Is Your "Emperor" Ruling Your Life?

Is Your Inner Emperor Ruling Your Life? (And If So, What Can You Do?)

A gentle tyrant.

Perhaps, sometimes, even not-so-gentle.

Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor (1557-1619), painted by Hans von Aachen (1625).

We each have an inner Emperor.

Our Emperor mode, or archetype, is our "Project Manager" self. When we deal with cognitive, rational, "get-things-done" types of tasks - tasks often involving budgets, deadlines, and deliverables - we call on our inner Emperor.

Our inner Emperor is one of our six core power archetypes, and is often dominant. He (along with is compatriot, the Magician) tends to be a "resource hog."

We can't blame him; not really. Any good Project Manager, CEO, or President-of-Anything will charm, co-opt, or just plain commandeer any and every resource that he (or she) can find to get the job done. That's why they're paid the "big bucks." They get things done - and to hell with whose toes get stepped on in the process.

Our Emperor is all about - whatever he's "all about." This could be getting a law degree or a promotion at work. It could simply be getting a five-year-old's birthday party to come off successfully. Regardless, our inner Emperor is highly task-focused. And because "his" role is to get things done, at all costs, when he's in charge, no other archetypal mode gets much attention.

Our inner High Priestess wants to go for a walk, or even to get out of town for the weekend to simply chill? Sorry, but we're staying late at the office until the report is done.

Our inner Hathor wants some spa time? Later.

Our inner Empress wants to connect with girlfriends, or stay at home and cuddle? Again, later. Her needs get deferred in the face of the Emperor's overwhelming (perhaps even obsessive) task-focused nature.

Now don't get me wrong. We need our Emperor mode. This aspect of our psyche is essential to our well-being.

The challenge is that - for too many of us - we've allowed our inner Emperor to really become an inner Tyrant - gobbling up all of our time, all of our resources, and all of our energies. And then we find ourselves exhausted, frustrated, and just downright depressed and angry.

So how do we deal?

That will be the subject of the next several postings.

References

Soloman, Presidential Address to the Eastern Psychological Association, NYC, April, 1963.

"Holographic Archetypes" - Experiencing ALL of Your Archetypal Journey At the Same Time

The "Holographic Archetype" - Why You Seem to Be Experiencing Everything All at Once

"Life," we sometimes think to ourselves, "is supposed to be simple." And all too often, it isn't. Especially for those of us who are trying to do some "personal growth work" while still carrying on some semblance of normalcy; jobs, family, school, community involvement and friends. In the midst of all of this (sometimes), we're carrying on with the rather difficult business of discovering and accessing/integrating our various "core power archetypes."

Our inner work is powerful. And as we dive into it, we can go through some very unsettling times. By analogy, let's imagine what would happen if we had a company that had a succesion of CEO's, each having a different dominant archetype.

As we know from any shakeup at the executive level in a company, when we start moving key figures around, things are (temporarily) unstable. If our company has formerly been headed by an entrepreneur/inventor (Magician archetype), and the Board of Directors decides that the time has come to put someone in whose background is in running a "tight ship," or who is formerly a CFO, we know that everything changes. (Switching from a Magician in charge to an Emperor in charge.) And there would be even bigger shake-ups if the Board put in charge someone who is focused on mentoring and developing "leaders from within." (Hierophants love to mentor!)

Imagine, further, the absolute chaos that would erupt if any of the other "core archetypes" were to be calling the shots for a while. If it were an Empress persona, the company would be all about "relating." We'd be hugging our clients a lot; but the eye would not quite be on profits and deliverables. (However, our clients might start placing bigger orders and referring their friends to us. Who knows?)

And if a Hathor-type were running the show, it would be all about parties and having a good time! (The High Priestess, wisely, would recluse herself from all considerations of corporate leadership. If she had to take this role, though, the first thing she'd do would be to declare a nine-day corporate retreat in the Catskills. Lots of walking the footpaths in silent meditation. Then she'd happily foist this job off on the first qualified Emperor.)

Now that's the simple version.

Really.

In real life, for most of us doing this kind of archetypal integration, our inner landscape is about as comfortable as frequent shifts in corporate leadership. That is to say, highly uncomfortable - especially when the various archetypes that we've finally accessed begin to assert themselves. Each one wants to "run the ship" - at least for a while!

