The Last Jedi & Saving What We Love

The Last Jedi & Saving What We Love

The first episode of 2018 has Cyndera and Julienne discussing the archetypes and mythological themes in the latest Star Wars film, The Last Jedi and the parallels to current events. Archetypes include The Priestess, The Hero, The Hermit, The Empress, The Chariot and the subverting of the Princess archetype. *SPOILER ALERT* If you haven’t seen the film yet we go deep into the film so spoilers abound.

They also pull a card to reflect on 2017 and one to work with for the year to come. The results might surprise you.

This is how we win. Not by fighting what we hate, but by saving what we love.

– Rose Tico as played by Kelly Marie Tran in The Last Jedi

Find out more about becoming a Patron of the Archetypal Tarot Podcast by clicking here Tiny.cc/tarot

Connect with the podcast team on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram or email  tarotpodcast@gmail.com

Filling the Swear Jar with Melissa of Little Fox Tarot

Filling the Swear Jar with Melissa of Little Fox Tarot

 

This episode features a high voltage conversation with Julienne and Melissa Cynova, owner of Little Fox Tarot. Melissa has been slinging tarot cards and teaching classes since 1989. Her first book, Kitchen Table Tarot was released this year, and her next book is underway. We are giving away 2 copies of Kitchen Table Tarot!  The next Patron to sign up at a $2 a month or higher level will get a copy of the book!  More info an to sign up visit Tiny.cc/tarot   Or find our entry posts on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram .

The conversation ranges from tarot in current events, pop culture and let me tell you we filled the swear jar in this episode. If you are sensitive to expletives this might not be the episode for you.

More about Melissa: She lives in St. Louis with her outstanding kids, her sweet husband, Joe, two cats, two dogs, and a tortoise named Phil. When she’s not slinging cards, she’s enjoying her tribe and probably watching a superhero movie while reading a book. She is on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Go ahead and schedule a reading – she already knows you want one. LittleFoxTarot.com

Topics include:

The Moon

Trump

Politics

The Fool

Hero’s journey

The Outsider

The World

The Heirophant

The Tower

6 of swords

Miss Cleo

MelissaCynovaPromoSM

The Tower: Embracing the Grace of Change (podcast)

The Tower: Embracing the Grace of Change (podcast)

Subscribe in iTunes

Tell us what you thought of the show on Facebook or Twitter @TarotPodcast !

This month Julienne is in conversation with Archetypal Counselor, Spiritual Director and film buff,  Jim Curtan.  Jim and Julienne discuss some of their favorite topics – Archetypes and Movies.  The focus on the Tower card in particular and the many aspects of change that it symbolizes.  They discuss the good, the bad, the scary and as well as the grace that change can bring when we fully allow ourselves to grieve the loss of the past and dive into what the change brings us.   They also discuss the Tower card in relationship to popular films such as The Hunger Games, Castaway, Inside Out and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

Jim has just released a self-guided audio workshop called  Embracing the Grace of Change using the film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel as a contemplation on the choices and opportunities presented by the kinds of change that the Tower card can present.

As a gift to our listeners Jim is offering a 20% discount on this course and all others by using this link or entering the code   podcast at check out.

More about Jim:

jim 015 croppedJim has combined his 20 years’ experience in the entertainment industry with more than a decade as a retreat leader and spiritual director to develop a unique and entertaining approach to using film as a gateway to rich spiritual experience.

He is a spiritual director, archetypal counselor and retreat leader. He has taught extensively with New York Times best-selling author Caroline Myss and has been a faculty member of the Caroline Myss Educational Institute (CMED) since its inception in 2003. He has also taught at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York, The London Centre for Spirituality, St. John’s Seminary, Stillpoint Center for Christian Spirituality and The Crossings in Austin, Texas among others.

His lectures and workshops have been well received throughout the United States, Canada, Great Britain, the Netherlands, France and Indonesia.

In his prior career as a talent manager, Jim advised such prominent actors as John Malkovich, John Travolta, Patrick Swayze, Geena Davis, Willem Dafoe, Andy Garcia and Melanie Griffith.

Since 2014 Jim has produced a series of self-guided workshops using films for archetypal and spiritual contemplation of situations that affect our daily lives.  Each comes with an audio course commentary on the film and workbook available to download immediately from his online store.  Courses include:

These and more audio courses are available to download from his website http://jimcurtan.com/audio-workshops/

Podcast listeners can save 20% off any purchase when they use the offer code:  podcast 

The World: A New Mythology (Podcast)

The World: A New Mythology (Podcast)

Subscribe in iTunes

Follow us on Twitter! @TarotPodcast or on Facebook

Download this episode (right click and save)

craigradio

Craig Chalquist – Depth Psychology Bad @ss!

