From Victim to Shaman by Way of Mother

[Rev. Renee Bledsoe]

“Courage is the heart’s blossom” – Mark Nepo

 

Energetically located in the First or Root chakra, the Victim archetype resides in all of us and is driven by a fear of not being able to survive in the world. At the root of this fear is a belief that we do not deserve to thrive; the resulting self deprecation keeps us in a state of disempowerment that prevents us from letting go of old thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and can become a form of passive control over our lives.

The Victim archetype is rampant in our world. External cultural programming reflects back our sense of disempowerment and entitlement by providing a constant in-flow of fear-based information. We are taught to look outside of ourselves for comfort and turn to an infinite number of ways to emotionally numb ourselves. We live busy and frantic lifestyles, and we chose to blame others rather than accept responsibility for ourselves. We exist in a state of low consciousness, and each day becomes a struggle.

The Victim archetype teaches us to fear change and ambiguity. In response, we either seek to dominate or control our environment (proactive control), or we become apathetic and do not care about ourselves, our surroundings, or about others (passive control).  Both of these behaviours keep us passionless and disconnected from Universal Will and the flow of our co-creative nature.

So what is the antidote? Or better question... what archetypes counterbalance the Victim? The Victim, Wounded Child sets off a reaction in the psyche and will activate some very powerful internal, possibly hidden programming, the most essential one being the Mother archetype. This means that the Mother instinct within us, man or woman, the nurturing, comforting and protective parts of us will come into greater awareness. This is a natural process of spiritual, soulful emergence when the Mother within begins to show her face and becomes an influence in our lives. The Mother ushers in a time of self-care, better nutrition, more sleep, compassion and empathy for this often difficult journey that we've been on. She brings to us a realization and sense of maternal love, even and in spite of a real or perceived lack of love from our own mothers.

Once the Mother archetype is fully realized, an interesting thing occurs as a result  of her coming to the inner aid of our wounded child, or adult victim. Athird thing begins to rise up and a synergistic culmination of the Mother and the Victim in a very real sense gives birth to the archetype that we each MUST activate in order to be able to climb the Tree of Life: The Shaman. At first this outpictures as the Wounded Healer, and as the Shaman struggles to come online, life experiences, dreams, opportunities, people, places and things come into our life to help us activate this powerful part of ourselves. This is a very intrinsic and necessary part of our spiritual evolution. When we speak of Shaman, it is as an archetype, not as a person. Although the archetype of Shaman was and is anchored on this planet, and hence in our psyche through very powerful human beings, this is a way of being that is important to each of us.

As the Shaman struggles to rise up within us, this will often cause us to come face to face with the last vestiges of the Victim and/or Wounded Child within. It is important to go back again and again to the antidote archetype: The Mother. For she is the one who can continue to provide the means for the inner alchemy to stay in flow. If you come to the realization of the activation of the Shaman, and then began to force your way through more shamanic emergence without the care and tending of the Mother, there will be a great deal more pain than there has to be. For one of the major lessons in spiritual or soul's emergence is that these processes cannot be forced. They must be fed, fueled, sourced and funded mostly by indirect means. It takes a great deal of humility and a certain measure of innocence to allow and act on this. However, when you do, you will begin to see that the indirect means are not disparate or disconnected at all. It is in this very process that you receive gnostic or mystery teachings of the hidden nature of the soul and it is revealed, both to you and to the world.

 

And... the Shaman within you is born.

 

by: Rev. Renee Bledsoe |  AddictionAlchemy.com

[Rev. Renee Bledsoe]

Happy Imbolc! Celebrating the season of nurturing, love and abundance of new life as it coalesces into being!

[Marilee (Snowfire) Rake]

Perfect post for the season. As the gestation of spring becomes evident the Mother archetype is within us all. Let's light our candles for Imbolc to encourage the growing light and nurture our world with abundance.