And as I said, that's the simple version. This version presumes that we're doing our archetypal access and integration in a calm, linear, and "safe" manner. This was, in fact, the "curriculum" a few thousand years ago, when the Kabbalah was first discovered or understood. Back then, a certain sense of orderliness was assumed.

Now, however, all bets are off. Our world is highly chaotic and nonlinear. Our lives often are, as well. Instead of picking up our archetypes one at at time, and then doing our archetypal integration under the careful watch of a renowned integration master, we are often attempting this on our own. What advice and mentoring we get often comes from books, weekend workshops, and "life coaches." (These latter may or may not have done their own integration work. They may or may not even know what you'd be talking about - that is, in a real, substantive, and useful sense.)

So here we are, many of us, attempting to do the very rough-and-tumble work of archetype access and integration, all too often on our own. And to make it much more challenging, in the REAL "real world," we're often dealing with several emerging archetypes all at once.

Imagine a boardroom war in which various key players are vying for control. In the morning, the Emperor takes control, sets up the goals, objectives, deliverables, and timelines. All seems straightforward and doable. The goals may be stringent, but you know how to pour on the overtime. You can work evenings and weekends; you've done it before. (Many times, no doubt.) So you gear up, and mentally factor in the vacation that you'll take when bonuses are announced.

Then, around noon, Hathor seizes control. She wants that vacation now! You count up accrued vacation days, visit your favorite travel site, and figure out which weekend you can afford to extend to a three-dayer. No sooner have you made your plans and submitted a vacation request when whammo! The High Priestess emerges. And what she really wants is quiet time, because, lo and behold! She's paving the way for the Magician to emerge with his next great invention!

This is what the archetypal integration journey is all about. It's not all that poetic. In fact, it's downright messy.

And now - adding in more "real world" factors - there are at least two major integration processes. The first is when you've accessed all your core power archetypes. Everyone is "present and/or accounted for, Sir!" You (the cognitive, dominant "you-in-charge") can access each one as appropriate and at will. You know when to charm, and when to command. You know when to take some time off to connect with nature and your "quiet mind," and you know when to party. And you also know when to get the "deliverables" delivered. On budget, and on time.

You've mastered your game.

Or so you think.

It's the second integration process that comes up as a surprise, and is much more disorienting. It's more than the various key executives in a company taking on leadership roles. It's a lot more like when the Board decides that the company is going to go in a whole different direction. Instead of being a "service company," focusing on government (or commercial) contracts, you're going to be "product company." And the word comes down - new divisions are created, people are laid off while the company retools and regroups, new people come into newly created power positions. This is hugely destabilizing.

And necessary.

Just as companies must reform - sometimes very radically - we also need to rework ourselves from the inside out. Sometimes very radically.

You've heard about this. Someone who has made a living in the banking world leaves their job - their whole career - to become a baker. A successful business leader leaves his or her company to teach in an inner city school. Huge life-changes like this do happen; they happen all the time. But they don't just come up out of the blue; there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes before such an overt change happens.

Not all of us will switch careers, of course. But as we go through this second integration, we learn to pay much more attention to the needs, wants, and desires of core archetypes whom we may have repressed for many years. It's similar, in a sense, to the case in which a wife finally does leave a husband who's never really had time for her. After all the years that she's accomodated, she's finally decided that she can't deny her own self anymore. What a shock that is for everyone!

Then, of course, the husband has to woo and win her back. And finally, for perhaps the first time, he starts listening, paying attention, and allocating some real time to her; to her wants, needs, and desires. And for a good long while, he won't be putting in any overtime. In fact, what he might do is put in for a leave-of-absence or a sabbatical, in order to discover just who his wife really is. It's that, or the divorce court.

If we've similarly been Emperor-dominant all of our lives, there comes a time when we need to give some "quality time" to the other core power archetyps. Otherwise, they'll simply desert us. (Usually, this comes at a huge cost. Pay now, or pay later.)

Now, there's a reason that all these archetypal integration processes are coming up at once for many of us. It's not just that we're going through "changing times." We are, of course, but that's not the whole story.

It's not just that we're in a massively accelerated world. Yes, that's also true. And again, it's not the whole story.

