Feature Article - Through the Archetypal Lens, Our World in Crisis

If you missed the last issue, please send an email to janine@syzergy.biz with October 07 in the subject line and we will forward the issue to you.

As many of you know, I have been a long time student of the work of Caroline Myss.

Caroline recently published an audio ~The Sacred Contracts of America~ which discusses the archetypes of America since the settlement of Europeans. I would recommend this audio set for anyone interested in the United States, its history, or for those of you who are interested in the greater patterns that transcend everyday consciousness.

After I had listened to these audios several times, I naturally asked myself what are the contracts of Australia since the settlement of white guys? And why are the two nations, birthed into the modern age in a similar era, so fundamentally different?

Further to this question was the question of what are the archetypes that are at play in the world at large today? And what are the archetypes that we NEED to bring about a healthier future?

According to Caroline’s work, we all share the following base archetypes: the victim, the child, the prostitute and the saboteur. These are the survival archetypes.

Australia as a nation expresses its victim archetype as the great Aussie battler. Our nation was founded on the backs of a convict settlement. Anyone with convict history is proud to have it. However, this great Aussie battler does have the shadow side. From my perspective, this side is growing louder every day, as it is in many parts of the world. The “Gimme” society. Give me more…and more. I deserve…I am entitled to. The whinger.

The prostitute is the part of us that sells our soul, for money, love, time, attention. We have, in recent years, sold our soul to some degree to the USA. Part of this is strategic. Being such a small population, and so isolated, we do need strong allies who have muscle. We have also sold our soul and our Icons in business transactions. Icons such as Speedo, Ugh Boots, Arnott’s Biscuits.
I am not saying that this is necessarily a bad thing. Like all actions taken, there is a consequence. Have we considered all of the consequences? Not just for today, but into the future?

Our saboteur is the part of us that shoots ourselves in the foot. We have had a history of down beating ourselves. Part of this is rooted in the “tall poppy syndrome”, which I suspect is disappearing as an archetype. (The tall poppy syndrome is a unique Aussie ontological path that chops the head off any poppy which stands above the field.) For many years we where the lap dog of the British Empire, the faithful puppy that willingly went to our deaths at the command of the Big British General. Consider the use of the Aussie troops in the wars in Africa and then WW1. We saw ourselves as having less value. Again, I see that this mood has changed, and our sabotage is now within ourselves, and our increased laziness and entitlement. We have become complacent on the fat of the land. We have really got it good, although that is so easily forgotten, and never seems enough.

Our child is expressed through the eyes of the innocent. There is a naivety about the Aussie psyche. Simple, unaffected and direct. The shadow of this is that we are unprepared for the evils that plague other parts of the world. And, we are easily seduced.

Outside of these four primary archetypes we have eight archetypes that make our culture unique.

We have our beloved larrikin - a slang word for the joker, or the bloke who plays the comical and outlandish. This creates Australia’s love of irreverence.

We have David - the opposite of Goliath. The underdog. The little guy who puts up one hell of a fight. We manifest this especially on the sports field. Few other cultures have the passion for sport as the Aussies. Especially if we can beat the Goliath, like the USA in the America’s cup in 1983. We live to die on the sports field.

We have the adventuring pioneer. Australia’s love to explore, to seek adventure, to go visit wonderworlds. But unlike the wanderer, we remain very clear about where home is. An Aussie can live for years in another country, and when asked, will say that home is Australia. Look to any spot on earth, and somewhere you will find an Aussie. We are unafraid of giving things a go.

We have the mate. Mateship is particularly a male bond that defies all social convention. While below the surface of mateship is often love, the surface structures of mateship appear superficial and standoffish, yet the bond is solid. A mate will do anything for his mate, no questions asked.

An archetype that I believe is fading is the knight. To this day, we are still loyal to the crown. While the chivalry is rough hewn, it runs deep. We will jump on that silver steed and go to the aid of the crown, or other authority figures, in a heart beat.

We have the straight shooter. We call a spade a bloody spade. Why beat around the bush? Australians cannot stand pomp and ceremony. Get on with it mate!

