THE HERO ARCHETYPE:
Possibilities and Pitfalls
Wed. November 14th, 2018
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Trinity College, 6 Hoskin Ave., 2nd floor Boardroom
University of Toronto
“The archetype of the hero seizes one from time to time, like a mood, and one needs this mood in order to do… something outstandingly courageous which, in the ordinary ego mood, one could not do.” – Marie-Louise von Franz
According to C.G. Jung, the archetypal motif of the Hero is based on overcoming obstacles and achieving certain goals. Identification with the Hero can bring tremendous courage and resourcefulness. It can even call forth Helpers on the journey. This attitude is particularly helpful in dream analysis because the Hero can venture into uncharted territory in the unconscious, and retrieve treasure from the depths.
And yet, the Hero attitude can intoxicate us with its greatness. We may believe we must rescue others, dismiss our human limitations, or sacrifice ourselves and others.
In this lecture…
Certain features of the hero’s journey will be illustrated through a modern retelling of a Hero myth. We will link elements of the hero story to the inner journey of working with the unconscious, for example confrontation with the shadow and developing a conscious relationship with the instincts.
We will explore whether cultivating the Hero within can ignite the ability to respond to an individual Call in our own lives.
Cultivating a well-rounded understanding of the archetype…
Because a balanced understanding of any archetype is key, we will consider a pitfall of aligning with this attitude.
The emergence of the Hero attitude anticipates the Self, the archetype of wholeness and the supraordinate image of the divine in the psyche. And so, when one feels moved by the Hero attitude, one catches sparks from the greatness of the Self. In this way, one can become intoxicated with a feeling of omnipotence. This greatness is not wholly the property of consciousness, and it takes no account of our real human limitations. Therefore, it is an attitude to ‘borrow’, but not hold on to.
