Stacey L.L. Couch's Blog, page 3
May 19, 2022
Princess and the Pea Story: Valuing Sensitivity
The Princess and the Pea story is a tale about a young woman who is too sensitive… Right? This sensitivity seems to get her in trouble. Do you cringe at the prissy princess who is easily wounded, never comfortable, and always complaining? Doesn’t this story perpetuate the misogynist myth of the feeble female who needs to be coddled and sheltered? As a child I saw the princess as a wussy, and secretly vowed to be tougher than her. I didn’t like this story. Others I spea...
Princess and the Pea Story: Wisdom from Fairytales
The Princess and the Pea story is a tale about a young woman who is too sensitive… Right? This sensitivity seems to get her in trouble. Do you cringe at the prissy princess who is easily wounded, never comfortable, and always complaining? Doesn’t this story perpetuate the misogynist myth of the feeble female who needs to be coddled and sheltered? As a child I saw the princess as a wussy, and secretly vowed to be tougher than her. I didn’t like this story. Others I spea...
January 25, 2022
Femme Fatale Archetype
The Femme Fatale archetype’s name is a French term meaning “fatal” or “disastrous” woman. Other names for the Femme Fatale archetype include: temptress, seductress, siren, harpy, black widow, man-eater, and succubus.
Superficially, the Femme Fatale archetype comes across a dangerous seductress who lures men into her clutches. Society tends to view her as an attractive and powerful woman who relishes the destruction of men. She is a favorite screen character contamina...
January 23, 2022
Don Juan Archetype
The use of the name “Don Juan” in reference to a womanizer began in 1630 with a play called The Trickster of Seville written by Tirso de Molina in Spain. There are many names for the Don Juan archetype including Casanova, ladies man, womanizer, lady killer, Lothario (which comes from the novel Don Quixote), Libertine, Romeo (thank you Shakespeare), playboy, and philanderer.
All of these names originate in the 16th and 17th centuries, which means the Don Juan archetype was ...
July 12, 2021
Finding Accessibility
Yes, that’s me … in a wheelchair. I’m still getting used to the idea. I came to a point of no longer being able to leave the house. Being on my feet more than 10 minutes at a time and walking any distance at all became impossible. I can manage a trip to the grocery store once a week if I can be dropped off at the door and I am able to rest the remainder of the day. Outings with friends are only possible if I can park my car close and sit with my feet propped the whole time....
May 15, 2021
Dilettante, Polymath, and Generalist Archetype
First thing’s first, what does dilettante mean? The word “dilettante” is Italian in origin and refers to a person who studies something, such as the arts, for amusement. It comes from the root dilettare which means “to delight”. The dilettante delights in learning many different things. The meaning of dilettante today relates to someone who has superficial understanding of a subject, but who pursues it anyway.
Not only is there confusion around the meaning of the word, ...
May 14, 2021
The Student Archetype
The student is all about learning. She looks to own information and skills, but knowledge is more than a collection of facts. Knowledge is also awareness and experience. To bring the learning to fruition, the student must gather the courage to apply it in the real world. She must give up living by the book, and learn to think for herself.
For the immature student, learning is a process that happens by transmission. A teacher relays information to the student. The student absorb...
February 22, 2021
Spirit Animals: TURKEY VULTURE
Turkey vulture spirit animal relates to the raptor’s excellent sense of smell. She rides spiral thermals of wind and has the miraculous ability to neutralize lethal diseases. Native to the Americas, turkey vulture is a New World vulture who is connected with the power of the exorcist archetype. This article focuses primarily on the turkey vulture, and includes the symbolism of all vultures at the end.
Turkey Vulture’s DiscernmentThere is an old wive’s tale that if y...
January 14, 2021
The Exorcist Archetype
The exorcist archetype drives out evil spirits from a person or place. Originally the word “exorcise” meant to conjure up an evil spirit. This shows the thin line the exorcist walks between expelling the darkness and invoking it.
Demon / Daimon / DaemonEvil spirits are often described as demons. Demons have a reputation for causing torment, illness, and calamity.
The term demon originates from the Greek word “daimon” (also spelled “daemon”), which started out with a neut...
December 30, 2020
The Destroyer Archetype
The destroyer archetype is a force of nature, a simple truth that just is. When you consider the destroyer archetype, think of natural disasters – wildfires, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, earth quakes, volcanoes, landslides, and avalanches.
Just as creation is a cosmic force, so is destruction. Destruction is at work everywhere. All that is in the cosmos is impermanent and will come to an end. This is the truth of the destroyer archetype.
The destroyer archetyp...