We have the commoner. Don’t matter where you have come from, you deserve a fair go. No tall poppies here. In other words, don’t stand out from the crowd. Be homogenous.

Finally, we have the rebel. We do not like to fit the mould. This seems to conflict the egalitarianism of the commoner, and our intense dislike of standing out from the crowd. We don’t like to make a big fuss of our rebelliousness. We do it with consistent quiet. That slightly quirky, left of centre style. Part of this is defiance to any form of BIG Brother, in distinction to the loyalty of the mate.

When I was working on this list, it became apparent that there is no place for the female in the archetypal context of present day Australia. Where are the female archetypes? Where is the yin to the yang?
It is simply not present. Any women that make it in Australia, (excluding actors who have made it in the USA), have adopted the masculine archetypes as their mantel. Julia Gillard, for example, our first female Deputy Prime Minster. She is a woman in gender only. She speaks like a man, acts like a man, and when asked the other day if this was one up for women, in honesty, couldn’t say yes.

This then opened the question for me about what archetypes we need, not just in Australia, but globally.
We have alive in the world the following archetypes:
The Bully
The Avengers
The Judges
The War Lords
The Big Fat Hairy Caterpillars Eating up all the leaves. (Thanks to Jerome for this expression)
The Conciliators
The Patriots

Here is what I think we need moving forward:

Visionary Leaders - these leaders are missing. Every day we long for one to step up and out. My theory is that these leaders are present, but working below the radar and behind the scenes. The spotlight doesn’t interest them.

Heros and Heroines - note the massive impact of Harry Potter - the Hero’s story of triumph of good over evil. And the TV show, Heroes. We long for the everyday hero. The boy that lived.

The truth warriors, or truth crusaders. These people will not rest until the truth is told. They want people to wake up to the illusions of current life. The lack of objectivity in the media for one. (If ever there was a biased media campaign it has been in the last 6 months leading up to the Australian election). The world is global. I literally have to be concerned about my action HERE, because it affects you THERE. Who the USA elects as President affects me, and people all over the world. There is no vacuum.
(It is important to separate this level of truth crusader from the fundamentalists, who also believe they are truth crusaders. The distinction is that fundamentalism, whether it be Christian, Muslim, Hindu etc is operating from a mythic level of belief. They do literally believe that God is the great white guy in the sky, and that Moses did part the red sea.)

The mystics - we yearn for connection to higher meaning, to source, to universe. We yearn for a pathway to this. We also need the wisdom of the mystic, their transcendent view, and the love and compassion that comes with this role. More Dalai Lama type characters.

The servant. Oh we have swung so far into narcissism, and the ME generation, even at the Boomer level, that service, true service to others, from a place of generosity and love, is rare. The me, me, me age has given us some interior perspective, and yet it is too extreme now.

The healer - of the whole. The individual, the collective, earth, spirit. We know we are sick, very, very sick. We need healing at all levels and in all domains.

The engineer/scientist. Yes, we do have more than enough available renewable energy every single day of the week to provide every single person massive energy sources, we just haven’t learned how to tap into the infinite abundance.

Finally, we need the virgin goddess. Let me explain. The feminine archetype that we are missing is not a woman with balls, or a sex kitten. She does not rely on excessive testosterone to get the job done, like Maggie Thatcher, who was certainly appropriate for her time. She does not need to seduce with sexual mores. She is definitely a goddess, very comfortable in her own skin, and with her femininity. And she has the qualities of the virgin manifest in purity, freshness, new ways of being in the world. Her world does not rely on a man to complete her. (Or a woman). She can stand alone and remain in her power.
She has the capacity for the heartfelt softness of the woman, the ability to join with others in collaboration and without ego. She seeks partnership, not domination. Yet she can say no and be resolute.
I do think Elizabeth the First manifested some of these qualities. She seemed to know instinctively that in her time, having a husband would diminish her culturally. People would not have been able to avoid placing her in the category of the wife, a role that to this day, carries undertones of obedience to the male. (In distinction to partnership---that is for another issue---the emergence of a new way of being in partnership - not as a dominant structure, which marriage as an archetype carries with it).