It's much more that we - as a species - as a whole planetary species (and perhaps even as a planet) - are undergoing this kind of archetypal journey at a mega-level. We're not just doing archetypal integration individually; we're doing this as a society.

Moreover, steps like these are broad-ranging; they pull in all other aspects of our archetypal journeys. It's like living inside a kaliedoscope. Or, more appropriately, experiencing our lives as a hologram.

More on this in the next blog posting.

Our "Hierophant" - Mentor, Protector, and Guide for Our Love-Goddess "Hathor"

Our Hierophant's Most Important Role: Championing our Love-Goddess Hathor

My work with A Course in Miracles is really kicking up a storm. I feel as though there's a whirlwind going on inside me. All the "internal dynamics" that I've ever had are massively active, and it feels as though I'm living inside a tornado.

Grounding things help. These include the physical hard work of cleaning; especially deep-cleaning - the sort that involves moving furniture and getting behind things. Gardening helps - slowing down and working with plants. Cooking also works. Anything that keeps my body moving and is not overly demanding of either fine motor-skills or a great deal of cognitive attention. (Does this explain why I haven't updated my database in over ten days, despite meeting lots of interesting new people at recent events? Cognitive storm.)

With all this inner "churn" going on, I'm noticing the interplays - the dynamics - between my archetypes more than ever. And I'm amazed (sometimes shocked and horrified) to see how these same dynamics are playing out in the lives of people around me. Apparently, many of us are dealing with the same things. It's just that most of us don't know it.

The biggest challenge that I'm facing is in learning to love myself more. That means finding and loving the "real" me - not the "superficial" me - or the construct that I put together many years ago. The "real" me is artistic, sensual, and emotionally expressive. The "cover story" is that of being an intellectual, and even a businesswoman.

Now to some extent, the "cover story" is real. But it's not real if I take it to be all of who I am.

There's history behind this; for myself, and (I suspect) for almost everyone whom I meet. In my case, I did a form of "psychic amputation" when I was twelve years old. I decided - for a number of reasons that came together all at once - that being who I "really was" was not a safe place to be. That is, being in my expressive, feminine, sensual core was not safe. And I don't mean physically; I was in no danger of physical harm whatsoever. This was all an emotional interpretation.

So instead of developing my artistic and sensual aspects, I sort of "lopped" that part off, and went into masculine-themed pursuits. I studied math, science, and martial arts. I tried to put a damper on my emotional expressiveness, and simply not to feel. (Hah! That was certainly not successful. Suppression never is.)

Be as it may, a lot of other life-decisions came out of this. Some good, and many not-so-good.

And over the past twenty or thirty years I've kept seeking to reconnect with, and to rekindle, my artistic/expressive aspects - with at best partial success.

This has resulted in a sort of "archetypal war" going on inside.

My Emperor is (as with many expressive women) my least "favorite" archetype. As I was explaining it to a friend two days ago, our Emperor builds empires. He's all about structure and control.

My Hathor wants to come out and play. She's the one who wants to do "kid-art." Everyone has a Hathor, and each of our Hathors are a bit different - but this is where are inner "party girl" resides.

In fact, our Hathor really is our "inner child."

So imagine what it's like if we have a rather sour and dour middle-aged man running the show, insisting that life be lived in a framework of timelines and deliverables, and there's a very active, imaginative, willful little girl that wants to divert all the attention.

Yup. That's exactly what it feels like.

So how do we make our own inner breakthroughs?

It sure isn't easy. I've been chipping away at this for years and years, and right now - even though a really big change could be underway - it feels like a maelstrom let loose. Just a "word of warning" for others who take on this process.

But in terms of dynamics: Our Hathor needs the structure and boundaries and guidance that one of our masculine archetypes provides. She needs this precisely so that she can run free and play. She is "safe" simply because someone else (one of our masculine archetypes) has taken on creating and protecting the "play zone."

You wouldn't just drop a wild and willful child off in an unknown area, would you? You'd make sure that there was a responsible, capable adult nearby. Not so much for supervision, but for protection.

The interesting thing is: the masculine archetype that fulfills this role is not our inner Emperor. He simply can't. He's all about building an empire. Creating and monitoring a play-space for a wild, expressive, sensual, fun-loving art-child is something that he's just not capable of doing.

But our Hierophant is absolutely right for this job.

