These past few months in my work as a Kinesiologist there has been a definite trend in the missing link to good mental, emotional and physical health. The one archetype that keeps revealing itself as a foundation to health is the Mother Archetype. Archetypes are patterns of behaviour, roles, and modes of perception that inform our being in the physical world. Throughout history archetypes have been a source of fascination and guidance. The famous psychologist Jung was known as the father of archetypes and archetypal used theories and philosophies in his work with people. Medical Intuitive Carolyn Myss and Neurosurgeon Norm Shealy are two more recent and well known professionals who have worked closely with archetypes to achieve health outcomes. Each chakra has its own set of archetypes that can give a picture about the imbalances in these energetic centres and the glandular and hormonal functions they affect. By creating balance with archetypal energies, we are able to heal more than just psychological maladies.
The Mother Archetype is associated with the base chakra and our sense of stability, belonging, self nurturing and security. It also supports the development of trust. Imbalances with this archetype and chakra affect the adrenal system, the stress hormones and hormones that affect fluid balance in the body. Conditions associated with adrenal imbalances, particularly adrenal exhaustion can have devastating affects on how we feel physically, mentally and emotionally. It then becomes a downward spiral where the ability to recognise and care for our needs becomes debilitated with the fatigue that is being experienced. I have worked with a lot of people lately to support recovery from adrenal exhaustion.
The archetype of the mother and the energy flow in the base chakra also affects the heart meridian. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, anxiety, blood pressure imbalances, a racing heart and insomnia are all associated with imbalances of the heart, and these are common ailments in our society these days. The small intestine meridian is also affected by base chakra imbalances. I am seeing increasing numbers of people with gut problems and food sensitivities that are commonly related to the imbalances in the base chakra. Gut problems are often associated with wounding in relation to the mother archetype and the archetype of the wild woman as well as the ability to give and receive care and nurture. This fundamental ability is wired into our primal wild spirited being, yet with the domestication of our society, it is commonly not so well expressed.
We can’t deny that the topical themes in our current worldly affairs at the moment revolve around the mother. We have heard the shocking stories in the news of women being disrespected sexually. Just yesterday I heard that politicians and people working in the legal system were only now subject to the standard sexual harassment laws. I was astonished to learn that previously they had been indemnified from sexual harassment and abuse. It would appear that the sacredness of conceiving a child and the honouring of a potential mother is abolished with this historical precedent. Disrespect for the environment and Mother Earth are also global issues of the modern time. It is yet another example where fundamental priorities, such as having a healthy environment, is over-ridden by other agenda’s, such as greed and power.
Historically the role of women as mothers has not been well supported or revered. In fact, in many cases women as mothers have been viewed as ‘less than’ their corporate counterparts. It is understandable that women want to focus on their career path ahead of being a mother. Being well developed financially is a lot safer and less vulnerable than being developed maternally. I have heard many stories of trauma associated with being a single mum. I have also heard about how challenging it is to have your needs met as a mother even in a nuclear family unit, let along being a single parent. In tribal culture it was viewed that it took a village to raise a child. These days with the degree of migration and the increase in the age of retirement, access to a set of grandparents for support, let alone community support can be hard to come by.
I often wonder ‘If the mothers of the world were given the reverence, respect and support they deserve, would there be less pain and suffering in the world?’
A mother’s relationship with her child sets the child up with a compass for self care. It is the model for how to meet our needs physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. We develop our sense of trust in our first twelve months of life through our mothers ability to nurture us and meet our needs. These formative moments also support us to have a sense of belonging and thus a sense of connection with others and with life.
In the past few months I have consulted with may women who feel alone and are yearning to develop a greater sense of trust. They know in their mind how important that is in order to achieve greater ease and flow in life. They know how much energy it costs to be the one who constantly organises and manages and be everything for everyone, because they don’t trust it can be done without them. Yet to embody letting go and trusting is not as easy as it sounds when you have been conditioned to do what your mum did.
How did your Mum go with her mothering roles and how much support did she receive?
How much stress did she have being in this role of caregiver?
How did your Mum care for herself while caring for you?
At some point in life, the archetype of the mother visits us and calls us to listen deeply to the needs of our own soul, and to take care of our inner child and our unmet needs. When we can reognise this calling and respond compassionately, we re-pattern ourselves and create solid foundations of security, unconditional love and trust in self and the soul’s journey. When we respond to this call to self care and taking responsibility for meeting our needs by 1) asking and 2) being open to receive, a deep inner peace and expansive joy is available to us and to those around us.
When you look at the dis-regard for the earth and see environmental issues such as littering, pollution and desolation of forests, it is no surprie that this macro cosm is also being reflected in the micro cosm of a mother’s world. As our Indigenous cultures say, ‘What we do to the earth we do to ourselves’. I am hearing many stories of children mistreating their mothers, despite that mum’s intention to love and care for her child in the best possible way. Everyone has their own unique story that encompasses these types of pain patterns. Our higher self works in mysterious ways, and these moments of pain and rejection are good times to ask ‘What do I need to do for me?’ It begs the question, ‘Is the abandonment giving a mother space to heal and regenerate herself?’ Much like what we witnessed when we all had to retreat from a pandemic. A lockdown of people on mass gave our Mother Earth the opportunity to clear toxic pollution and rebalance with less human interference.
So now is a good time to give our own self the space for re-mothering, and stay in touch with our own needs in order to be healthy, strong and compassionate humans. We not only make the world a better experience for ourselves and prevent stress related illness, we also lead the way for future generations to experience less suffering. Now is a great time for connecting with our own mothers and forgiving all that was. Chances are, they didn’t receive the guidance, support and mothering that they needed either. Now is the time to love and nurture ourselves like we have never done before.