3.6.4 Archetypal Background

The three elements of our Shamrock, inclusion, boundedness, and creativity, in different forms, are evident in myth and legend.

The story of Cinderella encourages us to consider what it is like to live in a family with, (from Cinderella’s point of view), very little inclusiveness.  Indeed, at the end, we see the result for the ugly sisters of them behaving in an excluding manner.  (The fact that the sisters are ugly while Cinderella is beautiful is also, of course, interesting).

The story of Red Riding Hood was probably intended to ensure that children had a boundary, feared the woods (which would have been terrifying places at the time) and did not trust strangers too easily.

And fairy stories that we all read as children are full of creativity that make all sorts of wonderful things happen by magic.

There are other archetypal references also.

Ancient alchemists believed that the World consisted of three basic elements, Earth, Water and Fire.  Earth can be considered to be the ground or ultimate boundary.  Water is seen as the inclusive factor, that is, things may dissolve in it, and Fire is the creative entity, i.e. it has energy, makes things happen, or changes things.

For those of us brought up in the Christian tradition, there is a very powerful archetype in the Blessed Trinity.  God the Father is the ultimate boundary – he is a God of fear and punishment.  God the Son, Jesus Christ, is the extreme of inclusiveness – he was so inclusive he died so we could all be saved.  And the Holy Spirit is the creative force, a mysterious being that gives us the inspiration to be good people and maybe make a positive difference to the world.

And getting back to our Shamrock, this was the symbol that was used by St. Patrick to explain the Trinity to the Pagan Irish.  This is where I got the idea – so I hope that St. Patrick won’t be too upset by me borrowing his analogy, and/or symbolism!

When I think of the three elements of family support I also think of the human heart that has such strong association with both love and life, both of which are defined by their qualities of imperfection.

The heart (in every tradition that I am familiar with anyway) has iconic status in folk history.

It is a powerful symbol of inclusion, forgiveness (soft-hearted) or the opposite (hard-hearted), or clemency, mercy etc. (‘ah — have a heart’).

In terms of creativity, the rhythmic beat, which adds so much to the attractiveness of virtually all our music, is due largely to its association with our own heartbeat.

And the stopping of our heart beating is the ultimate boundary, in the sense that when it does finally stop, we are not alive anymore.

In our Irish Catholic tradition, the heart always had very important status in terms of the unconditional love that, the Catholic faith claims, Jesus extends to all humankind. 

This status was evident in the pictures of the Sacred Heart with the little red light underneath, not so common, of course, nowadays in our homes which are less religious than those of our near ancestors.

As part of my work I facilitate training groups and other forms of support groups.  A favourite light and lively of mine is where every group member is instructed to start clapping, randomly.

Inevitably, after a certain length of time, everyone begins clapping in unison.  This, I believe anyway, is due to an unconscious need that everyone has to be included in the greater group, i.e. to be at one with each other. The clapping is also (I believe anyway) reminiscent of our collective heartbeats.

(Of course, there is always one subversive who deliberately doesn’t comply)!