In the continuance of the new Archetypal Tarot Podcast series, Julienne and Cyndera break the linear mold of the Tarot order and jump all the way to The World Card!

Our guest for this episode is Craig Chalquist PhD. Craig is the department chair of East-West Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies and adjunct faculty at Pacifica Graduate Institute, where he teaches ecopsychology.

Craig is an author and editor many books, including Terrapsychology: Reengaging the Soul of Place.

He is also a contributor to the Huffington Post, AlterNet, The Journal of Critical Psychology among many, many others. Craig is a Certified Master Gardener, teacher to many, passionate advocate of cultivating a sustainable relationship to the planet and all around bad ass of depth psychology.

 

Cyndera

Freud vs Jung! (with Cyndera egging them on)

Topics discussed / fun had:

  • The momentous effect of “earthrise” the first photograph of the earth taken from space and how it forms a new mythology.
  • Hobbits & Heroes (guess which we need more of these days?)
  • How Craig started teaching the Hero’s Journey and why he seldom does anymore.
  • The Avengers
  • Alchemy & Gnostiscism & the Silver Tradition (hint: it’s not all about the dudes…)
  • Carl Jung and the red book
  • The Pandora’s box opened by the Nuclear age
  • The role of fantasy as impetus for change (in fact the driving force of necessary change).
  • Using mythology to shift consciousness

Download this episode (right click and save)

Podcast listeners might be interested in Craig’s online Certificate of Applied Mythology course. We highly recommend it!

cert-applied-myth-icon

 

The Nature and Nurture of Passion (podcast)

The Nature and Nurture of Passion (podcast)

Subscribe in iTunes

My co-host Cyndera and I are very excited to announce a new format for the Archetypal Tarot Podcast. We will be revisiting the Major Arcana but this time with special guests giving their insights on the themes and ideas presented by these ancient yet totally relevant archetypal stories.

We start the new year off on the topic of Passion, it’s nature and how we can actually nurture a sense of vitality and adventure in our lives.

bioOur guest for this edition is an author who has literally written the book on the nature and nurture of passion, Gregg Levoy.  Gregg is the author of the best selling Callings:  Finding and Following an Authentic Life and puts his keen sense for creative insight as well as a Storyteller’s magic into his new book Vital Signs: The Nature and Nurture of Passion.

Where his first book Callings was about finding passion, Vital Signs picks up on the why’s and how’s of losing our sense of passion & vitality and how to regain a passionate life with creativity and abundance.  We love this new book and recommend you get a copy – it’s available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon and many fine bookstores.  Visit Gregg’s site and check out all of the resources in “Wow!” images, books, music and films to help you connect to passion and excitement.  http://gregglevoy.com

Ultimately, passion is a life skill—a stance—that helps bring vitality to all our engagements: from work, family and school life, to creative, social and spiritual life. And it’s a survival mechanism—critical to health and well-being—because your attachment to life depends on your interest in it.
-Gregg Levoy

GreggLevoy_VitalSigns_CoverWe think you will really enjoy Julienne’s conversation with Gregg about passion, creativity, the call of the wild, the archetype of the Fool, Vampires, Zombies, Intuition and the practice of living our lives fully.

Passion is an unstable element and will naturally degrade over time but some very simple, yet powerful practices have the ability to heat things up again.  Not only is passion something we start to miss over time but it’s important to our overall health.  As Gregg says in our discussion “Our attachment to life depends to a great degree to our interest in it.”.  Without interest, everything fades, including our health.  It’s no wonder Zombies and Vampires have been of such an interest in the last few years – we fear the life being sucked out of us by routine and a lack of creativity.

You can listen to the entire podcast below or subscribe to the podcast in iTunes and never miss an episode.  We have a very exciting line up of authors, teachers and creators lined up for future episodes.

Right-click and save this podcast to your device.

Gregg’s List of 5 Things You Can Do To Beef Up The Passion & Quality of Your Life:

1)  Pay attention to what is trying to emerge in your life.
2)  Remember that you have a ‘use by’ date.
3)  Come up with a bucket list. (Check out this from Artist Candy Chang:  Before I Die)
4)  Always give yourself something to look forward to.
5) Look for where you’re restless – ask yourself: What wants to move? And where does it want to go?
Julienne’s addition:
6) Turn something upside down. (The Trickster archetype can be very useful in this.)

Want to email us about the Archetypal Tarot Podcast? We’d love that! ATPodcast@archetypist.com

Related articles & podcasts: 

Harvesting From This Year’s Season

The Tower & Lightning Liberation

The Archetypal Tarot Podcast is a production of Both/And Media.

