Archetypes

There are how many?

Photo by Rach Teo on Unsplash

As a creative writing facilitator, I’m always looking for new ways to connect to a piece of writing, to find new prompts and ways to explore a poem, piece of prose, or lyrics.

I’ve found that looking at archetypal figures within poetry can often shed some light on the poem and illuminate the reader too.

The purpose of this page isn’t to find or figure out the meaning in the chosen poem, or to explore what the poet is telling us. Instead, it’s about noticing how we respond to the poem, how we are moved by it – perhaps we’ll have a visceral reaction to the piece, or the writing evokes a long-dormant memory within us.

Using archetypal figures can help us explore elements, or traits, of those figures that are within us too – even if we don’t know it yet.

You’ll find that your reading experience will often depend on the kind of day/week/month/year you’ve had. Lean into those feelings as you write, they might lead you somewhere helpful, peaceful, or motivating.

Why Subscribe?

The first week of every month, I’ll post a poem (or a couple of poems) that will look at a particular archetype. Prompts will be included at the end. For now, all subscribers will be able to access the poems and prompts, and share responses in the comments. As I navigate Substack, this format will likely change so that only paid subscribers can share their written response to a prompt, or free access to the prompts will end after one week. Let’s see how we go, shall we?

“There’s a reason poets often say, ‘Poetry saved my life,’ for often the blank page is the only one listening to the soul’s suffering, the only one registering the story completely, the only one receiving all softly and without condemnation.”— Clarissa Pinkola Estés

Finally…

In the autumn, I’ll be hosting Zoom workshops for writing wellness – we’ll have themed sessions (about pets, childhood, long-lost friends, parenthood, etc.,). Watch this space, and I hope you’ll join me!

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