The New Year appeals to me with its emphasis on resolutions and fresh starts. Eager to ride the wave of enthusiasm engendered by a new calendar year, I resolve to post to my blog regularly.
As I put in the time and effort of writing, insidious thoughts creep in, repeating themselves over and over like a spinning hamster wheel.
“Who do you think you are?!! No one cares what you say. You don’t amount to a hill of beans! You’re an invisible nothing … an insignificant nobody!”
On day three, I ‘believe myself’ and stop writing.
A week goes by before I recognize this unsettling trend is shaped by what author Erich Neumann calls a ‘pre-existing determinant of consciousness’. In other words, an archetype. In this example, the archetype constellates in negative form and delivers its death-blow cloaked in my own thoughts. Breaking free of the archetype’s influence demands I recognize it hides ‘behind the curtain’ of what is otherwise convincing and real. Once spotted, I must work to resist its destructive intent.
Catching an archetype as it acts within one’s own consciousness builds more consciousness. The reward is increased choice, greater freedom, and a stronger connection to oneself.