I also think there is a high requirement for the artist and creative. We need to bring back beauty and aesthetic expression. I suspect that this archetype could be combined with the mystic. The artistic mystic. Beauty and spirit.

So there you have it, my ruminations on archetypal patterns playing out, locally in Australia plus globally; and those archetypes we so desperately need at this time.

As this is a work in progress, and I am only formulating this material, I would be delighted to hear any comments, suggestions and feedback.

And..if you have one of the archetypes that we need so desperately, then get to work. There is much to be done, and every single action counts.

Want to use this Article in your E-zine or Web site?
You can, as long as you include this complete statement with it: Syzergy dares to care about speaking the truth with compassion. We offer our complete flag ship program Dare to Care, into organisations world wide. We also provide Just in Time Coaching globally. If you would like to have your organisation be one where truth, compassion, respect and care work together, please visit www.syzergy.biz. Be sure to sign up for our free newsletter for more artilces like this one.

Great To Intentional Workshop, March 6/7/8, 2008 Sydney

Revised dates for Great to Intentional. March 6/7/8 2008, Sydney Australia.

We would like to invite you to a very special event – the first of its kind in Australia!

We believe that there is a group of people out there in the corporate world who do see the world from a unique perspective. You will know if we are talking about you. You have the ability to see patterns and relationships in a way that others seem to miss. You know that there is a way to combine success, profit, sustainability and people – all into one mix. You know that there is more to life than status and accumulation of “stuff”. You often feel different, and maybe isolated. You have a very high intellect and a great thirst to learn. You want to be involved in conversation that challenges you, and stimulates you - and creates value. You are seeking both a pathway and an opportunity to collaborate with others who are similarly ~different~.

Syzergy and 5 Deep have recognized that there is a gap in the leadership development market, specifically for people like you.

On 6th , 7th and 8th of March, 2008 Syzergy and 5 Deep are co-facilitating this unique event at one of the world’s most breathtaking locations – on the cliffs of stunning Sydney Harbour. We will be using both theoretical and experiential methods that will challenge and stimulate you, and also help to make sense of ~why~ you see the world as you do. The dialogue and activity will transcend and include people and profit, and challenge us to create an ever more integrated approach to leadership and solving our global problems.

A possible outcome of this event is to create an Australian “Focal” comprised of people who have the capacity, capability and courage to participate with one another to effect great changes and design new approaches and answers to the problems we are facing at both local and global levels.

We will be learning how to develop new ways of thinking and navigating through change, chaos and isolation in order to begin to create new paradigms of successful leadership. We will also facilitate your individual process of forming a pathway for your own legacy of leadership. What does this look like to you and what resources do you need, both personal and professional, to achieve that legacy?

For more information please visit http://www.syzergy.biz/from-great-to-intentional/index.html (don’t forget to also visit the Frequently Asked Questions page)

Resources, Tools and People We Would Love to Share

For those of you who have a yearning for a very rich ride on the edge of development, please have a look at Integral Spirituality, by Ken Wilber. I have literally been studying this book for 6 months. It is an experience like peeling the proverbial onion. More and more layers of ever increasing understanding.
I doubt there is any offering of this kind providing such a complete view of Spirituality in the post modern age.

Also, for a one minute visual treat, please visit http://oneminuteshift.com/videos/wonder_of_you

Where in the World is Syzergy?

On New Year’s eve I will be flying to Switzerland to spend some time with Christopher and Alina, our partners in the Great to Intentional Programme, which has been rescheduled to March 6/7/8, 2008.
Before then the East Coast Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane shuffle.

©2006 Syzergy Pty Ltd    

Established in 1997, Syzergy is an international training and coaching company specialising in enabling people to speak the truth with compassion. Our flagship program, Dare to Care, has been delivered to audiences around the world, to great acclaim. Just in Time Coaching offers coaching solutions to organisations in ajust in time, innovative and efficient way.

Bring the power of truth with compassion into your organisation today!