SECTION IV - ASK AUNTIE AHN

Ask Auntie Ahn
By Ahneke Greystone

Over the Summer I have received several messages which are similar in nature, and at the same time an identical thread has shown up on some of my e-mail lists. As my personal thoughts have been wandering in this direction in the quiet days of the season, it seemed appropriate that I focus on the reality of myth and archetype. The question below came from a young person early on in her studies, and it is one that I have thought much on this year. Is it synchronicity that this question has come at me from outwardly and inwardly this year? More than likely what it shows is that we all struggle with the same issues, whether we are new to our studies or pagan "veterans."

As a reminder, I can be reached at AuntieAhn@aol.com and would be most pleased to hear from anyone who wishes to share regarding the following or to send along questions of their own.

Ahneke Greystone, who is Auntie Ahn

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Q. I have been reading about archetype and myth and that when we think of our gods that they are just symbols. But it doesn't feel that way to me. It feels so much more powerful. And yet even in pagan study groups the gods seem reduced to symbols. What do you think?

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It seems to me that it is a very popular thing nowadays to blithely toss about the word archetype to explain our various pantheons and visions of Goddess and God. At the psychological level most of us are aware of the power of archetype. Everyone from Campbell to Jung provides us with in-depth analysis of our human need to create symbols. And yet, I have come to think that if we focus overly on the images of our Gods as "just" archetype that we may have lost touch with a basic and critical element of our pagan spirituality. And this is particularly so within my Wiccan beliefs.

Yes, when I give life to my view of the Divine through my own personal pantheon and visions of the Goddess and God, I am indeed creating a symbol. I have given a face to the Divine. But this is not "just" a symbol. This is a powerful, religious expression of that which is just outside my ability to "know" and to explain. I am unable to "see" the Divine. I can only comprehend it at a basic level. When I call upon an archetype of my choice, whether it be Hera or Osiris or my personal vision of the Goddess and God, that archetype is more than just a symbol. For what it represents is the vast and mysterious Divine Spirit. It allows me to conceive of and understand something that is normally just beyond my grasp.

Understanding the power of archetype is important for us to comprehend and respect each other's choice of Divine pantheons. While the Gods we envision are different in appearance, they connect to the very same flow of Spirit. Whether we honor Odin or the Morrigan or Spider Grandmother, we are connecting to the same source.

Most of our traditions are based on the Eastern philosophy that religion is something one experiences/lives rather than something that is accepted at an intellectual level. Therefore, the need for a tangible representation of Divine aspects is important to most of us. We need to be able to touch our Gods. But there is something beyond simple archetype here. To reduce our Gods to a mere symbol is intellectualizing our spirituality in a very Western fashion. Whereas the wonder of our bright and glorious pantheons is that beyond the human-like symbols we create is the very real and true connection to the unknowable Divine that those archetypes provide us.

We also find that the wonderful myths and stories of our Gods are sometimes seen as "just" stories. Myths, stories and tales throughout history are much more than that. Whether they are words passed down by the fireside or characters printed upon a page, they represent, across time and culture, the record of Universal Truth. They are illustrative of the combined experiences of humanity. Things that are shared amongst all of us. They are more than mere stories. They are allegories of life. We experience and live the message of the myth as we listen to it.

When you combine archetype, myth and ritual, the result is a sacred drama that we enact every time we cast a Circle or raise power. Ritual and myth and the personification of our Gods lead us to a true understanding of the deeper meaning of archetype.

When next you are envisioning the bright symbols of your Spirit world, connect to the depth of them. Not just the physical appearance your mind has created, but the very essence of the All which they reflect. Most of us, indeed, do not see our Gods as "just" archetypes. And if we reduce them to that, this woman's opinion is that we have lost some of the mysterious and wondrous essence of our practice.

Our archetypes, the Goddesses and Gods we cherish so, are indeed our communion with the All. They are not two-dimensional drawings or Divine caricatures. They exist in more dimensions than we can easily understand. They exist outside of time and place. They are wondrous and beautiful channels to the Divine.

I have a quote in my BOS which unfortunately has no author's name against it. But I would like to end with it. "Magickal practice is a communion with the reality which lies behind the forms of God."

"Just" archetypes? I think not. I believe, rather, forms of God.