Michael MacLafferty, LMFT | Archetypal Wellness
Oakland Psychotherapy & Astrological Consulting
In our modern, materialist, capitalist culture, Doing is valued and promoted, while Being is undervalued. This is an aspect of Patriarchy, since Doing and Being are archetypally masculine and feminine, or yang and yin, respectively. Leo and the Sun are traditionally interpreted as masculine, but as you may have realized, I am suggesting an alternate interpretation.
"I googled what a sociopath is, and I think I meet a lot of the criteria." I have heard some version of this from several different clients over the years. They are clearly worried, with an air of sadness. Though they may be looking to label what they imagine their damaged or defective character to be, what I hear is the plaintive question, “Am I a good person?” Because in that moment, they are not so sure.
The Artist is supposed to be the titular meal ticket... But as I noticed the way he was chewed up and spit out by the narrative...I came to a grim realization: The Artist is less the meal ticket, and more the meal.
As a psychotherapist, I want to see disability destigmatized, to be recognized as a unique and valuable perspective in society, and for awareness to grow around the language that is used to describe it. As an astrologer, I want to see disability humanized and conceptualized as a multivalent archetype, not merely existing on a list of potential sour transits.
Can you see yourself in The Fool as well as The Emperor? We have the potential for all within us, given the right circumstances. The more we tell ourselves "I am good" and "Others are bad," the more rigid and inflexible we become.
If Wonder Woman is trying to reconcile conflict in the world… Maybe we’re trying to mediate a similar conflict within individuals.
A few months ago, I went to a signing and Q&A at my local comic book store. As soon as I entered the store I saw him, but I pretended that I didn’t. He sat in a power wheelchair, and was talking with friends who stood around him. Maybe he had cerebral palsy? I felt uncomfortable knowing the store would have to think about making accommodations in their seating arrangement. Who knows what other special needs he may have?
This post was inspired by a radio interview I gave on June 16, 2016 with Matt Savinar; you can listen to it here (audio no longer available). When I first saw the book “Me Before You” at the bookstore, with Emilia Clarke (Lou) and Sam Claflin (Will) on the cover, my first thought was, Oh, a… Continue reading Me Before Who?: A Breakdown of the Latest Popular Disability Yarn, “Me Before You”
Like other mindful and/or spiritual practices, the goal with astrology is to reduce our resistance to the flow of life. It's not to get rid of pain, or escape and find a life of bliss—but as we make room to witness the unfolding of our lives, suffering is inevitably reduced and a more peaceful sense of security grows.
I believe that astrology is one way that we can cultivate empathy for the universe we live in. Our world is desperate for a new perspective.