In her book Sacred Contracts, medical intuitive Caroline Myss introduced readers to her unique system of archetypes. She maintains that we all incarnate with 12 main archetypes to aid us in fulfilling our unique sacred contract. Four of these archetypes--Child, Saboteur, Victim, and Prostitute--are common to everyone. The other 8, however, are individualistic--helping us learn particular lessons here at Earth School.
The Language of Archetypes is an 11 CD series that delves into dozens of archetypes and how they manifest in our lives. Myss categorizes the archetypes in 9 "families":
Survival Family - Child, Prostitute, Victim, and Saboteur
Feminine Family - Mother, Goddesses, Princess/Damsel, and Virgin
Masculine Family - King, Father, Knight/Warrior, Lover and Fool
Divine Family - Nun/Monk, Celibate, Shaman, Priest/Priestess, Disciple, Guru, Martyr, Samaritan, and Missionary
Wisdom Family - Mystic, Teacher/Student, Sage/Oracle/Crone, Hermit, Seeker/Wanderer, Alchemist, Storyteller, Judge/Critic
Healer Family - Healer, Rescuer, Servant, Caretaker, and Companion
Creative Family - Artist, Scribe, Pioneer/Explorer, Statesman/Stateswoman, Strategist, Networker/Gossip, Entrepeneur, Philanthropist, Olympian/Athlete, Visionary/Prophet
Action Family - Hero, Bully, Coward, Mercenary, Gambler, Rebel, Detective, Midas/Miser, Slave/Liberator, Housewife/Working Mother
Wild Card Family - Addict, Holy Fool, Trickster, Seductress/Provocateur, Spellcaster, Magician, Hedonist, Vampire, Shape-Shifter, Femme Fatale, Thief, Pirate, Clown
Myss addresses the question if archetypes mature, and teaches about falling into an archetypal crisis, having courage to embrace an emerging archetype, balancing maasculine and feminine energies at the collective level, practicing congruences and more. She also discusses the archetypes that you want to be versus the archetypes you are, as well as the archetype of Armageddon.
There's a lot of information in The Language of Archetypes series, and individuals who enjoyed the gallery at the end of Sacred Contracts--and wanted more--will likely enjoy this extensive live workshop given in front of a studio audience.
I'm on Disc 8, and frankly, I haven't gotten a whole lot of "aha!" moments for the time I've spend on the series so far. Prehaps this is because I've read Sacred Contracts a dozen times, have the Archetype deck and the Sacred Contracts "game", used to hang out at the Myss Forums (discussing archetypes ad infinitum for over 5 years), and had listened to other another audio series by Myss that teaches on archetypes (Finding Your Sacred Contract). Myss offers some great insights on the Queen, though.
If you're rather new to the Myss theory of sacred contracts and archetypes, you may want to start with the book Sacred Contracts first. Otherwise, if you're fascinated by archetypes, this 11 disc series should provide some satisfying information. If, however, you've been immersed in the Myss system for some time, you may be just a bit disappointed. I have had the series for months, and haven't had the desire to continue on to the next disc.
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