Customer Reviews

The Language of Archetypes: Discover the Forces That Shape Your Destiny

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
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I have been disappointed in the lack of coverage concerning archetypes - most books deal with one archetype and it's aspects in depth but don't deal with the rest of the archetypes - leaves you wanting more.......

As always, Caroline Myss does another fantastic job of teaching a difficult and involved subject -- Archetypes. Granted I am only on the 7th of 11 CD's but I am fascinated with this subject. I am just starting my journey on this path which started while reading / listening to Ms. Myss past work and when I watched a DVD interview with Bill Moyer and Joseph Campbell -- 'The Power of Myth' -- which only touched upon archetypes. I don't believe my thinking is advanced enough to delve into Carl Gustav Jung and his works on archetypes -- so I was quite pleased to find this CD audio set by Ms. Myss and I didn't hesitate to purchase it.

She divides the different archetypes into 8 families and then details the description and characteristics of the different archetypes in each family, their light & shadow sides, fate vs. destiny, being congruent, finding your `always characteristics' to pin down your own archetypes...........etc. There is so much information that I will be listening to these CD's over and over again....... Check out Ms. Myss' website concerning Archetypes and Sacred Contracts also.... I 'highly recommend' her work - whether it's her books or her audio tapes & CD's.

In her book Sacred Contracts, medical intuitive Caroline Myss introduced readers to her unique system of archetypes. She maintains that we all incarnate with 12 main archetypes to aid us in fulfilling our unique sacred contract. Four of these archetypes--Child, Saboteur, Victim, and Prostitute--are common to everyone. The other 8, however, are individualistic--helping us learn particular lessons here at Earth School.

The Language of Archetypes is an 11 CD series that delves into dozens of archetypes and how they manifest in our lives. Myss categorizes the archetypes in 9 "families":

* Survival Family - Child, Prostitute, Victim, and Saboteur
* Feminine Family - Mother, Goddesses, Princess/Damsel, and Virgin
* Masculine Family - King, Father, Knight/Warrior, Lover and Fool
* Divine Family - Nun/Monk, Celibate, Shaman, Priest/Priestess, Disciple, Guru, Martyr, Samaritan, and Missionary
* Wisdom Family - Mystic, Teacher/Student, Sage/Oracle/Crone, Hermit, Seeker/Wanderer, Alchemist, Storyteller, Judge/Critic
* Healer Family - Healer, Rescuer, Servant, Caretaker, and Companion
* Creative Family - Artist, Scribe, Pioneer/Explorer, Statesman/Stateswoman, Strategist, Networker/Gossip, Entrepeneur, Philanthropist, Olympian/Athlete, Visionary/Prophet
* Action Family - Hero, Bully, Coward, Mercenary, Gambler, Rebel, Detective, Midas/Miser, Slave/Liberator, Housewife/Working Mother
* Wild Card Family - Addict, Holy Fool, Trickster, Seductress/Provocateur, Spellcaster, Magician, Hedonist, Vampire, Shape-Shifter, Femme Fatale, Thief, Pirate, Clown

Myss addresses the question if archetypes mature, and teaches about falling into an archetypal crisis, having courage to embrace an emerging archetype, balancing maasculine and feminine energies at the collective level, practicing congruences and more. She also discusses the archetypes that you want to be versus the archetypes you are, as well as the archetype of Armageddon.

There's a lot of information in The Language of Archetypes series, and individuals who enjoyed the gallery at the end of Sacred Contracts--and wanted more--will likely enjoy this extensive live workshop given in front of a studio audience.

I'm on Disc 8, and frankly, I haven't gotten a whole lot of "aha!" moments for the time I've spend on the series so far. Prehaps this is because I've read Sacred Contracts a dozen times, have the Archetype deck and the Sacred Contracts "game", used to hang out at the Myss Forums (discussing archetypes ad infinitum for over 5 years), and had listened to other another audio series by Myss that teaches on archetypes (Finding Your Sacred Contract). Myss offers some great insights on the Queen, though.

If you're rather new to the Myss theory of sacred contracts and archetypes, you may want to start with the book Sacred Contracts first. Otherwise, if you're fascinated by archetypes, this 11 disc series should provide some satisfying information. If, however, you've been immersed in the Myss system for some time, you may be *just* a bit disappointed. I have had the series for months, and haven't had the desire to continue on to the next disc.

Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book: Picture the Past, Experience the Cards, Understand the Present (coming Fall 2008 from Hampton Roads Publishing)

"When you learn to speak and see in archetypes, you start to comprehend the world and everything in it in an altogether different way." ~Caroline Myss

Over the years, Caroline Myss has created a series of CDs and books to provide a deeper understanding of our unique purpose here on earth. Through an understanding of Archetypes, you can begin to identify your archetypes and their shadow side. In this way you can focus on avoiding the shadow side (or neutralize the negative impact) and enhancing the positives. There are 11 CDs:

Your Symbolic Coordinates
and the Distribution of Cosmic Power

The Survival Family
The Feminine Family
The Masculine Family
The Divine Family
The Wisdom Family
The Healer Family
The Creative Family
The Action Family
The Wild Card Family

Speaking Archetypes at the Collective Level
and from An Impersonal Perspective

Since first learning about archetypes in 2004, I've noticed a definite evolution or maturing of some of my archetypes and a few new ones appearing as I learn to identify them. I'm also starting to realize that people around me are amazingly complex in regards to the archetypes they exhibit. If someone complains a lot or seems to live in a dark cloud, they may be struggling with the "vampire" archetype. Notice how it feels when someone continually complains about life. Do you feel a depletion of energy? Isn't that intriguing?

You may have thought you had the princess archetype, but if you are trapped in a tower you might be the damsel. The differences become clearer with detailed information. The knight and the warrior are fascinating because the desired outcomes of action are different. Through listening to these CDs you will now have the answers to these questions:

What is the true task of my soul?
What is the practice of congruence?
How can I tame my shadow side?
Do archetypes mature?
What are your 12 primary archetypes?

Through drawing on her own inner wisdom and insight, Caroline Myss makes this topic absolutely fascinating. She also gives examples from popular culture to make this all very relevant in our own time. Over time, the understanding of archetypes makes life simpler and it can also help you be more patient with other people when you see their shadow side appearing. You may also start to become more patient with yourself, because you start to realize you are on your own journey through the fires of spiritual transformation.

If you want to make this even more fun, the Archetype Cards (80-card deck) and Journal of Inner Dialogue provide a visual reference.

"The Language of Archetypes" is a fascinating journey through the powerful invisible forces that can take control of your life unless you learn to channel the energy and refocus your mission. Through understanding yourself, you truly can enjoy a more peaceful existence and walk the earth with a sense of fulfillment.

~The Rebecca Review

Archetypes are a major interest of mine, so I had high hopes for this audio set. Unfortunately, I was really put off by the actual presentation of the material by Caroline Myss.

Foremost, Myss' style of presenting often seems out of line with the nature of the topic itself.

Not knowing much about her going in, I came to these discs expecting a vibrant, positive, coherent and compassionate presentation about archetypes. On the contrary, however, Myss often comes off as pompous, highly dogmatic about her ideas and out of touch with the fact that her topic is THEORY based. She is extremely judgmental and critical of others as well - though she asserts more than a few times during the presentation that she's not a judgmental person. This seemed very odd.

In addition, Myss seems bitter and intolerant of the things in life that annoy her - of which there are apparently MANY! She has no qualms about going off on tangential tirades about her dislikes -- most of which are related to archetypes themselves! In fact, at one point it felt as though one of her own archetypes had gone haywire somewhere -- and the outline of presentation itself began feeling like a self serving laundry list of things she wanted to get off her chest that day.

Not only did I learn that Myss doesn't "trust" people who don't own books, and that she doesn't "do" children (or even like being around them), but she also detests people who whine about how all their houseplants tend to die. She literally says that any such person would not be welcome in her "Victorian" home and garden, and even blurts, "You little murderer! Get out!!" as part of her rant on the topic.

That was a little too much information for me.

Another aspect of the discs I had difficulty with was Myss' voice itself. At times, it sounds as though she's angrily lecturing and grounding a teenager for being out past curfew. And oddly enough, her speech almost seems a bit slurred at times. In fact, I literally began picturing her as that person in a bar who gets more obnoxious and assertive with each drink they throw back. In particular, her loose tangential rants, which did not enhance the presentation, seemed both inappropriate and out of character.

