Masks, archetypes, subconscious legend and magic
Woke up at 5 AM. My friend is waking me from my sofa for the Wake & Bake. He just drove here unexpectedly and came through the backdoor on his own.
After the joint in the sauna and the general how-do-you-dos, he left. I, the extreme extrovert who has to define itself by its observers, was left alone and high. It got me thinking about myself, then socionics, then about posting.
Most of you here grew somewhat over socionics and typing. Not to say it wouldn't be practiced here, but for the most of you it seems to be a certain kind of a toy; to play with, to play together with and, to all you, in various degrees, to be played by it. Yet these masks seem very real.
Keep on reading the paragrafs below, the magic and legend in the thread name won't be referring to any of the fantasy stuff. Unless you really want to.
Friend of mine told me about Gandalf being based on Väinämöinen, main character in Kalevala, the finnish national epic. It is true that Tolkien read Kalevala. In Finnish. In the old Finnish which is already incomprehensible to me, especially since the story is in poetry.
Later, another friend declared that Gandalf mainly got it's inspirations on Merlin. Very plausible. Why were they so similar? ..Later on, came Albus Dumbledore.
If you study any of the "good wise wizard" archetypes, they're always pretty similar.
We're culturally trapped in archetypes.
Did you know that the word "inspire" came from latin words which mean for the spirit(us), to step in. You are the well of spirits which affected to you. Be it from the primal source of inspiration (the organic and non-organic nature), self-conscious nature (the cultural creatures) or the inspiration wells made by the latter (art in all forms to a highly extended version of the word; literature, pictures, film) besides the reflections of culture (language, religion, myths, so forth).The simplifying, categorizing, optimizing human mind is very prone to making these symbols, set of characteristics and qualities in these subconcious icons. Even so far to take all of us with us to be influenced by these subconscius legends.
We've taken a part in a play with many customized masks. Some of us forget that we have a face under them. I'm one of them. And highly aware of it.
Your types are a new assortment of myths based on other myths. You were playing your part even before you knew about socionics. Now you're propably doing even more so with slightly changed formula. Hopefully you're doing it somewhat consciusly as the mind can mold itself while it is discerning of it's own mechanics. The observer watching the observer observing itself can be a self-undoing process, making room for building some new culture within.
Thoughts?
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