I Feel It All by Feist – An anthem for a full & passionate life.

The Way: A Journey of Healing & Self Acceptance

The Way: A Journey of Healing & Self Acceptance

TheWay_posterI am super happy to announce that another edition of the Archetypes & A Movie course is now available.  As the Producer of this series it’s an especially joyous occasion, not just a ‘job done’ elation but gratitude for how much I have learned throughout the process of producing the course.  My dear friend, teacher and client, Jim Curtan is doing something unique – he’s helping us See (and I mean that with a capital S) our lives in a new way by using the popular art of movies.

This new course centers around the idea of a modern pilgrimage, of our journey through the griefs and joys of life and how that path can bring us to the healing power of self acceptance.  The film used as contemplation in the course is a beautiful indie film directed by Emilio Estevez called The Way (2010).  It stars Emilio’s Father, Martin Sheen and is the story of four very different pilgrims walking the Camino de Compostella de Santiago.

Just as the last course on the Hero’s Journey was about finding out who you are, this course is about remembering who you are and all that your life contains.

The_Way_Cover_Final_500pxThe Way: A Journey of Healing and Self Acceptance is a self guided workshop available to download. It contains 3 hours of audio course, 2 pdf books and access to online discussions with Jim and fellow students.

I encourage you to check it out and have included the link to purchase below that will save you $5 off the already very reasonable price.   You can get the DVD for less than $5 and stream it for free if you are an Amazon Prime member.

Learn more and download the audio for part one of the course for free.

Click to save $5 on the course

In this course you will delve deeply into the following areas:

  • Identifying archetypes as a path of integrating Mind, Heart and Body with the Self.
  • Relating the powerful story of integration as seen in The Wizard of Oz, The Way, Sex & the City, The 40 Year Old Virgin, and more.
  • Healing and acceptance of ourselves and our relationships.
  • Rediscovering who you are and the richness of self acceptance.
  • Remembrance and resurrection.
  • The power of relationships as mirrors of ourselves.
  • The grace of gratitude for all of our experiences, both the griefs and the joys.

SayYesToLifeSoFar_FB

Releasing Limiting Beliefs Using Archetypal Images

Releasing Limiting Beliefs Using Archetypal Images

Stephanie Meghan of Soulshine Tarot

Stephanie Meghan of Soulshine Tarot

How can you use the archetypal images of the Tarot to release limiting beliefs?  In this special edition of the Archetypal Tarot Podcast, Cyndera has a conversation with Stephanie Megan of Soulshine Tarot about just that.

Stephanie Meghan a Tarot Archetypal Hypnotherapist and owner of Soulshine Tarot an online personal development practice that uses the archetypal images of the Tarot.  Meghan is an ivy-league trained scientist who takes a no-nonsense approach to reading Tarot and helping her clients release limiting beliefs.

Stephanie offers customized  sessions with guided meditations mixed with a gentle hypnosis. Meditation is an immensely powerful and beneficial tool that can enhance your well-being and can allow you to remove limiting beliefs that cloud your path to happiness.

Soulshine Tarot Website

Connect with Stephanie on Facebook

Want to email us about the Archetypal Tarot Podcast? We’d love that!  ATPodcast@archetypist.com

Listen to the episode below or subscribe on iTunes 

Story Through Stone

Story Through Stone

Subscribe in iTunes

Story_Through_Stone_Butterfly Story_Through_Stone_Sun Story_Through_Stone_Wizard

In this special update of the Archetypal Tarot Podcast Julienne and Cyndera discuss their most recent archetypal adventures. Cyndera discusses her newly minted deck of reflection cards based on some amazing billion year old stones discovered by her Father, Jim Quakenbush in Death Valley, California over 30 years ago.  Her rich and unique inheritance has been to use the stones to create Story Through Stone which, along with her reflection cards, also provides workshops to school age children and adults alike.  Julienne and Cyndera discuss how interactions with the images of the ancient Tarot, from dreams, and from nature allow for a creative exploration of individual life themes.

Gumroad_Cover_Final

Julienne is excited to announce a project about archetypes and film that she produced with her archetypal consulting Mentor, Jim Curtan.  A newly released  audio course and workbook on Fate, Destiny & the Hero’s Journey as seen in Pixar’s 2007 animated film Ratatouille.  This self-guided audio course takes you on an archetypal adventure of an Artist and the choices that transform a life of dreary fate to one of heroic destiny.  Julienne’s blog post on it expands further and you can purchase the course and save $5.00 by using the offer code  podcast  (good until May 31st)

Archetypes and a Movie

Archetypes and a Movie

Movies are one of the best ways to see how archetypes shape our motivations, drive us forward or pull us back.  We learn and experience so much when watching a film with the added bonus of being entertained.  I had the privilege to learn about archetypes through film from Master Archetypal Teacher Jim Curtan during my archetypal certification training at CMED in Chicago.  Each night Jim lead us on a guided tour of the archetypes and spiritual lessons in all sorts of films from Castaway & Erin Brockovich to The Wizard of Oz.

