Depth and Archetypal Psychology
Session Two, Part Two (2-2)
The Archetypes of Order and Chaos
Confronting the Dragon of Chaos

In most stories, chaos appears in the form of a dragon or serpent whose characteristics embody everything we fear. The dragon is the embodiment of the unknown and of chaos. At the final stage, at the height of the hero’s journey, the hero goes to battle with the serpent or dragon.

There are moments in life when something we never expected takes place, and in such moments the fabric of reality seems, for an instant, to fall apart. This is the moment when we confront the dragon of chaos: the moment we receive news of our own illness or the illness of someone we love, the moment we lose our job, or the moment we encounter betrayal by someone closest to us. It is a moment after which before and after can never again be the same; it affects our past, present, and future.

How do human beings confront the dragon of chaos?

Some of us pretend to be asleep before the dragon of chaos, or even try truly not to be present—to sleep in the dragon’s presence—because we do not see within ourselves the capacity to confront it.

The use of sleeping tablets, alcohol, and drugs are examples of such responses. But reducing consciousness can never be a way of confronting the dragon of chaos. Whenever we awaken, if we have not already been swallowed by the dragon, we will find it still there, staring into our eyes and closer each time.

The only way to confront the dragon of chaos is to face it courageously. Increasing consciousness is the only way to struggle with the dragon of chaos. Everything we need in this battle is courage, sharp eyes, focused senses, and a power of speech strengthened by the magic of truth and truthfulness.

Sometimes we need to bring down the dragon of chaos; at other times we can tame chaos and learn precious lessons from that taming on our hero’s journey.

In stories, whenever the hero defeats the dragon, the hero reaches a treasure of gold or a maiden. The treasure may signify material success; the maiden may signify a broader understanding or deeper consciousness and symbolise the positive feminine archetype.

By examining the archetypes of chaos and order, we can become in life’s crises not passive victims but heroes who courageously confront the dragon of chaos in order to enter the unknown and obtain the treasure hidden within it—consciousness.

Such a shift in position may seem small, but in reality it can transform the whole of our life.

This is how the images and interpretations of archetypal psychology can enable us to transcend what we are and move toward what we can become.

Aydin Areta

Link to Part Two of the seminar on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqRy8W0jijw&t=268s