Archetypal Consulting
“Know thyself.” – Socrates
Archetypal consulting allows you to see the cosmic design of your life and to make empowered and divinely guided choices.
“By developing symbolic sight and archetypal language, you will grasp the whole of your life with a level of spiritual clarity that can heal the emotional and spiritual wounds you have accumulated and fill you with awe that your life is also of great importance to everyone you encounter. It becomes possible for you to trust that everything that is meant to come your way will arrive in due time, that you will be with the right people at the right moment, and that divine guidance endlessly flows into your soul. It can’t be otherwise: we manage our Contracts, but the Divine takes care of the Sacred.“
Caroline Myss: “Sacred Contracts.”
What are Archetypes?
Archetypes are psychological and emotional patterns which, often unconsciously, dictate our choices and behaviors. They are the energetic architects of our lives and – like astrology, the planets and our zodiac signs – are powerful forces that shape us. They are subject to divine law and The Law of Balance in particular, for all archetypes have both a light and a shadow aspect. This awareness allows us to look at some of our darker, more troublesome traits with an objective, exploratory view, rather than in defense or denial. And this objectivity serves us well in dealing with others too. When these archetypal forces are understood and activated in their higher potential, we have alchemy – the ability to transmute heavy aspects of emotion and relationship into spiritual gold.
History
Plato was one of the first philosophers to identify archetypes as defining forces, but the most significant work on the subject was by Carl Jung. Jung’s understanding of archetypes and the collective unconscious is still the foundation from which all this work comes. James Hillman, Joseph Campbell, and Thomas Moore, among others, also contributed significantly to the field. Caroline Myss’ ground-breaking work, “Sacred Contracts”, has brought this teaching into our modern lives and made its profound wisdom and opportunity for transformation available to everyone.
Examples of Archetypes
Caroline Myss identifies four universal survivor archetypes, aspects we all have and which stay with us our entire life: The Child (The Guardian of Innocence), The Saboteur (The Guardian of Choice), The Victim (The Guardian of Self-Esteem), and The Prostitute (The Guardian of Faith). These archetypes symbolize our major life challenges and how we choose to survive. Other archetypes which are well known include The Mother, The Father, The Rescuer, The Healer, The Artist, The Teacher. Some others, which can have a profound impact on us but which are less recognized, are The Judge, The Wounded Healer, The Addict, The Liberator, The Advocate, The Martyr – to name just a few. There are hundreds of archetypes, and even as we evolve, new patterns emerge. When Caroline wrote “Sacred Contracts” in 2002, the explosion of the internet was just beginning, and all of the techie archetypes that we now recognize didn’t exist yet. Thus, archetypal patterns, like humanity itself, are an ever-growing and expansive field.
Sacred Contracts and The Archetypal Wheels
A Sacred Contract is just as it sounds – an agreement our soul made with God before incarnating here on earth. The Myth of Er, from Plato’s “Republic” is the basis of this concept and you can read more about this here: https://www.myss.com/free-resources/sacred-contracts-and-your-archetypes/the-basis-of-sacred-contracts/. Your sacred contract subjects you to the laws and order of the Divine. Like the secular laws that govern us, mystical laws, universal and impersonal, rule the universe. Regardless of whether we understand or believe in these laws, they affect all of us equally. By learning your sacred contract, you can make decisions from a place of symbolic sight. You can fulfill your divine potential and resolve many issues of daily life.
As Caroline states: “You must get beyond reason to where you can ‘see’ and understand the symbolic or greater meaning of your life.”
Chart of Origin/Natal Wheel, Journey of Transformation Wheel, and Fate to Destiny Wheel:
There are three archetypal wheels which form the basis of the Sacred Contracts work. The first wheel, which is the foundation for all future wheels, is the Chart of Origin or Natal Wheel. Like an astrological chart, the Chart of Origin pairs 12 archetypes with the 12 houses/aspects of your life. You cast the wheel by a combination of discerned, intentional choice, and divination. The result is a blueprint of the significant forces influencing you and how to use them for empowered change.
The Journey of Transformation and Fate to Destiny Wheel are powerful tools for change and combine 36 archetypes; 12 of these are from your Chart of Origin. By framing a troubling issue or unreached goal as a Journey of Transformation, you can catalyze change in a specific area of your life. A Fate to Destiny Wheel is a year-long study in alchemy as you release fate and invoke destiny. The wheels unveil the Chronos (past/fate), Kairos (present), and Cosmic (future/destiny) forces that shape and influence the situation and how you can move through them to reach your highest, divine potential.
Sacred Contracts (also known as covenants) appear in mythology, legend and the lives of the spiritual masters and we also see them in popular books and movies. The Wizard of Oz is an archetypal masterpiece, complete with multiple light and shadow aspects of our heroine, and the classic hero’s journey. In essence, we are all on a journey from surviving to thriving and understanding our sacred contract and archetypal allies is an indispensable map and travel guide on our voyage.
Josie is certified by Caroline Myss’ CMED program as an Archetypal Consultant and has spent years studying and applying these teachings. She can guide you in all Sacred Contracts stages, from selecting your archetypes to casting and reading your wheels. Josie can also support and mentor you through the Sacred Contracts Online (SCO) Course from practicing chart reading to preparing for your tests. She is an expert at interpreting the results and teaching you how to use symbolic sight and wisdom in your life.
For a detailed description of Caroline’s extraordinary work on Sacred Contracts, please go here. https://www.myss.com/free-resources/sacred-contracts-and-your-archetypes/