Ashes and Snow is an extraordinary exhibition I have recently been made aware of that has been migrating from continent to continent since 2002. It is an exhibition that documents one man’s enduring observation of nature, the gorgeous and enigmatic animals that fill it, and the interaction those specimens of unimaginable creativity have with our own race, humanity.
Watch this and read on below
Did you enjoy that? I hope so. Any reactions you may have had are fertile soil for examining further your inner archetypes of the mature Masculine (read about King, Warrior, Magician, Lover).
Here are the archetypes and the emotional landscapes that might be triggered in them from a movie such as this. Do any of them apply?
King
You marvel at the beauty of the world. You feel compassion for all who dwell in it, and wish that they find happiness and peace. You care for them almost as were they your children, such is your vast investment in their good fortune. You feel as nature is an extension of yourself. She is your Queen. You are wed to Her. And like any good husband, you wish to care for Her. And for those who may wish to hurt Her, you wish nothing more than their release from fear and suffering. Yours is the empowerment of a royal lineage of guardians (the kings who came before you), and if pressed, you are willing to channel that lineage and gather your army in order to preserve your kingdom, the lands with whom you are wed.
Warrior
You understand the beauty of the world and the value it presents. With the conviction and confidence that comes only from clear perception, anger rises in your heart towards those people of petty and selfish intent who are willing to abuse that which you have been charged with protecting, only to achieve stupid, selfish and ultimately unfulfilling ends. You wish to eradicate such people from the face of the planet and you are willing to take them on one by one until they have all surrendered their fears to the superior force of your flaming sword of truth. There burns a fire in your belly and it feeds a sacred anger, untainted by ego and selfish concerns. You are ready to serve the higher purpose that has been entrusted you with any honorable means possible. Woe be the one who would oppose you, for yours is power, freedom, and justice – and the protective hand of your king.
Magician
The signs are clear. There is a purpose behind everything. You see the plan of the Master Architect and read it with such lucidity that one could be forgiven for thinking they were your own. You see the map and you are capable of its navigation. You are already hard at work manifesting in the world the children of your mind, those projects of creative brilliance whose realization brings hope to a world in crisis. Yours is the responsibility to realize the plans of the Master Architect, whatever he/she/it may be. You are the knower of secrets, the channel of sacred knowledge. You find yourself transported by these images of endless mystery to a cosmic place, far away from here. In a void of unknowing that is pregnant with creative potential, you are home.
Lover
Tears fill your eyes. Your heart is rendered open and beauty flows into it. You want to merge with this beauty. You do – you are One. Hurting the planet is hurting yourself. How can they not see? How can they not feel what you feel? A song forms on your tongue and a desire, deep and mysterious, rises for the company of souls with ears to hear it. How you wish they would come closer! Theirs is love, if only they would surrender into your open, loving embrace. My Beloveds, two-legged, four-legged, six-legged, eight-legged – come into my arms.
These are mature responses to what you have just witnessed, responses from the mature Masculine. Immature responses are feeling nothing, laughing or mocking. Did you feel nothing? Perhaps you are tired, cut off from your body and emotions? Cut off from your inner power? Perhaps you can come back later. Or maybe it will take some years of hard work. But consider if not the ability to actually care about the planet, and those lifeforms that walk its surface, is something worth aspiring for. The beauty here is so bright, blinding almost. Do not close your eyes only to succumb to the temptations of the shepherds of misery.
Artist Gregory Colbert has given you an invitation. Not for mere observation, but for active participation. Will you take it? If so, examine if you are living a life based on the emotional landscape that were just opened within you. Are you playing it safe? Or are you reaching your potential? Honor your archetypes. Take the invitation.