In an ironic twist, Myss also launches into several critical diatribes about the "New Age" movement. This seems particularly bizarre given how "out there" some of the content of her presentation is. At one point, she claims that nature gods are literally drawn to the gardens of people with green thumbs, and in another segment, insists that black magic and voodoo are "very real." In addition, the music at the end of each CD is precisely what I'd describe as "New Age-y."

It might also be worth mentioning that some of the archetypes covered in the program just seem plain stupid. It's as though Myss is grasping at straws to cover every possible base at times -- in a very "know it all" fashion.

Finally, the biggest problem I had with this program was Caroline Myss' ego. She seems EXTREMELY full of herself at times, and has no problem telling people exactly how they should be thinking about the world, themselves, others, etc. She doesn't miss a beat when she refers to herself as a "pioneer" in the field of medical intuition either. A bit much I think.

The "piece de resistance" of poor taste for me, however, is when Myss belittles a group of potential lottery winners for booking vacations after seeing their ticket numbers printed in the newspaper -- instead of running straight to a financial planner first (GASP!). It's at that point that Myss literally says that $250,000 (their potential winnings) is "not much" money. What she neglects to consider in her dismissal of the values and life experiences of others, however, is that there is indeed a world outside her gargantuan ego. And to some, $250,000 might seem like all the money in the world. This was the one comment in the hours of material that told me the most about Caroline Myss and what she is really about. I actually felt it was quite sad. A true "let them eat cake" moment if there ever was one.

Maybe it's just me, but a good portion of the material in this set proved to be a real turn off -- with the biggest problem of all being Myss herself at times, And with 11 discs to get through, prospective buyers might want to think twice about committing to this much time with someone so pompous and self righteous.

Though I will not say that this set is a complete waste, I do feel that Carol S. Pearson's books on archetypes expand upon the topic in far better (and certainly more gentle) ways. And for what it's worth, consider delving into Jung's work on archetypes as a base if you haven't already done so. It is, after all, the foundation of the topic as we know it in this context.

Caroline Myss has elegantly identified an energy system that continues to explain more and more. She has an uncanny ability to put what she knows into clear and concise language anyone can understand. This is a set that I will listen to again and again because the implications are so vast that I have only scratched the surface of what they mean and how far it goes.
Thank you, Caroline, for you effort in trying to bring these topics of dire importance into more mainstream consciousness.

For years I had heard the term "archetype" and didn't know what it meant or how to apply to my everyday living.. Caroline Myss brilliantly defines archetype and makes available the energy of archetype in both a cerebral and experiental manner like no other.

I usually don't spend this kind of money for a speaker's ideas. I've been delving into Jungian archetypes and, facing a long drive over several days, decided to spend part of that time listening to Myss's ideas. I am so glad that I made the purchase.

I had become acquainted with Myss's ideas through an earlier 4-tape set. Myss has honed her skill as a speaker in the interim. She fleshes out her views of such archetypes as the mother, magician, warrior, victim, and so on with often humorous and lively examples. Her purpose is to inspire each of us to know ourselves and others more completely by living a "symbolic life" leading to personal and spiritual growth and transformation.

This CD set seems to retain its value for resale, so when I have completely absorbed its engrossing lessons, I will be able to pass it on.

This audiobook will give you the tools of insight that you will need to shine the light of awareness deep into your psyche. By learning and mapping who you are you will then be able to make your life into the one you actually want to live. Her manner can be a little off-putting at first, but if you put your ego to one side before you listen, you will find yourself immersed in the magical world of archetypal energies and they will become so very apparent to you that you will be able find the most sought after treasure on earth: self-congruence.

I was familiar with the Sacred Contracts material, but felt weak enough in in my archetype knowledge to put off working on my archetypal wheel and chart of origin. This CD set filled in the gap quite nicely. Caroline Myss is so personable in her presentations, that you feel you are in conversation with her. I've since completed my chart of origin and am continuing to build on the knowledge gained from listening to these CDs.

I find The Language of Archtypes very good. I am familiar with Carolyn Myss's from many of her other works. I do find The Language of Archetypes very interesting both in evaluating my own perceptions and as a tool in interaction with other individuals. I know I will listen to it many more times for subtilities that I missed the first time and to gain more skill in its application. I am recommending it to many of my friends.