No other method has taught me more about the power of archetypes and the human spirit than watching a film with Jim.   This is why I am completely jazzed to share  Jim’s first self-guided audio workshop providing in-depth commentary on films so you can learn in the comfort of your own home.

Ratatouille

Ratatouille: Fate, Destiny and the Hero’s Journey

The premiere workshop is an examination of the journey to becoming who we are destined to be through the 2007 animated feature film, Ratatouille.   Remy’s journey from a rat subsisting on scraps to a grand celebrated Parisian chef is a powerful metaphor for our own desires to leave the known world for one that lies beyond and is envisioned only by our dreams.

You will learn about the choices that transform a fated life into a destined one. You will see how all of us can get trapped by the beliefs, customs and values of society and how our perception of necessity often steers us away from our dreams and into a life marked by confusion, depression and a sense that there is no meaning to life beyond the mundane world.  Part of us knows we have a destiny, but to achieve it, we must learn to choose intuitive guidance over the ego’s fear of humiliation and failure.  In other words, where most of us get stuck – egoic fear.

You will find excellent depictions of the archetypes of the Artist, Hero, Invisible Child, Rebel, Liberator, Orphan, Companion, Warrior, Miser, Authoritarian, Judge, Priest and many more.

This course allows you to watch the film and listen to Jim’s commentary on your iPod or other digital player, taking your time to watch and learn.  You’ll also get a free companion workbook with all kinds of supplemental info on the archetypes in the film,  hero’s journey and exercises to apply to your own journey.
It’s a fun way to learn about archetypes and I helped produce it, so I am doubly proud.

Save $5.00 on the purchase by using the offer code:   podcast

Find out more: http://jimcurtan.com/audio-workshops/

Purchase now:

Ratatouille: Fate, Destiny & The Hero’s Journey Audio Workshop

The Way: A Journey of Healing & Self Acceptance

Julienne Givot is a certified archetypal consultant, writer and pursuer of truth and beauty. More

 

The World – True Balance and Connection

The World – True Balance and Connection

 Subscribe in iTunes 

What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from. ~TS Eliot

Finally we reach the culmination of this heroic journey with card 21 –The World!  In this last of the regularly scheduled podcast series, Julienne and Cyndera discuss beginnings, endings, rebirth, transformation and fulfillment.

After all these trials and tribulations of the hero’s journey, we now come to know true balance and connection to our destiny looking back across our past and forward into the future.  We feel the benefit of the journey thus far and see that our evolution is not just for ourselves but for the good of others. From this stage onward, our sense of risk is different because we have a greater understanding of the richness of life and recognize both the strength and space to hold challenge and loss as well as joy in the days to come.

In Joesph Campbell’s classic definition of the Hero’s Journey, The World card represents the stage of Master of Two Worlds as well as  the Freedom to Live.

The Rider-Waite version of The World

The Rider-Waite version of The World

Symbols in the World Card:

  • Ring of laurels tied with a lemniscate  (infinity symbol) – The ring of laurels is also called temenos (Gk) a safe place, asylum, a temple, also reminiscent of the Yoni, laurels are also a symbol of victory.
    • Infinity symbol seen also in: Magician, Strength (also in the 2 of coins/pentacles card)
  • Androgynous figure  / Dancer– leg crossed over just as in the Hanged Man card (it’s opposite on this Mobius strip) – a dance , balanced opposites, an act of creation – the Self in equilibrium, perfect union of masculine and feminine.
  • Lion (Leo), Eagle (Scorpio), Bull (Taurus)  and the Human (Aquarius) – 4 fixed signs of astrology  –  4 elements (air, earth, water and fire).  These 4 symbols also appear in the Wheel of Fortune card. these can also refer to a passage in the Bible’s book of revelation
  • Suspended between heaven and earth – remember the Fool as she fell over the cliff, suspended for a moment not realizing what’s she’s gotten herself into? The symbolism of suspension this time is of balance and trust.
  • 2 wands –  balance – command of opposites (references to both The Magician and The Chariot).  Wands are about doing – this is a sign of readiness.
Cundi Bodhisattva

Cundi Bodhisattva

The World as the Bodhisattva Card
Bodhi [enlightenment] and sattva [being].  From the Mahayana tradition of Buddhismm, the bodhisattva vow is the commitment to put others before oneself.  It is a statement of willingness to give up one’s own well-being, even one’s own enlightenment, for the sake of others. Taking the bodhisattva vow implies that instead of holding our own individual territory and defending it, we become open to the world that we are living in and are willing to take on greater responsibility.

