How does the Mother Archetype manifest in our lives?

In the early stages of one’s journey into the collective unconscious, one often meets the Mother Archetype. The Mother promises safety, security, and peace, but, as all archetypes have a dual nature, she can also appear as a symbol of terror.
How are we to understand the Mother Archetype? What significance does it play in our own psychology? And most importantly, how can we integrate it to our own benefit?
Join me as we explore Jung’s analysis of the Mother Archetype.
What’s your perspective on the Mother Archetype? Have you encountered her in your favorite stories, perhaps even in dreams? Comment below!
If you enjoy this video, please be sure to hit like, subscribe, and ring the notification bell!
Based on Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Volume 9 (Part 1) - www.amazon.ca/...

[@KariWhee]

Thank you for your video on the mother archetype. It's by far one of the rarest archetypes to find information on KZbin, most channels seem to go for either the fundamental ones like shadow and anima/animus, or the more, perhaps, evocative ones like tricksters or wizards. Your video was brought to my frontpage by the algorithm, hopefully to others too so it can catch some wind behind it. I for one would certainly enjoy more content on Jung's less covered archetypes. I have also constructive something because it's not even criticism: Maybe you introduced collective unconscious the way you did to maintain attention by creating objection, but the "shared library accessible to everyone" plays into the confirmation bias of those who have maybe heard of Jung, although not in detail, and are predisposed to labeling Jung's theories as unprovable, irrational folly. But if it is introduced as a tendency to figure out various symbolic patterns in a strikingly similar manner across cultures around the globe, it's much more acceptable to the open-minded, scientifically inclined skeptic. At least I consider it important to emphasis that archetypal images are not rigid structures that reside in the same form in every psyche. Anyway, subscribed. 👍

[@jbadams.author]

Thank you so much for your comment! Glad you enjoyed the video. I'll be sure to keep digging through Jung's writings for any lesser known archetypes. The archetypes can definitely be tricky to describe. Various interpretations range from the physical (i.e. common symbolic patterns across cultures as you mentioned) to the metaphysical (i.e. a literal realm/plane that we can visit through dreams and visions).

[@ivornelsson2238]

Hello Jeremy and thanks for your video efforts :-). You've mentioned in a video that archetypes and myths can be interpreted in several approaches, but IMO we basically only have THREE LEVELS, namely the personal, the social and the cosmological one. As you here are dealing with the Mother Goddess Archetype, you have the basic and positive interpretation and explanation very nicely, but something is distorted when referring to "a shadow side" of the Mother Goddess archetype., but I understand the Jungian “shadow approach” of it. The Mother Goddess is an universal and cosmological archetype which has specific cosmological connections, representing both the Mother Earth AND the Galactic Mother. The Mother Earth gives itself, but the mythical archetypical Galactic Mother naturally shall be located to the cosmological conditions of the Milky Way Galaxy and here we arrive to the "dark-side-interpretation of the Mother Goddess". As the Earth forms everything terrestrial, the Galactic Mother forms everything in the Milky Way, and the galactic center of creation is located "in the underworld" i.e., on the Earth’ southern hemisphere but up in the night sky, in the direction of the Sagittarius constellation. This archetype belongs naturally to the nocturnal sky scenario, but this fact is scholarly misinterpreted to constitute a personified dualistic malign aspect of this prime goddess, which is neither natural nor logical. When this Galactic Mother Goddess archetype is mythically and ancestrally connected with Snakes, Serpents, and Dragons and other strong and fierce and deadly animals, it relates to the Milky Way mythology and its whitish encircling band observed all around the Earth. This story is told in many cultures and very precisely in the Norse Mythology with the Midgaard Serpent Jörmungandr, encircling the entire Midgaard where humans live, the Earth. The mythical “life and death” connection to the Galactic Mother Goddess describes both the cyclical process of life, but especially also the creation in the Milky Way where the Milky Way center mythologically is dubbed “The Galactic Mother Womb”, which of course is connected to huge powers of creation. So, the archetypical Galactic Mother Goddess has no malign attributes at all 😊 Such an alienation only derives from scholarly absence of mytho-cosmological understanding. BTW: I´m also mailing this comment for your records, and I´m available for taking questions into my take on this or other relevant matters. Thanks again and Best Wishes Ivar Nielsen Comparative Mythologist & Natural Philosopher Denmark

[@ivornelsson2238]

It seems there are some troubles connecting you by your noted mail address . . .?

[@ivornelsson2238]

OK, maybe it has worked now . . . ?

[@jbadams.author]

Hi Ivar, thank you for the very in depth comment! I like your explanation of Earth and Galactic/Cosmological Mother. The archetypes can be tricky to explain. When I say positive/negative mother I don't mean good/evil. Rather, the positive and negative aspects represent two opposite points in the cycle of life and death. One must engage with both aspects to have true understanding of the archetype in its totality. I am curious about this Earth vs Galactic mother archetype as you put it. If you could send some resources on where this is outlined that would be much appreciated. BTW, the email I had listed in my profile was out of date. I've since updated it. You can email me at [e-mail]

[@ivornelsson2238]

Hello Jeremy and thanks for your reply and the updated mail address. First: I have the scholarly “dark Galactic Mother interpretation” to derive from the astronomical fact that this galactic mytheme simply concerns a nocturnal physical observation on the Earth southern hemisphere. The Earth Mother simply mirrors the Galactic Mother who is directly connected to the numerous cultural Stories of Creation which again is directly linked to the center in the Milky Way and the formation of stars and planets, and not to a creation of the entire Universe - which was/is eternal in nature for our ancestors. In this sense, I have the cultural Stories of Creation to describe the very basic principles of creation, beginning with the pre-conditions of unordered (chaotic) cosmic clouds in the void, (rivers in mythology) and the principal explanation of gases and molecules being electromagnetically attracted into a cosmic whirl, in which center a “fiery light” is lit, “Atum-Ra” in Egyptian mythology. In this center, everything in the coming Milky Way is sorted out in gaseous and firmer rotating spheres which become stars and planets; hence our Sun and Earth simply mirrors this cosmic formation in the Milky Way - which again mirrors other galactic formations in the Cosmic Web. Jeremy, I got the Galactic Mother Goddess inspiration by an out-of-body experience of this wonderful archetype back in 1979 and you can search my “native-science MilkyWay.MotherGoddess” and look at my initial works. Hope to hear from you in this matter too 😊 I´m testing your new mailaddress by mailing this reply. Best Wishes Ivar