chartingthesoul.com

CHARTING THE SOUL WORKSHOP
MARCH 2ND, 3RD 2019
OKEHAMPTON, DEVON

The framework for the Charting the Soul workshops is a synthesis of child development theory and the experience of working with the aura and with astrological archetypes. On each week-end we will look at two of five developmental stages - from a psychological view, a spiritual view and through encountering the astrological archetypes related to each stage.

MARCH 2ND 3RD - WORKSHOP 2: INTEGRATION
ESTABLISHING A SENSE OF SELF

WOUNDING AND DEFENCE IN THE MASOCHIST AND PSYCHOPATHIC STAGES
GIFT AND PURPOSE IN THE BUDDING AND FLOWERING STAGES
ARCHETYPES OF PLUTO, MARS, THE SUN, JUPITER

NARCISSISTIC WOUNDING
In the previous Charting the Soul workshop we looked at the first two developmental stages, known as the Schizoid/Germination stage, and the Oral/Rooting stage. These extend from conception through the first eighteen months of life. This period is characterised by extreme vulnerability, when the infant is totally dependent on adult care. The energy field of a baby is completely open and so they need to get protection from the energy fields of their parents - to a large extent they remain 'merged' with the parents and carers.

By the age of one the baby will be crawling, making sounds and attempting to communicate in words. As they learn to walk and talk and feed themselves, they begin to separate from the merging of infancy, to experiment with self-reliance and independence. This is sometimes referred to as the rapprochement phase, when the infant is dealing with the initial challenges of separation and individuation. This is the foundation of the 'individuation' process - the start of a lifetime's exploration of what it is to be Me!

A child in this stage is still incredibly fragile and they need the love and support of their families to reflect back their newly forming sense of an individual identity. Problems occur when the parents are not able to celebrate the 'Budding' or 'Flowering' essence of the child but have an agenda of their own, which oppresses and overrides the child's authentic spontaneous expression of self. When the infant's fragile sense of individuality is not mirrored and welcomed by the parents, the child starts to experience self-doubt and shame and this is the basis of narcissistic wounding.

Narcissism is a term much banded about these days and seems to have quite a wide range of interpretations. So it may help to read the myth of Narcissus and notice the images that it evokes.

In Greek mythology, Narcissus was a beautiful youth whose mother had never allowed him to see his own reflection. One day he saw his image reflected in the surface of a mountain pool and he became besotted with the face mirrored in the water. He lay gazing into the pool for days until he was overcome by the pain of his obsessive love and killed himself.

In the place where his young blood soaked into the earth, a flowering narcissus sprang up – symbol not so much of Narcissus’s tragedy but of the human need for self-knowledge.

The infant in the rapprochement phase needs the family to see them, welcome their unique qualities of essence and affirm their worth. When this healthy 'mirroring' does not occur the confused child becomes increasingly, obsessively bound up in the difficulties of establishing their sense of identity.

In the myth, Narcissus is loved by a nymph called Echo, but Echo is unable to speak, she can only repeat what others say to her. Echo can be said to represent Narcissus’s anima, the numinous voice that speaks from Essence – but the narcissistically wounded child can no longer hear that inner voice of guidance.

In the upcoming Charting the Soul weekend we will be looking at two character types associated with this phase - the Masochist/Budding type and the Psychopathic/Flowering type. We will be exploring the impact of trauma leading to the Masochist and the Psychopathic defences and we will also be celebrating the qualities of creativity and courage - the gifts which are longing to shine through the Budding and Flowering souls - and we'll be connecting with the radiance and creativity associated with the archetype of the Sun.

CONTACT: chartingthesoul@gmail.com