Personas Are Protectors

I’ve been playing with an image of one’s psyche - as defined by Carl Jung. Words can’t quite capture my understanding of it so I’ve collaged, sketched, drawn and rendered the physical manifestation of it. And it still doesn’t capture it all. I’ll keep playing with it, but here’s what I’ve created for this venue:

At the core is (a very simplified version of) my essence, absent of ego. The Self.

As I am activated by fear (and it all comes back to fear) I gravitate toward Persona, which tell a story that keeps me safe, gives me attention, secures external validation, and puts my unconscious in the driver’s seat. Befriending these personas - not squashing them or shaming them, but seeing them as parts of me that reveal themselves when I am knocked out of presence - is the gentle practice of loving myself (wooo alert!) entirely. Noticing when I’m acting from a persona and kindly recognizing that persona then brings me back to presence. Closer to my essential self (me, in the middle circle.)

Wanna meet some of my personas?

I have plenty to thank these Personas for. They are what has influence my career, my marriage, my parenting style, my family and my relationships. Like the leaves of an artichoke, there are thorny parts, tender parts, tasty parts, tough parts, and (woo alert!) it all comes together to form a beautiful flower. At the center, beneath that fuzzy, itchy choke, is the sweet, tender, tasty heart — my essential self.

Next up: How this relates to personal values and managing time on a quarterly, weekly, and daily basis!