Parts We Play

October 15, 2015 — acting, archetypes, history, parts, psychology, soul, spirit

All the world’s a stage,

And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.

William Shakespeare sets out seven ages of man in this monologue from As You Like it.  Carl Jung used characters as archetypes to describe the different aspects of one human life.  These archetypes are played out in ancient Greek drama and mythology.  From biblical proverbs to modern fiction characters based on eternal qualities of humanity are employed to tell stories.  We embody different characters during our journey toward the end of life, sometimes joyous and other times somber.  We act as students and as guides, as teachers and as pilgrims.  Our energies are spent on our greatest passions, and we become known for our most obvious traits.  Both our view of the world and the world’s view of us is constantly changing. The way we relate to one group may be different from the way we act toward another one.

Before we die we play parts that we have never considered.  The soul is intricate and connected to the past as well as the future.  Spirit and soul demand that our basic clay be sculpted into figures that arise from our dreams. The figures are fired in a kiln of experience and discernment.   We are asked to step out on a ledge of unknowing in order to satisfy our inner longings. Some of our feelings come from the ancestors and some from our society.  By observing our inner lives we can make the acquaintance of our own archetypes at work.  By looking into patterns from the past and present we may notice how we fit into the story with other archetypes, the other players on the stage with us.

October is time for costuming and honoring the dead.  Let us notice which characters cross our paths, and which ones we are playing.  We are the casting directors of our own dramas….scary, isn’t it?

miniature Halloween