The Hero's Journey: overcoming the mother complex by gaining access to the symbolic equivalent of the mother.
This article was inspired by the following Jung quote about the hero’s journey and conquering the mother complex:
“On the way to his goal he conquers the parents and breaks his infantile ties. But the deepest tie is to the mother. Once he has conquered this by gaining access to her symbolical equivalent, he can be born again.”
- Carl Jung (Symbols of Transformation, Collected Works Vol. 5, par. 522)
After reading this quote, a Reddit user asked me the following question about Jung’s description of conquering issues with the ‘personal mother’:
“How can one gain access to the symbolic equivalent?”
This is a simple but powerful question. In answering this question we will cover:
The hero’s journey;
Symbols which represent mother, the ‘other mother’, the mother archetype; and
Ways to gain access to the symbolic equivalent of ‘mother’.
Some context to the quote before we answer the question
The original quote comes from Symbols of Transformation and the context is important. Jung generally discusses the following matters of relevance prior to the quote, namely:
How a child first encounters the personal mother.
This experience is the child’s first experience with the feminine or the anima.
If this initial experience of the feminine/anima is negative and unbalanced, it is important for a person to find the symbolic or archetypal mother to gain access to a balanced, non-toxic feminine.
At the later stage of adulthood, a separation from the mother must occur and infantile ties must be broken by gaining access to her symbolic equivalent - the archetypal mother, the archetypal feminine.
Although it is common to have infantile ties or difficulty separating from both parents, Jung notes that for the hero in his journey “the deepest tie is to the mother” (Symbols of Transformation, par. 522).
Some further context: a brief discussion of anima and animus
This need to conquer the infantile tie to the personal mother effects both genders. However, it is important to be aware of Jung’s approach to the masculine and feminine energies within males and females. Obviously, both men and women contain a respective masculine and feminine energy within them (this is obvious just by our lived experience in dealing with both genders in daily life). However, Jung specifically uses the term Anima for the feminine component within a man and the term Animus for the masculine component of a woman's psychology.
For those new to depth psychology, I suggest not getting too caught up in these terms and just think of things in terms of feminine energy and masculine energy within a person. If you go down the rabbit hole of Jungian Psychology you will eventually differentiate the terms, especially by reference to your own experience and the development and balancing of those energies within you.
Nonetheless, I will provide a brief description of anima and animus from Carl Jung’s ‘Dream Analysis: Notes of the Seminar Given in 1928-1930’:
Anima
“Anima: Jung's term for the feminine component of a man's psychology, representing his function of relationship (Eros) with the opposite sex and also with his unconscious. The anima appears personified in dreams as the unknown woman or "dream girl" and is invariably projected onto a real woman or series of women.”
(Carl Jung, Dream Analysis: Notes of the Seminar Given in 1928-1930, page 40, footnote 6)
Animus
“The animus personified the masculine (Logos) component of a woman's psychology. These two archetypes often express themselves in the irrationalities of a man's feeling (anima moods) and a woman's thinking (animus opinions).”
(Carl Jung, Dream Analysis: Notes of the Seminar Given in 1928-1930, page 40, footnote 6)
_________________________________________________________________________
How do we gain access to the symbolic equivalent of ‘mother’ and conquer the parental complex?
Engage in Jungian Analysis (Psychoanalysis) or a Jungian focused therapy (depth psychotherapy)
Simply put, the best way to really gain access to the psyche, as well as the mother complex and symbols, is by doing Jungian Analysis.
It’s not the answer most of us want to hear because there is a natural inclination as humans to want to control the process and ‘read our way’ out of a complex or ‘read our way’ through individuation. Doing so allows our Ego consciousness to remain in greater control and in its comfort zone.
Whether or not you are engaged in Jungian Analysis, by reading and learning you are increasing your understanding of the psyche and your own behaviour. So it is a brave and disciplined act to even approach the task of reading and understanding depth psychology. However, it is wise to know the limits and pitfalls of strictly reading and relying on yourself. By doing so, you will essentially become limited by your Ego-consciousness in certain areas without that trained, independent observer helping you navigate your psyche. This is especially true for key things in our shadow that we don’t want to face but are usually holding us back from encountering our true Self.
THE HERO’S JOURNEY: FINDING THE SYMBOLIC EQUIVALENT OF MOTHER
The below listed matters are provided to help you understand the hero’s journey of conquering the mother complex and finding the symbolic equivalent of mother. If you were to engage in Jungian Analysis or Depth Psychotherapy, these things would typically arise in that process.
