The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious,- JUNG

 

Oh so having a wrestle with myself and the application I have to submit for my Jungian studies. It’s a submission on ‘Persona’ my persona… this really brings up a lot when you have to analyse yourself knowing that you will not be fully conscious of all of it yet you want to see, and sometimes even hiding from your Self what you put across to others. It's important to me to be moralistic, to be in integrity, to not use my work in shadow … and like every good true Teacher, I have a teacher, I have my shadow worker and my analyst and that keeps me rooted in truth and integrity… and even then there is still always shadow to work with, falseness and untruths. 

 

 According to Jung The Persona was to him ‘the social face the individual presented to the world—

 "a kind of mask, designed on the one hand to make a definite impression upon others, and on the other to conceal the true nature of the individual.”

 

We see Persona displayed in the world in all places, especially those who are in the media, or public spotlight tend to develop a particularly strong persona. We all have one, the mask we want the world to see ( it is not the true self) 

 

I see the overinflated persona in the spiritual world more and more, the social media feeds are full of  Teachers, Coaches, Guides, Shamans….. etc all presenting a strong persona in order to sell more courses, get more people to do their work, become more popular.. or whatever their intention is. Many will say, that intention is to help people, but if that statement was to go under analysis, we would find something else! The shadow of the intention would be revealed.. and of course, most would not want to do that, they would not want to see that truth as ethically they would have to change something.  

 

Selling persona is easy in the world of online marketing,   media can be cleverly designed packaged in color codes and ordered imagery to tantalize the viewer. Words will be spellbinding and create a version in the reader that pulls them in.  The Persona will wear extraordinary clothing, or even little clothing to promote a certain image that makes you want to be like that ( as you sit there in your sweats!) the Crystal crown is an accessory only a magical princess would have and she is alive from your storybooks right now in front of your eyes. The frolicking maiden in her silk gown wandering bare foot through the long grass… is wild and free.

 

The persona is a complicated system of relations between individual consciousness and society . . . a kind of mask, designed on the one hand to make a definite impression upon others, and, on the other, to conceal the true nature of the individual (Jung 1953, p. 192).

 

 

We all have a persona we like to share, we share our glamourous bits, the best bits, the parts of us we want people to see. Many of us wouldn’t dream of showing our face crumpled from the pillow, with hair like a wild banshee. We wouldn’t photograph ourselves in front of the dirty washing pile with our holey leggings and stained t-shirt on, or video ourselves having an absolute freak out at our partners or at the mud that just messed up your clean kitchen.  This would not fit our persona and in the spiritual industry, it would certainly not be rewarded with cash as Jung points out! 

 

The Persona sell checklist:

 

·      You will be sold to by scenes of spiritual harmony 

·      Words of how Brilliant they are 

·      Pictures they paid a fortune to have taken 

·      How your entire world will transform and heal in six sessions!

·      Props that enhance their persona ( chalices , Crystals , etc…)

·      Pictures of a glamorous lifestyle

·      Words that seduce you (spells)

·      Constant selfies

 

Every day mundaneness will be missing as this does not sell, the persona that does cooking and cleaning, picks up dog poop, and has occasional mental breakdowns or behaves in a way you would be shocked at, just doesn’t fit the persona of someone who is trying to sell themselves and their spiritual services to you.  

 

The time has come that the old structures will fall, and this has been going on for far too long, it needs calling out, people need to be aware of the enticements of the persona that calls them in… because people deserve the opportunity to do the real work that’s about them and not the person leading it. 

 

I’m working on me , trying to show realness, to be a real teacher, mentor,  writer, shaman and all the other things that I could call myself. I don’t want to endlessly share my persona to call you into my work. I want to show you the way I live, combining what I do with how I live , showing how that spirituality lives through me, how the work enhances life, makes me fulfilled and happy ( without a tiara ! )  How amazing life is without having to frolic in an expensive dress with a photographer making me pose in setups I don’t really do most of the time!  I don’t want to sell you a dream, profess to be able to heal you or transform you, I want you to do that for yourself. 

 

I am PASSIONATE about supporting people into their own magic powers, into a rich wholesome life where props aren’t necessary but tools are and you hold them in spirit not in matter. 

 

Go beyond what you see, use your sense, see the persona for what it is and why it is being used. You have the ability to look beyond that mask and see what is real and of course, see when you yourself use the persona to hide the real you 

 

LOVE

Collette