Film and Fiction References

Cloud Atlas, book (2004) and film (2012)

One of the main themes is of freedom and connection.   Eventually leading to the realization that all is one.  Redemption and evolution. Characters from each of the weave of stories in both the book and film have revelations of oneness:

Sonmi-451: “Our lives are not our own. From womb to tomb, we are bound to others. Past and present. And by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.”

Robert Frobisher: “And all becomes clear. Wish I could make you see this brightness. Don’t worry, all is well. All is so perfectly, damnably well. I understand now, that boundaries between noise and sound are conventions. All boundaries are conventions, waiting to be transcended. One may transcend any convention, if only one can first conceive of doing so. Moments like this, I can feel your heart beating as clearly as I feel my own, and I know that separation is an illusion. My life extends far beyond the limitations of me.”

Adam Ewing:  What is an ocean but a multitude of drops?”

Issac Sachs: “These forces that often remake time and space, they can shape and alter who we imagine ourselves to be, begin long before we are born, and continue after we perish. Our lives and our choices, like quantum trajectories, are understood moment to moment, at each point of intersection, each encounter, suggest a new potential direction.”

Additional film references:

The Tree of Life (2011)

Frida (2002)

The Great and Powerful Oz (2013)

The Fountain (2006)

The Matrix (1999) –  In the very last scene of The Matrix, Neo makes a phone call , saying: “When I used to look out at this world, all I could see was its edges, its boundaries, its rules and controls, its leaders and laws. But now, I see another world. A different world where all things are possible. […] I can’t tell you how to get there, but I know if you can free your mind, you’ll find the way.”

TS Eliot the Four Quartets

TSEliot_calling_1

Popular associations with The World card:

  • Fulfillment —– Accomplishment —– Success —– Integration
  • Involvement —– Prospering —– Satisfaction —– Repleteness
  • Contentment —– Good feelings —– Wholeness

“All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well.”
~Julienne of Norwich (14th century English mystic)

The Tower – Lightning Liberation

The Tower – Lightning Liberation

 Subscribe in iTunes

The Rider-Waite Tower card

The Rider-Waite Tower card

Is it the Tower of Destruction or the House of God? In card number sixteen of the Major Arcana, we are met with yet another image that often inspires fear and superstition.
This is the first podcast in which Julienne Givot and Cyndera Quackenbush are divorced from their own tower (the recording studio) and explore this card’s symbolism from the telephone. With the sudden shock experienced in this stage of the fool’s journey, will those tethered to their addictions be struck from their habits? Does hitting rock bottom ultimately free us?
Cyndera explores how a client once completely dissembled her own psychic castle and Julienne reveals the qualities of the Liberator archetype. A closer look at current events and films such as the Hunger Games, Castaway and Groundhog Day also helps us all to “think outside the tower.” Also, don’t miss this podcast’s first homework assignment to watch Beasts of the Southern Wild through the lens of the Archetypal Tarot Journey.  We’ll be discussing it in the next edition along with the 17th card of the major arcana: The Star.
Details and references below.

Questions or suggestions?  Email us  ATPodcast@archetypist.com

Archetypes related to the Tower card: The Liberator

Tower_Marseilles

The Tower from the Marseilles deck

Popular Associations with the Tower Card:

  • Chaos —– Sudden change —– Impact —– Hard times
  • Crisis —– Revelation —– Disruption —– Realizing the truth
  • Disillusion —– Crash —– Burst —– Uncomfortable experience
  • Downfall —– Ruin —– Ego blow —– Explosive transformation

Film references for The Tower Card:

Cast Away (2000) Tom Hanks – A FedEx executive is transformed physically and emotionally after a crash landing on a deserted island.

The Hunger Games (2012) – Jennifer Lawrence

The Beasts of The Southern Wild (2012)

Film references for the Liberator archetype:

Lincoln (2012)

Norma Rae (1979)

Religion/Myth: Milarepa – Buddhist Saint who had to rebuild a tower again and again as a part of his karma.