Our Hierophant, like our other "core" masculine power archetypes, is very focused on completing goals and getting to the "end-game." However, unlike our two other primary male archetypes (Emperor and Magician), he is Feeling rather than Thinking. That means that he is strongly driven to connect with others, and that he (like our Empress) is governed by the feel-good sensation that comes from oxytocin release. This means bonding and connection.

Our Hierophant functions best when he can direct a student towards a "high goal." Remember, our Hierophant is our own inner Obi-wan Kenobi; our own Yoda, our own Professor Dumbledore, and our own Mr. Miyagi. He lives to bring the student to a new level of mastery.

And our Hathor is not particularly concerned with mastery, so there's a little dissonance in their interests.

However, of all our masculine archetypes, our Hierophant is most concerned with the true happiness and well-being of others. In other words, if we had to pick from our set of masculine archetypes the one who would be the best "baby-sitter" for a highly creative, expressive, and willful girl-child, it would not be our Magician. Our Magician will not take time away from his creative vision to be open-ended and playful.

Nor would it be our Emperor. He'd just want to put our Hathor off in a corner someplace, tell her to play quietly with her dolls, and don't disturb him while he's running the kingdom.

But the Hierophant? Now there's a chance.

Our Hierophant is most likely to not only care about and be interested in our Hathor, but also to be fascinated by her.

If a man finds his soul-completion when he "lives to serve his Queen," then our Hierophant (think of a wise older man, a grandfatherly sort) finds his true completion in nurturing Hathor.

Imagine a very kind, wise, and loving grandfather who absolutely adores and dotes on his grandaughter. He is endlessly fascinated with her. He'll do whatever is in his power to schedule play-dates with her; to take her places where she can have fun (but safe) new experiences.

Of all our masculine archetypes, he's the one to not only look out for her, but to be her advocate in "time-splicing" how we spend our days.

When our Hathor is deprived for too long, she stages a hissy fit. A good old-fashioned temper tantrum.

But that's not the best way to keep our inner "selves" in order. Having our Hierophant negotiate up-front the playtime for his darling and wonderful Hathor is a useful strategy - if we can simply get to this place in our lives.

This archetypal integration process is not all that easy. And it's something that we re-do and relearn, again and again. But each time, we add in a bit more of our wholeness and fullness.

If we can survive the maelstrom.

Hathor or Hierophant - Who's On Top?

Power Struggles Within Our Own Internal Archetypes - and Helping Our Love-Goddess Hathor to Win!

Have you ever wanted to make a life-change? I'm not just talking a cosmetic make-over. Not even a full-out, change-my-hair, change-my-wardrobe, change-my-life kind of life-change. Not even a get-a-new-job, get-a-new-boyfriend, move-across-country change.

I mean radical.

I mean a change that comes from inside, that router-roots out all our "icky-stuff" from the inside out. Something that is transformative. Something that is enduring. Something that sticks.

And oh, yes. By-the-way. Something that makes us so much happier.

Well, you've wanted this, I'm sure. And I've wanted it as well. In fact, that's why I wrote the book, Unveiling: The Inner Journey.



Writing Unveiling, and even getting it published, and sharing it with you, has by no means been the culmination of my own Inner Journey. A waypoint, most certainly. Having enough "stuff" together to be useful to you - to give you a concise guide and reference; well, that too. (If 544 pages can be considered "concise.")

But the truth is, as soon as I got Unveiling finished, I began going deeper into my own Inner Journey. I began to get more insights - and have incorporated many of them into my blogposts over the past six months.

But still, during all this time, I was desiring - craving - a deeper level of personal transformation.

And over the past few days, almost overnight, I've reached a new milestone. Had a breakthrough. And I want to share this with you.

A quick bit of background.

If you've been following this blog for the past six months, you've been learning about each of our six core power archetypes in detail. (A bit randomly, but with at least a little attention to most of them.) You've also been learning why and how each of these is important.

And here's something important: You and I are not alone in our Inner Journeys. We're desiring happiness. We're desiring to know and bring to fullness ALL of who we are. And we're desiring to fulfill - for each of us - our true "meaning in life."

And the word is: People - people like you and me - have been wanting this throughout time. And those who have accomplished this are those whom we regard as Master Teachers.

