Posts

Sacred Mother

Sacred, complex, and emotionally powerful, the Mother Archetype is the most influential pattern in the collective unconscious. Consequently, relationships with mothers often feel fraught.

Second in a new series, The Mother, at The Third Eve.

more essays

Reflections on Losing My Child, Part 1: Of Love and Terror

The first in a series of reflections on losing my child, this is my journey of walking her home. Through love, loss, and grief, I search for meaning and try to find a way forward.
Senseless

We never assume, “Today will be the last day of my life.” When my husband leaves in the morning, I never think, “I won’t see him alive again. Later tonight, I’ll have to identify his body.” We do not drive…
Characteristics of the Gifted

Gifted people share certain characteristics that can make adaptation difficult when adapting means thinking, acting, or feeling within normal limits.
The Animus

Today, few psychoanalysts think and write about anima and animus in strictly gendered terms. As archetypes, they are representational, thus non-binary and non-gendered. Our theories, understanding, and language continue to develop.
Warning Signs

When I see myself at my worst, I want to apologize to my loved ones for being me. I’m a confusing mix of big-hearted and pig-headed, hearth-warmer and arsonist. I wonder what people will say about me at my memorial…
The Anima

The Anima is a psychic structure that transcends gender. Being archetypal, it operates unconsciously to express the Feminine qualities of a person. It also informs and resides with the collective unconscious, exerting a powerful influence on culture.
Archetypes: What are They?

Jungian archetypes are a concept of Analytical Psychology referring to a universal, inherited idea, pattern, or image present in the collective unconscious of all humans.
Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlatan

The road to wholeness is fraught with perils, not the least of which is finding a legitimate healer to help along the way.
Acting Weird is Not a Symptom

I came to hate the hospital. I feared its bureaucracy—the faceless paternalism, the quiet erosion of our agency. With each visit, it took control of my child, my family, her body. We weren’t being helped. We were being swallowed whole…
I Believe in the Fall

I’ve realized something unexpected: wisdom is a resource—for me. It doesn’t always translate, persuade, or prevent when shared. But like a patient investment, wisdom accrues value over time—available to anyone willing to engage in reflection and growth.
MO-om! She’s staring at me!

Then, with a soft voice absent of guile, Olivia smiled sweetly and said …
Family Tree Assignment

Not every adopted child was placed as an infant, and their day of birth wasn’t always a cause for celebration. Nor is adoption, as commonly idealized, a universally cherished event.