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Many mental health struggles can be understood as ruptures in the relationship between time and self. Depression often pulls memory inward, organizing experience around what happened to me, while anxiety sends imagination forward, preoccupied with what might happen to me.
Rumination and worry emerge from the same system that evolved to protect us across time, yet they become exhausting when trauma, shame, or uncertainty prevent emotional experiences from being fully integrated and induce overestimation of threats.
What we call symptoms are often the psyche’s attempts to stabilize identity and restore coherence under conditions of overwhelm.
Healing unfolds as the frame of identity gradually expands beyond the weight of a solitary narrative - aka the story of my life. Spirituality, understood as lived presence and connection rather than belief or dogma, correlates with recovery because it loosens the burden of self-centrality and revives a sense of belonging and circulation within something larger. This reorganization allows past experience to become instructive and future possibility to feel approachable.
The discourse around toxic masculinity and its role in a pervasive identity crisis among men is compounding. Yet, what exactly constitutes healthy masculinity?
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The concept of archetypes in psychology, especially as applied to personal development and self-image, offers a rich and nuanced way to examine various aspects of human behavior. There are four core mature masculine archetypes, initially delineated by Carl Jung and later emphasized by Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette, which serve as an integrative framework for deconstructing the male identity. These archetypes—King, Warrior, Magician, and Lover—each possess unique qualities and shadow aspects that reveal the dual nature of strengths and patterned struggles.
These archetypes represent universal roles across various cultures and historical contexts and can help in understanding not just one’s mental health but also the dynamics in relationships, societies at large, and the impact of events on life’s turning points. Expanding this model through modern and holistic lenses, such as intersectional feminist epistemology, challenges traditional views, acknowledges the role of power and oppression in shaping the energies of these archetypes, and connects to collective liberation.
“The Whole Man" emerges not merely as a fixed identity but as a dynamic process of evolution, integration, and maturity in diversity and complexity.
(Music "Drifting and Phasing" by Kowalski Room)
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Admiration is a profound human psychological state and like a prism, refracts light into a spectrum of experiences. Within this metaphorical range, there is the capacity for awe and spiritual transformation - the colors of admiration's positive influence.
Beyond admiration's edges lies the cautionary areas where imbalance spills into the harmful rays of idolization or insecurity, akin to the UV radiation just over the rainbow of visible light.
In this digital age of snapshots, glimpses, comparisons and voyeurism - how we see matters for our mental health. Having a better understanding of the art of admiration and who or what could be admired can serve as a mitigating factor for the risks of depression or internet addiction.
The vibrations of admiration are like ripples backwards in time, a clue from our future, fuller selves. It touches on something deep within our psyche or peels back a layer covering our true nature. Like the personification of an acorn admiring an oak tree because that is it's destiny, we respect and resonate with the outer displays of our own inner potential.
Author and philosopher Matshona Dhliwayo wrote, "admiration is the power of anointing." It symbolizes the uplifting and transformative effect this quality can have. It also suggests that it be treated as a sacred rite we carry with us. Perform the ritual with care.
One of the most important ways we can improve mindfulness in our everyday life is through acceptance. Acceptance is part of the practice of open awareness in the present moment. It means allowing experiences to come and allowing them to go – both pleasant and unpleasant. It also involves assenting to the reality of a situation and letting go of what cannot be controlled or changed.
Music “In the Mysterious Distance” by Ethereal Ephemera. Episode artwork by Dove Dahlia.