 

 

Strength Is More Than Muscle

Strength Is More Than Muscle

Listen Now! or Subscribe in iTunes

The Strength card as depicted in the Rider Waite deck

The Archetypal Podcast returns from its Summer Sabbatical with its Twelfth Edition starring the eleventh Tarot card, Strength. After a turn on the Wheel of Fortune our Hero/Fool is taken in a new direction and learns from the Lion and Maiden depicted in this card.  Inner strength is called for with the knowledge that it’s made up of patience, self-control, and the awareness of one’s instincts and drives. Archetypal Consultant Julienne Givot gives us the breakdown of the empowered and disempowered archetype of the Damsel and reflections on Beauty and the Beast. Tarot Consultant Cyndera Quackenbush regales us with a retelling of an ancient Korean myth about a woman’s lesson in true courage.  See below for a written version of the story.

Key Words:

  • Fortitude – Lust – Courage – Patience
  • Self-control – Being solid – Patience – Compassion
  • Composure – Stability – Perseverance – Moderation
  • Kindness – Gentleness – Slowness – Softness
  • Serenity – Comprehension – Discipline – Inner strength

Film References:

La belle et la bête (Beauty and the Beast)  by Jean Cocteau (1946)

Wizard of Oz (The Cowardly Lion and Dorothy) (1939)

Like what you heard on the podcast?  Share us on Facebook (handy button below) or give us a review on iTunes.

The Tiger’s Whisker – A Korean Folktale

A young woman came one day to the house of a mountain hermit to seek his help. The hermit was a sage of great renown and a maker of charms and magic potions. When the young woman entered his house, the hermit said, without raising his eyes from the fireplace: “Why are you here?”

She said: “Oh, Famous Sage, I am in distress! My husband, who has just returned from fighting in the wars, hardly speaks to me and is as cold as ice. If he does speak it is with the most explosive fire in his voice! And he no longer enjoys the delicious food that he used savor at our supper table. I want a potion to give my husband so that he will be loving and gentle, as he used to be.””Ha, so simple is it? Can we cure a sick world with a potion?” the hermit said.”Master,” said the woman, if you do not help me, I am truly lost!”

Resigned at last, the hermit said, “Very well; I will help you to make a potion. But it requires an ingredient which I do not possess. The most essential ingredient is a the whisker of a living tiger.”

“The whisker of a living tiger!” She exclaimed. “How will I possibly get that?”

“If the potion is important enough, you will succeed,” the hermit said. He turned his head away, not wishing to talk anymore.

The young woman went home. She thought a great deal about how she would get the tiger’s whisker. Then one night she crept from her house with the most delicious morsels she had cooked especially for her task. She went to the place on the mountainside where the tiger was known to live. Standing far off from the tiger’s cave, she held out the food, calling the tiger to come and eat. The tiger did not come.

The next night She went again with some well-prepared food, this time a bit closer. Again she offered the food to the tiger. Every night she went to the mountain, each time a few steps nearer to the tiger’s cave and even though fear caused her knees to shake she took these footsteps forward.

Little did the young woman know, but the tiger was becoming accustomed to her presence and every night was also creeping closer in her direction. Eventually, one night, the two could see eachother in the moonlight just a stone’s throw apart. It happened again the next night and they were so close she could feel the warmth of the great feline’s breath. As the tiger knelt to eat the food she had given him, She reached out a hand very quickly and plucked a whisker from the Tiger’s face-

And the tiger

pretended

not to notice…

Clutching the whisker tightly in her hand, she backed away slowly, thanking the tiger softly and then went down the path, walking not running, towards the mountain hermit’s house.

“Oh, Famous One!” She cried, ” I have it! I have the tiger’s whisker! Now you can make me the potion you promised so that my husband will be loving and gentle again!”

The hermit took the whisker and examined it, his face alit by the flames of his firepit. Satisfied that it had really come from a tiger, he leaned forward and dropped it into the fire. It vanished immediately in the smoke.

“Oh sir!” the young woman called in anguish. “What have you done!” She proceeded to tell him the story of how patiently, over many weeks she had approached the tiger. “But you have thrown the whisker in the fire! It is all for nothing.”

“No, I do not think it is all for nothing,” explained the hermit. “Is any person more vicious than a tiger? The potion in which you sought was your own courage. You thought you did not have courage because you were afraid of a man. But true courage is being able to feel the fear and still take those steps forward. If you can win the confidence of such a wild creature, surely you can do the same with your husband?”

Hearing this, the young woman stood speechless for a moment. Then she went down the trail, walking but not running, towards home.