The truth is; these Masters really do exist, and various ones have existed throughout time. And - a very long time ago - certain ones either discerned or had "given" to them the Kabbalah, which essentially is a guide to life-mastery. It's a roadmap to the cosmos - and also to the core of our being. And over the years, the teachings of the Kabbalah were used to create the Major Arcana.

Where this relates to us is that the first seven Major Arcana Cards depict exactly this Quest for personal happiness and integration. (At least, the first stage. There are two others beyond this - for a different day.)

At first glance, the equation seems really simple. Master (access and cultivate) each of our six core power archetypes, and integrate these archetypes (be able to use them at will), and we'll have each achieved the first level of Life-Mastery. We will each be the Master of our Fate. The Captain of our own Ship.

And, of course, somewhere along the way - our "ship will have come in."

If it's that easy, then where's the problem?

Well, it's simple. (And it's not.)

Our inner archetypes are very real, and very powerful. Each is strong-minded, purposeful, and willful. And they each should be. We don't want any wussies in there!

The challenge is that occasionally (more likely, way too often), the wrong archetypes get to "pull the strings."

Let's be clear about this.

Each archetype is very useful. Vital, in fact. We can't do without a single one. (For a quick review, go to Your Six Power Archetypes - What Happens When One Doesn't Function? and Mastering the Power Archetypes - Essential for CEOs and Strategic Leaders.

So to be clear - we need our masculine core archetypes. We need our Magician, for vision and inspiration. (Sometimes, our Magician keeps us up all night - writing that play, coming up with a new business venture.) We need our Hierophant, who teaches others. (This is our own, internal Obi-wan Kenobi, our own Professor Dumbledore.) And oh-my-God, we need our Emperor. Our Emperor gets the projects done on time, the groceries bought and put away, and the bills paid.

The challenge is: these three masculine archetypes tend to pull "power-plays" inside our heads, just as they do in much of the world around us. And the real challenge - the real stumbling block for many of us - is that, over time, we tend to believe them.

Let me back up a bit. Bear with me, this is important. This is one of the most important things you'll ever get in this blogpost series.

There are certain times in our lives when we hit a crisis. A certain kind of crisis. This is the kind of crisis that happens when we've been in one of our feminine archetypes for a while, and totally revelling in it, loving being in that state, and just rejoicing in the juiciness, the flowingness, the freedom. Examples are: being in love. Giving ourselves lots of time for artistic creativity and play. Feeling very emotionally connected with others.

And then something happens that we perceive as a life-threat. And we react by pivoting into one of our masculine archetypes. Very often, we move into Emperor. We "rule" ourselves with harsh authority. The only things that we value, in this mode, are a form of hyper-masculinity - almost a caricature of the masculine. So we will spend enormous hours at work, but somehow not ever get ourselves the perks or rewards that come to our male colleagues. We'll find reasons to not go on vacation. (If you're familiar with Jung's concept of the animus, this is it. This is an animus-in-charge type of living.)

And there's something that we do that's even worse, that's even more self-defeating. Once we give (any or all of) our masculine archetype(s) power in our life, they tend to keep control. And "they" tend to make decisions that get us "locked into" the mode where they stay in control.

An example? One very brilliant businesswoman whom I know. Fabulously effective. Hard-working. Absolutely the first person with whom I'd "do a deal." But she has confessed to me - more than once - that in her "heart of hearts," she longs to do fashion design. She started out there, but somewhere along the way, took a detour. She recently bought a wonderful new set of dressy day clothes - really a whole new "wardrobe look" - at a very high price. Paying off this expensive set of clothes partially satisfies her need to create her personal aesthetic. However, it also forces her to stay in her Emperor-dominant job. She now has far less "wiggle room" for exploring a different career. Many, many little decisions like this add up. Her Emperor now controls her life.

(Quick - and important - little digression. There are times when we are on a Heroic Quest - an important life-journey. Getting an advanced degree. Starting a new business. Heavens, even writing a book! During these times, we must remain very diligent, and true to our Quest. But Quests are transitions. They lead us from one state to another. They have defined endpoints. Being in our one of our masculine modes - for a long time - is different. These are not questing, they instead become controlling. Learn to discern the difference!)

