Archetypes

It is interesting. One of the things I have noticed in the last few months is that some of my 60-something friends are envious of the fact that I have passions at all, however challenging they have been to align with. Many women, I think, have buried their true passions or long since left them behind entirely.  Sometimes by 60, everything seems to have faded into a misty medium tone, and it's hard to see bright colors through the fog. It may take a few months or even a few years, but simply trying to notice when something gives you pleasure or joy is the first step. Whether it is growing heirloom tomatoes or reading/writing fiction or being active in the environmental movement or singing or stamp collecting or helping newly-settled refugees. Just notice the joy and act on it, as I did six years ago or so when I heard English sacred music in a cathedral for the first time in many years. The world needs all these gifts.

But I think there is a second prong to the process, and that is discerning the manner in which you will present your passions to the world. For a few years I have been playing around with the notion that it is helpful to look to medieval archetypes for guidance here. It seems nonsensical in this egalitarian modern world, but it is exactly the fact that we are being presented such standardized ideals of success that makes these older, more colorful identities, useful, at least for me. Several times over the last few years, I have asked myself, who am I at my very core? Which of these resonates? Am I a peasant farmer? A hermit? A nun? An abbess? An actor? A courtier? A court musician? A queen? A scribe? A professor? A beggar? A merchant? A mother? A wise woman? A shaman? A warrior? A physician? I may be some of each, but ultimately, how do I operate in the world? What feels like my true identity "home"?

The answer I consistently come up with is one that I'll talk about in a future blog, because it has been a bit hard to come to peace with. But think about it: say you have a passion for helping refugees. There are still many ways to express that passion. Will you be a leader in the public eye? A PR person? Will you write a fictional novel to bring people's attention to the problem? Will you literally help families find shelter, or start a fund? Will you be out on the street protesting, or hugging and comforting terrified children? I suppose this roughly corresponds to understanding your astrological house, or the "variety of gifts" in the Christian tradition.  If you are operating in the world as a CEO but you'd rather be on the ground in Africa building an orphanage, you may be so out of sync with your true nature that the world is not benefitting fully. And if the chasm is too wide, all aspects of life get out of whack.

This whole process requires such courage, and such total honesty with oneself. The world is weighing in. Your family is weighing in. Your friends are weighing in. At a certain moment, with blessings to them all, it's just about you and the Spirit within.  When the passions and the manner of being your passions in the world finally synchronize, you'll know it. You'll feel the "zing." And that is only the first step.