Justice, The Judge and Mediator

Justice, The Judge and Mediator

Listen Now! or Subscribe in iTunes

The Ninth edition of the Archetypal Tarot Podcast attempts to do justice to the Justice card, which is number 8 of the Major Arcana.
After setting out on a newly realized journey on the Chariot, our hero quickly faces some form of judgement. Justice, pictured as a stern-looking woman is reminiscent of the Goddess of Wisdom, Athena, who assists our hero to view his challenges with a rational, dispassionate perspective. Holding both sword and scales, Justice cuts through to truth and weighs the balance of our ways. Listen in as Julienne recounts the myth of Solomon and also explores the shadow side of Justice. The archetype of the Avenger is briefly explored as Cyndera poses a question to our podcast audience: Do the ends justify the means if the oppressed triumph over their oppressors by using methods that mirror their oppressors’ ways?

We are asked to leave the subjectivity of the Hero for the wisdom and objectivity of the Judge and Mediator archetypes.

Listen in on a conversation with Tarot consultant Cyndera Quakenbush and Archetypal Consultant, Julienne Givot, as they discuss the symbolic and real world qualities of these archetypal characters.

Recommended reading:

Jung and Tarot: And Archetypal Journey by Sallie Nichols

Examples of the Judge in Film/TV/Drama:

Empowered/Light Aspect

  • Gene Hackman in Mississippi Burning ( 1988)
  • Gregory Peck in To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)
  • Anthony Hopkins in Amistad (1997)
  • Meryl Streep in Iron Lady (2011)
  • Hugo Weaving in The Lord of the Rings (2001)
  • The character of Oberon in Midsummer Nights Dream

Un-empowered/Shadow aspect:

  • Raymond Massey in East of Eden (1955)
  • Lena Headey as Cersiei in Game of Thrones (HBO 2011/12)
  • Tsai Chin in Joy Luck Club – both shadow and light (1993)

Like what you heard on the podcast? Share us on Facebook (handy button below) or give us a review on iTunes.

The Hero and The Warrior

The Hero and The Warrior

Listen Now! or Subscribe in iTunes

The Chariot: Hero, Warrior, and the Crossing of the First Threshold

The Eighth edition of the Archetypal Tarot Podcast explores the movement and meaning encompassed by the Chariot, card number 7 of the Major Arcana. For the first time, we see our hero of the deck breaking beyond the boundary of the Emperor’s domain. In the last stage, the Lovers, he was faced with a choice and is now thrust down a particular path, reminiscent of the “crossing of the first threshold” of Joseph Campbell‘s stages of the hero’s journey. Will all the wisdom of the figureheads from the previous stages help our hero in the real world? Julienne Givot connects in the ancient story of Arjuna as he faces the fears of battle under the guidance of Krishna. Cyndera Quackenbush illustrates the shadowy consequences of the heroic impulse by recounting the myth of Phaeton. The Chariot card allows us to find our own courage in the face of bold undertakings while keeping an eye on the dangers of hubris.
Listen in on a conversation with  Cyndera Quakenbush and Julienne Givot, as they discuss the symbolic and real world qualities of these archetypal characters.

Recommended reading:

Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes: Harnessing Our Power to Change the World by Deepak and Gotham Chopra

King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine by Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette

Examples of the Hero in Film/TV:

Empowered/Light Aspect

  • Keanu Reeves as Neo in The Matrix (1999)
  • Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars (1977)
  • Emma Thompson as Vivian Bearing in Wit (2001, TV)
  • Judy Garland as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz (1939)
  • Ed Asner as Carl Fredrickson in UP (2009)

Shadow aspect:

  • Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker (Hero/Warrior both shadow and light) (2010)
  • James Franco as The 2nd Green Goblin in Spiderman 3 (2007)

Examples of the Warrior in Film/TV:

Empowered/Light Aspect

  • Harrison Ford in Star Wars (1977)
  • Jake Gylenhall as Anthony Swofford in Jarhead (2005)
  • Sarah Michelle Geller in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997, TV)
  • Shirley MacLaine in Terms of Endearment (battling cancer) (1983)
  • Zoe Saldana as Nyteri in Avatar (2009)
  • Katee Sackoff as Starbuck in Battlestar Gallactica (both shadow and light aspects, 2004, TV)

Shadow Aspect:

  • Vin Diesel in the The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)
  • Stephan Lang as Colonel Quaritch in Avatar (2009)

Like what you heard on the podcast? Share us on Facebook (handy button below) or give us a review on iTunes.

Justice, The Judge and Mediator

Archetypal Tarot Podcast

I’ve partnered with my friend and colleague Cyndera Quakenbush to publish a new series of podcasts on archetypes.  We are exploring the archetypes of the first 22 cards Tarot  (also called the Major Arcana) as both individual patterns and as stages of a journey.

Search for ‘Archetypal Tarot’  in your  iTunes Store or visit our Podcast site http://archetypaltarot.podbean.com/ to subscribe using the links on the lower right.  Each podcast is between 25 and 35 minutes long and is packed with insights, examples of the archetypes in modern life.