Returning to examples of how we react to a life-shock by "pivoting" into our masculine modes: Another woman, a dear friend, was in love. Her lover was powerful, influential, and wealthy. She was exploring and moving into her feminine modes when she met him. Especially, she was opening up her Hathor - her Pleasure-Goddess. Her long, russet hair played freely in the breeze. She wore long, flowing dresses. She was in love with life. Her lover desired those qualities that he saw in her. He promised "protection." He pledged his heart to her - and promised to divorce his wife. (Whom he said, in the classic sense, did not "understand" him.)

A while later, he told her - it had all been a mistake. He was returning to his wife. The time with her had been wonderful, it had been incredible, it had opened his heart - he would always treasure the memory. But there she was. Out on her own. No lover, and no more mirage of the support of a lover.

Her Hathor felt alone and exposed. Defenseless and scared.

So what did she do?

The only thing possible. She reacted. She slammed down - hard - on her Hathor. She got a job where (she was kindly informed) it would be "best" for her if she put her hair up in a bun. And this new job drew heavily on her Emperor skills. Spreadsheets and checklists. Time management and deliverables.

And because her Hathor was scared (Hathor knows about play - not about defending the fortress), her Hathor submitted to the new lifestyle. It was about survival. And she still lives the dichotomy. When it comes to survival, she emphasizes her Emperor strengths - and disowns her Hathor.

I have done the same. In fact, I shut down - hard - on my inner Hathor when I was very young. And I won't blame family, or society, or pubescent angst, or any one thing more than anything else. And I'll fully acknowledge that I chose - I created - my life in order to have these experiences and to learn these lessons.

However this came about, though, when I was about twelve years old, I shut down hard on my Hathor. With a vengeance.

And it has been the hardest thing that I've ever done to claim her back.

As with my friends - and with many of you - being in one of my masculine archetypes has represented "safety." Sometimes it was Emperor. (My least favorite.) Sometimes Magician. (I learned to become a scientific inventor, and wrote four patents. Ground-breaking and magnificent in scope, each one. And each now in the hands of others.) Sometimes a Hierophant. (I've taught in several universities, and had my own dance school for aabout twenty years.)

In each case, the masculine "mode" has vied to be "in charge." Each has wanted to control my life - and very often, I've let "him."

So as a result, I've spent years at work - becoming a strong scientist and inventor, and even (more recently) a good businessperson. And of course, sacrificed many evenings, weekends, and holidays to the masculine motif.

But I've been determined to "break through."

And the method?

I've been deliberately cultivating my inner Hathor - and my inner High Priestess.

For the past year, I've been doing the kind of work that has paved the way. Sometimes it has been simply housecleaning - every corner of the house, every pile of paper, moving out piles of "stuff." (This allows a new wind to come through. And it's very hard for Hathor to play, or for my High Priestess to have calm insights, when things are messy and disorderly.)

I've been doing physical conditioning of all sorts - and with the warmer weather, I've been walking much more. (This has always been one of the best ways to let our High Priestess come through. Julia Cameron, in the Vein of Gold, recommends a Daily Walk.)



And I've been focusing on pleasure. (My favorite source for encouraging Hathor is Mama Gena's works, particularly Mama Gena's School of the Womanly Arts.



Prayer (or at least, quiet time and "listening-in") and play: the two vital themes.

Also, forgiveness. I've been doing A Course in Miracles for several months now, and yes - the "miracles" have been happening. Shifts in how I think. Shifts in how things are happening in my life. More focus. More energy. The daily exercises are challenging, though. Most recently, they've focused on letting go of grievances - and this has been an essential component.



What I've found is that experiences with any one man - or even with an aspect of the world - reflect an attitude or a judgment that I've made inside myself. So if I've entered into a relationship with a man who does not really honor my feminine aspects (business or personal), it is because that man accurately reflects how I am not honoring my femininity.

What has helped me to put such full attention on making this breakthrough is realizing that being (dominantly) in the masculine modes - for so many years - has simply not been effective.

It's as though my Hathor and other feminine modes have at some level sabotaged the inner masculine ones. They've not allowed the masculine modes to receive the full adulation and acclaim that their pre-eminance (at least in my life) would seem to have drawn.

And why should they? After all, this would be an imbalance.

