Each of us needs to summon "warrior" energy at key times: to secure a job, protect a loved one, battle an illness, combat a crisis, publish a book, manage a troubled business, stand up for what we believe in. Without access to the inner warrior, we are soft and vulnerable when we need to be hard and capable. The warrior is an archetypal form, and we would do well to better understand how it is summoned and how it is "cooled down." Starting with the traditional idea of the warrior and using video clips from popular films and stories, this class will discuss how images in the psyche symbolize and help us comprehend this volatile primal energy. We will examine the interaction of instinct and ethics, our treatment of and relationship to warriors hired to fight battles on our behalf, and the changing nature of the warrior within psyche and society. |
