“Only in absolute solitude and abandonment can we experience the true powers of our inner nature.” — Jung

Although we know that the black night of the human psyche can be a lamp along the path of individuation and the growth of consciousness, we often avoid entering this frightening unknown. The truth is that abandonment and loneliness are terrifying experiences for most of us.

Whether we welcome it or not, this dark night often arrives uninvited and is usually the result of events such as the loss of a meaningful relationship, crises or a major bereavement. It is a night that often begins with the end of childhood and whose darkness we will return to again and again throughout life.

In the darkness of this night, we are separated, disconnected and lost, without direction. We become estranged from ourselves, other people and the world of existence, and fall into our solitude without finding shelter in the dark night of our soul. In this darkness we meet all our fears, unrealised desires, unlived lives and the dark shadows of our unconscious; this is how we fall into the orphan archetype.

Deep within us we always long for a lost wholeness, because somewhere in the depths of our being we still remember a faint and distant memory of a boundless love that, as childhood recedes in the storms of the years, fades further and further into the thick and distant fog of forgetting. We remember that we are part of a greater force; somewhere within us we sense an experience of unity and oneness with the world, our individuality, and the call that tells us, “Become who you are!” Yet in the black night of the orphan archetype, we have lost this wholeness and feel abandoned and alone.

Over the past months, our journey has taken us through a discussion of the importance of archetypal psychology and the fundamental differences between depth psychology and other existing models of psychology (Session One); the archetypes of order and chaos as the most important and fundamental archetypes of the human mind (Session Two); and the child archetype and what we can learn from it (Session Three). In the fourth session of Depth and Archetypal Psychology, we will examine the orphan archetype and how we may move beyond it towards the archetypes of individuation, or fall into the archetypes of the shadow.

Friends who do not live in Sydney and would like to attend the fourth seminar online by Zoom as a webinar, but who are not currently registered in the course, can complete the following form to receive the password and further information:

https://forms.gle/xR7HpNDoCyXD9K9q9

We look forward to seeing you all in the fourth session,
Aydin Areta