So my Hathor and High Priestess - both very unhappy - have sabotaged the "authority" of the masculine. In many ways, over many years. (Including various "dis-eases" - to the point that I'm lucky to be alive!)

Through a concerted effort - culminating this last month - of having substantial "quiet time" when the various archetypes could work things out, we've finally agreed. Hathor is number one. She's the Queen. She makes the important calls (and the not-so-important ones as well!).

High Priestess is the moderator. She's the observer. She notes when the other archetypes are yielding to Hathor, and when they need to be brought to heel. She also lets Hathor know when it's time to "go Emperor" for a while - when a project simply needs to be done. (And then there's a little dialogue - a little, "How can we make this project as pleasurable as possible?" Because Hathor is always the one who is to be satisfied.)

Empress is important also - she's the one who wants connection. Family, girlfriends, pets, gardens - she's always about connecting. About the "feel-good" factor that comes from oxytocin. That comes from bonding. So she's always important as well.

The "men in my life"? That would be my Magician, my Emperor, and my Hierophant. Three wonderful, loving, caring men - now that their roles are carefully defined. Each of them now "lives to serve the Queen!" (See P.S. note at bottom, on why they are the way they are.)

And unlike some men in times past who have professed this intention, now I expect it to manifest more happily and completely in my life. Because my internal "masculine modes" are living to "serve the Queen," and NOT the other way around.

This has taken time. It's taken a huge focus and push. It's taken an immense amount of physical work - moving boxes, cleaning odd spaces, pruning bushes - while letting the inner "psychic surge" work its way out. And it's taken letting all the "masculine modes" know that the Hathor-Queen is now in charge. To the point where they've all come and prooffered their crowns, and pledged fealty.

Darlings, this is the most exciting and wonderful adventure. And I'll let you know how it unfolds, so stay tuned!

Yours in the "dance of life" - Alay'nya

P.S. - On "why men are the way they are" - even in our internal modes, or archetypes. They are that way because they have to be. It's that simple. They (both men in their masculinity - and us, when we access our masculine archetypes) - are effective at least in part because they seize control. An Emperor governs and establishes his kingdom through taking control and mandating that which should be done. And of course, there's some wooing and charming, and some alliance-building, to be done. But an Emperor governs. He rules. And to do this, he takes control. He has to.

Similarly, a Magician - if he is to make his creation "real" in the world, must seize every resource and tool, every ounce of personal energy, and every moment of time. Creative genius is real, and it requires total commitment, passion, and focus. So any of us, in our Magician-moments, is totally wrapped up in our creation.

And our Hierophant? Ah, that's the most subtle of them all. Our Hierophant, after all, is Feeling-oriented. (Unlike our Magician and our Emperor, who are Thinking.)

But our Hierophant lives not just to coach and mentor and guide, but to facilitate our breakthroughs. Our Hierophant is like a Zen Master who knows when to slap the student on the side of the head - so that he can get a breakthrough. (Going through a curriculum, step-by-step, is much more Emperor than Hierophant. And designing the curriculum is more Magician.)

So if our Hierophant is so wonderful, what's the challenge?

It is simply that he, like our other masculine modes, is closed-ended. He wants us to gain insights and breakthroughs - to develop our genius - within the system. Our Hierophant, much though we love him, is very structured.

Our Hierophant does not really understand our Hathor. He just doesn't "get" her open-endedness, her focus on pleasure-in-the-moment. Her desire for play.

So here's the conundrum. For our Hathor to come out and play - safely - she needs the structure given to her by her masculine modes; Emperor, Magician, and Hierophant. And at the same time, once these modes are "given an inch," they each want to "take a mile." They LOVE taking over our lives, and all societal messages support them.

How do we solve this?

By giving our Magician, Emperor, and Hierophant - most especially our Hierophant (who is indeed most Feeling-oriented) a mission. A sense of purpose. Something that appeals to their masculinity.

They exist to serve the Queen.

Do this, and their lives have sense and make meaning.

Fail in this, and no matter how many achievements they create, their lives are barren. (And they probably won't really have the success that they're desiring either.)

Do I have examples in mind?

Most certainly. (How to dish without naming names? Hmmm. And believe me, I'll point the finger to my own life as much as to others ... )

This is probably the most important lesson that we can learn. This, in fact, defines our mastery moment.

More in the next blog.