Feel free to leave comments, rate the podcast or submit a question.

If you’ve ever thought of the Tarot as just a card game used for fortune telling, you’ll be surprised at the insights found in these ancient images.  We go beyond superstition and look a the Tarot as universal stories, stages and characters we see in our lives every day.

What is a podcast?
pod·cast/ˈpädˌkast/
Verb: Make (a multimedia digital file) available as a podcast.
Noun: A multimedia digital file made available on the Internet for downloading to a portable media player, computer, etc.

Survival Archetypes and “The Wizard of Oz”

Survival Archetypes and “The Wizard of Oz”

The film “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” provides a prime example of the hero’s journey of each of the four core (or survival) archetypes: the Child, the Victim, the Prostitute, and the Saboteur.   This film is an archetypal treasure trove, but for brevity’s sake I will concentrate mainly on these four.

The first character that we meet in the film is Dorothy – the Child.  She looks for attention and is struggling to be heard and recognized by the adults (the Child seeking self-authority, responsibility).  She longs for a place “somewhere over the rainbow” where she can have both authority and innocence – that is to say, a home of her own.  The Child is the guardian of innocence and is the part of us that both wants and shuns responsibility and protection.   Her hero’s journey begins when she is whisked out of Kansas by a tornado (chaos) and is taken to Oz where she finds new friends who will aid her on her journey back home.

After being recognized as a Hero by the Munchkins for doing away with the Wicked Witch of the East, she asks how to get home and is told that she needs to go ask the Wizard in the Emerald City for help.  And so with a gift of ruby slippers on her feet, she starts out on the yellow brick road and happens upon the Scarecrow, her first ally on the journey.

The Scarecrow – the Saboteur, points in one direction and then another because he can’t make up his mind. He is stuck on a pole and announces that he is a failure because he hasn’t got a brain.  The Scarecrow sings about all the things he would do ‘if only’ he had a brain.   This is the Saboteur in the shadow aspect.  The Saboteur is the guardian of self-esteem and choice.  It represents both the voice in ourselves that sees things as confusion, lack or ‘if only’ as well as the voice that sees the attributes,  resources and abilities available to transcend difficulties.  In this sense the Saboteur is both our best ally and worst critic depending on what aspect we choose to imbue (shadow or light).   You’ll see throughout the film the Scarecrow claiming he isn’t smart (shadow) and then using his intelligence (light) to help Dorothy and the others succeed in their quest.

Next our heroes meet the Tin Man – the Prostitute.  He is standing alone, frozen and unable to speak in the forest.  With the aid of Dorothy and the Scarecrow his joints are oiled (is given attention and love) and he can once again move and speak.  The Tin Man’s complaint is that he hasn’t got a heart and sings about how loving he would be if he had one.  He could then love freely without becoming frozen in fear.  The heart here is symbolic of his faith in himself. The Prostitute archetype represents our internal negotiator, our guardian of faith and integrity.  Like the Tin Man we can become frozen in fear when we feel our survival is threatened and will negotiate a price for ourselves to feel safe again.   When Dorothy asks the Tin Man to join them he asks “Suppose I got there and he wouldn’t give me a heart?” – another question of faith.

The Cowardly Lion comes on as the Bully/Coward archetype but quickly transitions to the fourth and final Survival Archetype – The Victim.  He claims that he has no courage and is therefore always the Victim (shadow).  He is tormented by his fears and even scares himself.  He complains about how unbearable life has been (seeking pity – shadow) and wants the Wizard to give him courage so he could be victorious (light). Later in the film he sings about how he would be transformed into a gracious and compassionate King (light) once he gets some courage.

Each of these characters is on a quest to get what they perceive as lacking from someone outside of themselves.

They have given the Wizard of Oz the authority to grant them what they need and have to face their fears and obstacles on their way to meet him.  Each of these fears and obstacles are conquered using the exact thing that each of them believes they are missing.  Only when they discover the Wizard to be a fraud do they begin to realize that they had what they were seeking all along.  Being gracious though, they accept the blessing of the Wizard along with the symbols of their quest; a medal for courage (empowerment and self-esteem), a scroll for intelligence (choice and esteem), and a heart shaped pin for love (faith and integrity).  Dorothy was carrying her symbol, the ruby slippers,  the whole time and so too was her ability to get home (self authority).

We all have these powerful and transforming archetypal patterns in us and like the characters in the Wizard of Oz, we are on a quest to re-discover them.  These are some of your powers – use them for good and not evil ;).

Interested to know more about how these archetypes work in dating and relationships?  Dating Survival Guide series