FNL_INSPIRED Vol 2_Spring

8 INSPIRED VOL 2 your parents showed you. And not all mothers and fa- thers have the same bright and shadow sides that yours did. Remembering this can prevent you from acting on your projections. Think of the recent presidential election in the US. His- torically, presidents have been males who personify the Father archetype. This is why we’ve given George Washington the title “Father of Our Country.” And when we have a woman president, history will no doubt call her our Mother. Archetypes live in our unconscious, so it comes naturally for the collective unconscious of our citizenry to project the Father archetype onto our first president. Some of us may think highly of Donald Trump, while others despise him. This is likewise true of Joe Biden. Which of these leaders has qualities of one of your par- ents or caretakers that you have unconsciously adopt- ed? Do you like these qualities or not? How did they influence your vote? To all appearances, Donald Trump and Joe Biden couldn’t be more different, but they’re both examples of the Father archetype, and they both contain all the positive and negative potential of this archetype, whether they manifest it in their words and behavior or not. Moreover, they also contain the bright and shadow qualities of the Mother archetype. Essentially, you voted for the candidate who makes you feel protected and safe. You did that because the Mother and Father archetypes are embedded in your psyche. Snakes don’t have an archetype for Mother or Father. The female simply lays her eggs and slithers away, leav- ing her little snakelings to fend for themselves. But hu- mans hang around to protect our young because we must. Do you see the power your archetypes have over you? They’re what make us human, with all our heart- breaking vulnerability, crude folly, and exquisite beauty. Archetypes are mental images of your physical instincts. They don’t have egos or consciences. They are nature, like animals who simply follow their instincts. Humans are nature too, but we’ve bitten the apple, so we know about good and evil. When you created your self-image as a child, you left out parts of yourself you didn’t like or were taught to think of as bad. But they didn’t go away. What you disowned grew stronger in your unconscious. It’s still there, and it still causes painful conflicts. To re- solve your conflicts, you need to accept that you don’t know everything about yourself. You need to recognize your shadow when it shows up, and allow it to humble you instead of projecting it onto others. Then you can choose not to act on your negative impulses. Your Mother and Father archetypes are your soul’s sov- ereigns. When healthy, they serve humanity’s need to nurture and be nurtured. Mother compassionately pro- tects and serves the physical, psychological, social, and emotional welfare of all that is young, new, innocent, needy, and vulnerable. Father nurtures by perfecting his skills and promoting his selfhood to become a just and morally virtuous leader who provides group stability and sees to the needs of all who depend on him. Together, Mother and Father work to provide the com- fort and safety you, your family, and your communi- ty need, while encouraging the fullest development of your individuality and mature selfhood. Sometimes you act more from your Mother archetype; other times from