The Addict (Conspicuous Consumer, Glutton, Workaholic-see also Gambler)

Every one of us is touched by the Addict archetype… Besides the usual suspects -drugs, alcohol, food, and sex - one can be addicted to work, sports, television, exercise, computer games, spiritual practice, negative attitudes, and the kind of thrills that bring on adrenaline rushes. In its positive aspect, this archetype helps you recognize when an outside substance, habit, relationship, or any expression of life has more authority over your willpower then does your inner spirit. Confronting addiction and breaking the hold that a pattern or substance has on you can impart great strength to your psyche. Discovering the empowerment that comes with perseverance has a lifelong impact, becoming a reference point for what you are able to accomplish. In the words of one former alcoholic, “I know now that if I can quit drinking, I can do anything.”

From a symbolic perspective, the shadow aspect of the Addict represents a struggle with willpower in the absence of self-control. People who are extremely intellectual or emotional frequently have a close link to this archetype, because they struggle to balance these powers. Without this internal balance, the will may give up its power to the external substance that exerts authority, providing shadow order to your life. The shadow Addict compromises your integrity and honesty. Many addicts, for example, steal as a means of supporting their habits.

In evaluating your connection to the Addict, review how many of your life’s challenges concern an external substance or a consistent, domineering pattern of trying to maintain order in your life. Although that challenge is a part of all of our lives, the degree to which an addiction controls you and your lifestyle determines whether the Addict is part of your intimate family of twelve. For instance, you can be inconsistent in your exercise program yet quite disciplined in your spiritual practice. Needing a substance or practice or person so intensely or regularly that you compromise relationships, finances, integrity, character, or emotional and psychological well-being, however, indicates that you should look very seriously at this archetype as a possible choice.

Films: Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick in Days of Wine and Roses (alcohol); Ben Stiller in Permanent Midnight (heroin); Dom DeLuise in Fatso (food); Claire Bloom in The Chapman Report (sex).
Drama: A Long Day’s Journey into Night (morphine) by Eugene O’Neill.
Fiction: The Basketball Diaries (heroin) by Jim Carroll; Under The Volcano (mescal) by Malcolm Lowery.
Religion/Myth: Soma (Vedic God of intoxication, as well as the intoxicating drink itself and the plant from which it is made); Tantalus (a son of Zeus and King of Sipylos in Greece, he was invited to share the food of the gods but abused the honor and was punished by being “tantalized” for all eternity by food and drink he could not reach).

Work Cited
Myss, Caroline.  Sacred Contracts: Awakening Your Divine Potential.  New York: Three Rivers Press
       2002, 2003. 365. Print.

Leaving Life in the Tunnels

September 4, 2013

Dr. Phil enlists the help of professional locator Troy Dunn to help find Cindy and her husband, Rick, a homeless couple who have been living in the flood tunnels beneath Las Vegas for two years. Cindy’s four daughters say they desperately want a relationship with their estranged mother — if she can clean up her life. After finding the couple in their underground home and learning how they survive day to day, Troy offers them a chance at redemption, and Cindy and Rick pack up their belongings and travel to Los Angeles. Will Cindy have the courage to face her four daughters and answer their tough questions? And, Cindy opens up about her past — learn what happened in her childhood that may play a part in the destructive choices she’s made. Then, Dr. Phil offers Cindy and Rick a plan to get their lives back on track, clean and sober. Will they grab onto the lifeline?  Click here to watch the video

INSPIRED POETRY 

Make Yourself Known

I need quiet Mother.
The solace of the deep blue,
Mingled with the beating of my heart
Takes me into your loving arms.

Day to day activities have taken hold of me.
I am ashamed to show myself in this neurosis intensified
By my addiction to the gods of production. 

I long to be in the silent embrace of creation,
In the place where I belong.
Does this world have room for me, for you?
It is taking all my strength to remember you.
The glory of life in its splendour
Takes hold of my breath,
And out comes the song of my soul.
Without effort you make life what it is
And still I resist you.
I keep myself occupied with a thousand responsibilities that cloud my wisdom eye
And my heart grows cold.
My womb craves the dance of fire, bellied and naked and swirling
Harmoniously with all living creatures.
What has become of me, beloved Mother? 

The battle of reason has left me dead in the garden.
I am no more than a drop of dew longing to be dissolved back into the Great Fire.
Even my soul’s pleading cannot comfort me,
As I search for the words to express
How much I feel like I have abandoned you to the rogue forces
That are destroying the beauty of the world.

I am but one small soul in this vast ocean of consciousness,
A child of the universe I am, and in You I was born
For a purpose

Make yourself known

Frog/Cleansing

Key Concepts when Frog is Present:

•  Honor tears; they cleanse the soul.
•  Use your ability to give support and energy where needed.
•  Clean negativity from your environment.
•  Replenish parched spirit, body, and mind.
•  Find peace and joy in taking time to give to yourself.

It makes sense that Frog medicine is directly associated with water energy.  This highly adaptable creature is uniquely built to thrive in water while also being able to maneuver on land.  In some overly-dry environments, frog still survives by encasing herself in a special barrier of mucus to protect against dehydration.  In high altitudes, the skin becomes baggy to allow oxygen to be absorbed directly into her body.  The lesson here is that the key to survival is adaptability.  As Susie Green puts it in her book Animal Wisdom, “Conserve your vigor instead of depleting it and grow strong in the face of adversity, all the better to influence events when opportunity arises.  Transformation comes through adaptation and the cleansing of energy negatively used.  This is the wisdom of Frog.”

Frog teaches us to honor water in all of its forms.  The rain comes to refresh, purify, and refill the treasury of the soul.  Our tears come to cleanse the soul.  All water rites belong to Frog, including all initiations by water.  Water prepares and cleanses the body for sacred ceremonies. 

If you were to look at where you are today, would you use any of the following words to describe your condition:  tired, overloaded, stressed, frustrated, guilty, nervous, at a loss, empty, or weakened?  If so, take a break and allow yourself to bathe in the waters of Frog medicine.  This could mean a long, relaxing bath; turning off the phone; yelling, “stop”; or taking in deep, cleansing breaths.  In my many years of personal growth and spiritual development, I’ve discovered that most spiritual disciplines recommend breathing as a key tool for simple and immediate cleansing.  When we are nervous, stressed, or afraid, our breathing is affected, and by simply being aware of that, we can instantly transform our situation.

If you have Frog medicine within you, you very likely are called often to provide support and energy where it is needed.  A Frog person can clean negativity from any environment.  We often hear the early stages of a human’s development described as a tadpole.  We evolve into something much more complex, but imagine how we might transform the state of the world if we all embraced the Frog within us!  

Southwestern Chipotle Burgers

Ingredients: 

• 1 pound ground turkey
• Half of a red onion
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 2-3 chipotle peppers (more peppers= more spice)
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• Southwestern shredded cheese, or Colby jack shredded cheese

Preparation:

1. In a food processor blend onion, cilantro and chipotle peppers together
2. In a mixing bowl place ground turkey and chipotle paste together
3. Add in cayenne, salt and pepper. Mix evenly.
4. Form 4 patties from ground meat.
5. In a large skillet heat a small amount of oil and place over medium heat. Place each patty into skillet and cook both sides for about 5-6 minutes. Once cooked, keep in skillet and turn heat to low.
6. Place shredded cheese (amount you desire) on top of each patty and cover skillet with a lid. Keep lid on until cheese is melted.
7. Place on a bun and enjoy!