Adam Up

Last week I was speaking about periods of transition in life and we used the dragon archetype to represent our period of transition, and I thoroughly enjoyed that…

This coming week sees the end of my current hypnotherapy training diploma. It is something that is always sad, over the months I have thoroughly enjoyed developing the acquaintance of my students and grown fond of them… I have come to consider them as friends now and I look forward to seeing them doing brilliant things out there in the world.

So it is a period of change for them and for me as I look toward my new intake of students who are part of my diploma starting in October.

Following a series of discussions with many of my students this week, one of them told me that she felt like she started on the path as a caterpillar, that she felt cocooned at times and now really feels like she has become a butterfly and is going on to greater things. I love hearing that!

It is interesting how we all view the process of change in a variety of ways. Last week I wrote about archetypes. This week, I am doing so again — this time, I am talking about archetypes that represent the change process. Let me explain…

We can have archetypes to represent various forms and methods of change. There are many kinds of transformation and change, aren’t there?

There is the fight against evil that I discussed last week, like Jason with the Argonauts, Luke Skywalker against the Dark Side and Frodo Baggins overcoming the dark forces of Mordor… There are other forms of change too though, not just the fight against evil.

Other forms of transformation include rebirth, a journey of some kind, the caterpillar-like metamorphosis and transcendence to name just a few… All of which are often shown in stories such as Saint Paul on the road to Damascus, like the caterpillar emerging from a cocoon as a butterfly, there is the ugly duckling turning into the beautiful swan, the phoenix that rises from the ashes, Rudolph and his red nose helping him go from ridiculed to admired, there was the Exodus of the Israelites on their way to the promised land and the Odyssey, and many more to mention too.

Many therapists I encounter seem to use the same approach to change over and over regardless of the needs or beliefs of the client…. Sometimes people, groups or even cultures fixate upon one particular archetype of change or transformation which defines (and often limits) their approach to change.

For example, the Western approach to medicine tends to emphasise a battle or a war as the fundamental archetype to change… The body ‘battles’ illness with ‘killer cells’ that ‘attack foreign invaders’. Chemical weapons are developed to help destroy the enemy in a lifelong struggle which we eventually lose.

While this archetype has helped to develop effective treatments for many diseases, it is ineffective for others. Just look at the variety of approaches to healthcare in cultures and people of this planet!

It is useful to be able to apply and explore several different archetypes of transformation to extend our understanding and ability to manage the various challenges and issues of our lives.

So today’s technique is a way to find the process archetype most relevant for the next step in the evolution of who you are. This is all about you finding what kind of archetype represents you currently, what process of change would be best for you and then applying it accordingly… It is also a lot of fun and really needs to be done with another person or in a group of people. It goes like this…

Step One:

Choose something from three of the following categories that represents who you want to be and believe you always will be (your core).

Just think about how and who you want to be and then pick something from three different categories that suits that the most.

• Animals: Lion, bird, bear, horse, dog, wolf, etc.
• Historical figures: Mother Theresa, Julius Caesar, Jesus, Moses, Joan of Arc, etc.
• Mythical figures: Venus, Father Christmas, an angel, Robin Hood, Fairy Queen, etc.
• Plants: Rose, thorn, grass, sunflower, oak tree, etc.
• Natural phenomena: Lightning, mountain, clouds, sunshine, etc.
• Automobiles: Sports car, station wagon, van, truck, four wheel drive, etc.
• Part of the body: Heart, brain, eyes, hands, ribs, etc.
• Other.

Within a small group or another person, share your three symbols, using the format:

“I am like ______ because ______.”

Just tell and share what you believe yourself to be like and the reasons that you think that. Explain your choices made from the categories. When you have all done that, move on to the next step.

Step Two:

Identify the ‘hero’ archetype for who you will become during the next step in your personal evolution (your potential). Look at the example categories I have given here and within that category that you most want to become like, choose something or someone even more specific if you like, or you can leave it vague and open.

I once did this and in the category of Wizard, I chose Gandalf the Grey from the Lord of the Rings books, but I think you already knew that would be the case, didn’t you?

• Wise old man/woman
• Mother/father
• Wizard
• Queen/king
• Healer
• Teacher
• Storyteller
• Goddess
• Superhero
• Mythological hero
• Other

Share your ‘hero’ symbol with the other people/person you are exploring this with, using the format:

“I want to be more like ______ because ______.”

So now discuss, tell and share what you picked and your reasons for that. This is part of the exploration process and is going to help you with what comes next. Once you have all done that, you proceed to the next step.

Step Three:

Identify the archetype of transformation that is presupposed in your ‘hero’ archetype. Then create a symbol that represents that process archetype.

So in easier to understand terms, you now pick what kind of process the hero archetype (that you picked in the previous step) had to go through to get to that lofty superhero position. For example, a hero like the divine version of Jesus went through resurrection, the Buddha-like figure went through enlightenment, Luke Skywalker went through transformation following his learning, many go through rebirth and so on…

Process archetypes:

• Enlightenment
• Rebirth
• Resurrection
• Metamorphosis
• Transformation
• Incremental evolution
• Transcendence
• Quantum leap
• Other

Now think of and create, or borrow a symbol that represents it. So as you think of the process that you chose just now (above) now have a symbol in mind for that process. Here are some examples.

Symbols:

• St Paul on the road to Damascus
• Cocoon
• Egg hatching
• Phoenix
• Promised land
• Flower blossoming
• Other symbols

Share your symbol for your archetype of transformation with the person/people that you are with, using the format:

“The process of my next step in my evolution will be like ______ because ______.”

Just explain, share, tell and communicate what your symbol is that represents the change and then move on to the final step.

Step Four:

So finally, you create an image or a ‘storyboard’ or a metaphor or a story that combines the three archetypes you have chosen in the previous steps.

I that story/metaphor/series of images, your core is transformed into the hero through your archetype of transformation. Cool, eh?

Basically, you create a metaphor of some kind that is strong on imagery, like a storyboard for a film or comic strip and in that metaphor, your core transforms into your chosen hero through your archetype of transformation.

Your core is represented and it goes through the transformation within your story/metaphor. Having created it, you now share your story, your metaphor or board with your fellows.

I love this. I could do it non-stop for days! I hope you enjoy doing it as much as I do. Have fun with it.

A Culinary Delight…

Hahaha… Very funny… As always, a very big thank you to all those of you that in the wonderful jokes and those that post them up in the members area, I love them all… It is such a tonic to laugh at these things.