religious fanatics, and has nothing in common with the mother of my friend.
The emotional tone would be 'expecting disappointment but actually things working out pretty well, with hope for the future, as long as I 'go with the flow''. I think it's a very significant dream.
I did a tarot about this dream which was illuminating and I can share it with you but I'd like to hear your thoughts first please.
I wonder at the deeper symbolism of money, beyond its ties to what’s happening in waking life.
When I think of money, I think of exchange, resources, worth, abundance vs lack, the cost of something, etc.
You need the exact right bill, €50. There’s something very precise about this, no flexibility, no bringing together other notes to make up €50. What are you paying for (or feel that you have to pay for) that carries this kind of exactness? Or, where might you be in a relationship of exchange where there are certain costs and expectations to engaging (the fancy clothes, the ticket)? Does this feel directly related to the situation you mentioned, or does it touch into other elements of life?
What I find interesting is that you seemingly meet those parameters in the dream and then circumvent the event all together!! Perhaps the struggle to find the money, all of the receipts (imprints of past experience?), takes you out of the opera environment and into somewhere you feel more called to.
Do you think water in this dream carries a similar meaning as the association you mentioned? Perhaps getting into relationship with one’s psychological nature so it allows a new of way of seeing to emerge? To experience emotional renewal?
In that case, digging into the landscape, or designing it at the very least, is about excavating one’s psychic landscape. Designing it in a way that one's emotionality, longings, dreams, etc flow with ease rather than getting dammed up or wasted?
It sort of feels like a call to find more reciprocity with one’s inner water system - whatever that may truly be to you.
The movement of the dream is important though: the interaction at the opera and the exchange with the kindly man conditions the next scene to happen. I would consider what that might mean to you.
Lastly, the friend plays an interesting role in making you vocalize and make your statement clear. It starts out sort of vague, but her questioning brings clarity. Is she helping you further break out of something related back to the opera and money exchange?
That it leads to a house is a good sign! New psychic structures, perhaps? Although you mention it's just a place you're staying…so it feels temporary and requires some more permanent commitment and serious attention.
Thanks a lot Alyssa, that's very insightful, a lot to ponder there. The tarot reading I did about the dream seemed to highlight several of the same points - that I need to dig below the surface chaos (Five of Wands) to the living water underneath. Will contemplate, thanks again.
You’re welcome!! Which other cards did you pull in the reading?
Ten of Pentacles (Reversed) and The Moon
Hi! I I have two questions if OK. 1) have gotten pentacles in the unconscious position (in my latest two card spreads, related to work and feeling stuck, where one card is the conscious attitude and the other is the unconscious). Could the Pentacles in this position point to an issue of perfectionism (Knight of Pentacles and10 of pentacles)?
2. In another card spread about figuring out what I really want, I got the below and it seems to me that I haven't even scratched the surface. Do you have any thoughts? Thanks!
Card 1 Conscious: 8 of pentacles. I consciously know that I want to make things with my hands, to create more consistently, to meaningfully contribute, to live less in my head and on my phone, and to be more present and engage with the world through direct experience. I think this card also indicates my desire to work on concrete and not abstract projects. I also want financial security.
Card 2/Unconscious: Judgement. I judge myself so much that this card scared me. I was struck by the image of children in open tombs. I wonder if the tombs being flung open are the doors to my psyche and desires and wants being flung open and making their way to the surface. I see it as a card of taking accountability for one’s journey and flinging your arms open to change, and maybe I am ready for a big change. But I don’t know what that change looks like yet. Am I completely off here?
Hi Fiona,
Perfectionism might be the culprit. There's so much attention to detail, execution, and the product itself when dealing with the pentacles. Do you sense perfectionism in yourself?
I also wonder, given the Knight of Pentacles and the 10 of Pentacles, if there isn't an element of time and process at play here. The Knight of Pentacles is really methodical, the development is slow and incremental. It can feel as if nothing exciting or meaningful is happening (though that may be an illusion). The 10 of Pentacles, being the end point of the pips, also speaks to the long cycle, how much effort and time goes into establishing something abundant and self-sustaining.
Might there be frustration with how long things are taking? Is that contributing to the feeling of stuckness?
8 of Pentacles, in its most exalted expression, is doing work that we love and are committed to. It's honing your craft and developing your skills so that the effort feels powerful and worth every moment of struggle. It's your vocation, truly lived and embodied. Are you engaged in that work currently, or trying to find it?
Judgement makes me wonder if you are in alignment with your deeper calling, vocation, or living a life that feels right. In the unconscious position, it means that the archetype of true awakening is activated but you're not working with it as consciously. This usually requires a kind of breaking free of old habits/ways of being, reconciliation, stepping onto a new path, etc. If you've been resistant to change, than this card says...it's happening no matter what, will you work with it or against it?
Hello Alyssa!
I hope you're keeping well! I was wondering if I could get some guidance on a Tarot spread I recently did regarding a creative project. I did a 9 card spread with a crossing card on 5
But the spread was as follows
Top Row
1 The Star upright
2 6 of wands upright
3 King of Wands upright
Middle Row
4 8 of Pentacles reversed
5 10 of swords upright
6 9 of cups upright
Bottom row
7 The world reversed
8 The Fool upright
9 The chariot upright
5 was crossed with The Hanged Man.
Sorry, I'm not familiar with whether you can post pictures in comments on Substack or I would have done that.
Sorry I forgot to mention my own interpretation as perhaps the project needs a complete overhaul because mentally it's not working out, but unconsciously it points to a new beginning with more momentum, but something blocks it. Or it's also about my own impatience to see the completion of it but maybe getting overwhelmed by that desire too.
Hi SJ, before I an offer insights, a few questions:
Did the spread have dedicated positions? Was the spread grouped by rows specifically, or did each individual card have its own position and meaning?
Did you have a specific question before you drew the cards?
Hello!
So I read the top row as Higher Calling, Middle Row as my consciousness/present day and and the bottom row as the unconscious. The question I really focused on was where is this creative writing project heading and what do I need to learn or do on my end to see it to completion. I also read the crossing card as an additional energy to think about while addressing momentum for the project. I hope that makes sense!
The cluster of wands joined with The Star is heartening and supportive for creative work. Especially in the higher calling position, it seems that achievement and accomplishment are indeed possible. The King, however, gives me pause. Oftentimes, they press us to the boundaries of our ownership, they challenge us to step into self-authority and sovereignty. The Star, too, implies previous hardship (The Tower) as essential to the path you’re walking. I wonder if that is why the middle row has some difficult cards.
Does the creative project feel stalled out? The 8 of pentacles rx can feel that way. Coupled with the 10 of Swords, it seems like there needs to be a reconciliation with ideas, beliefs, attitudes, approaches that have fundamentally undermined this work. Especially if it blocks 9 of Cups themes, which can center around self-confidence, belief in one’s gifts, a willingness to be seen and appreciated, etc.
The unconscious row has an interesting tension. The World rx makes me wonder: are you resisting the ending of something (maybe the 10 of Swords)? Does the creative work feel stagnated? The Hanged Man implies that the stagnation has purpose though, and it’s about leaning into that to uncover deeper insight that brings forth change. When that happens, new energy unfurls - movement, direction, renewed self (The Fool + The Chariot).
Does any of this resonate?
Hi Alyssa!
Yes, it definitely does! When I was looking at the cards I felt like the King of Wands was directly looking at the 10 of Swords as if saying "get up!". And that image really stuck with me.
The project feels stalled because I feel like I got bogged down in the details and characters. And the initial steam/excitement got lost in a sense of overwhelm. But then I thought the project needed a revamp. I think the end I'm resisting feels like it's about life rather than the project. But then maybe the first iteration of the project has to die for a new version to emerge.
Thank you so much for the interpretation!! You've given me a lot to think about!!
You're welcome! I'd also come back to the Hanged Man and consider, "what might I not be seeing that he wants to reveal?" Usually with that card, what is obvious is not essential thing, but something deeper that only reveals itself through pause, contemplation, seeing things from new angles, etc.