Please note that the aim of this article is to provide a general understanding of the hero’s journey as it relates to finding the symbolic mother. In future articles I will more deeply cover elements of the hero’s journey, the mother complex and Jung’s book Symbols of Transformation (which is Collected Work, Volume 5, pictured below).
STEP 1: Consider and address the issues arising from the person’s first experience of the anima or feminine (eg. issues arising from the ‘feminine’ of the personal mother or mother figure)
Some questions which identify issues in a person’s first relationship with the feminine or anima include:
What was your initial relationship with the real life personal mother ?
What was the feminine energy of that personal mother?
Was it balanced?
What impact did it have on you? Was it a positive or negative impact?
Once again it is important to remind ourselves that Jung emphasised in Symbols of Transformation that the first experience of the anima and the feminine is with the personal mother / parents of origin. So this impacts our experience and internalisation of the feminine. This first experience of the feminine is something that needs to be identified and addressed for a person to be able to separate from the personal mother emotionally (eg. separate from an infantile way of relating) and transition to adulthood (eg. to an independent and adult way of relating to the parent). This separation and adult way of relating to the mother allows a person to begin individuation and begin the process of truly encountering the Self. Finding a symbolic equivalent of ‘mother’ (the ‘other mother’ or the archetype of mother) greatly assists in this transformation and transition. An enormous amount of energy returns to the person if this transition occurs (only after the hero has conquered the mother) but there must be a risk taken for the hero to get this benefit. Accordingly, the hero’s journey to conquer the mother in myths, often involves a ‘descent’ into the belly or womb of a symbolic beast (often represented by a dragon or whale) and the hero must conquer that beast to rise up victoriously.
Some general themes in the hero’s journey to conquer the mother
In Symbols of Transformation (Collected Works, vol 5), Jung emphasises the hero's journey through examples of mythology, religion and literature. In these descriptions there are darker symbolic representations of the mother in mythology, religion and literature such as: the Terrible Mother, the Devouring Mother, and the Death Mother. The mythical examples often reflect ‘a hero’s journey’ to conquer the mother. An individual’s real life mother, or ‘personal mother’, can be a real life reflection of such dark mother symbols. Accordingly, considering the myths from a psychological perspective, much like the hero’s in these myths, in real life a person needs to conquer and separate from such mother figures. This transformation occurs from within. It is psychological. It is difficult. There is risk psychologically (in the myths there is a risk of ‘life’). However, these internal resistances and difficulties are faced to attain the ‘treasure hard to attain’ (in the myths there is often a much sought after but hard to attain treasure that the hero seeks). This descent, this struggle, this heroic battle cannot be easy. If it were easy, it would not be heroic. It reflects the common Jungian theme of the tension of opposites:
"Every psychological extreme secretly contains its own opposite or stands in some sort of intimate and essential relation to it. Indeed, it is from this tension that it derives its peculiar dynamism. There is no hallowed custom that cannot on occasion turn into its opposite, and the more extreme a position is, the more easily may we expect an enantiodromia, a conversion of something into its opposite.”
- Carl Jung (Symbols of Transformation, par. 581)
The descent
The darker side of the mother (the Terrible Mother, the Devouring Mother, and the Death Mother) is commonly represented by a Dragon or Whale. The hero must conquer these dark symbolic representations of the mother. As already mentioned, the hero has to take some risk (in the myths it is literally his life which is at risk) and often there is a 'descent' into the beast (into the belly or womb of the dragon or whale, etc). This descent and falling deep and down into the depths can also be analogous to the deep loss of libido (energy) and the overwhelm, the entwining, the entanglement, the enmeshing, the suffocation, the drain of life source, etc which is felt in real life when a personal mother embodies the destructive, dark force of The Terrible Mother, The Devouring Mother or The Death Mother.
Another theme that arises in these myths is fire making in the belly during the descent and while in the belly or womb (noting that ‘fire making’ and ‘fire boring’ are linked to energy and libido). Other symbols and themes include the Sun (‘rising and setting’ / ‘libido’ (rising) and ‘loss of libido’ (setting)); and, sometimes a hard attained treasure is sought (e.g. Gilgamesh who attains the treasure but then loses it due to a serpent). There is also the theme of diving into water and plunging into deep waters (devouring waters - devouring mother).
The Terrible Mother, Devouring Mother and Death Mother archetypes effect both males and females. Myths that relate to this but are discussed less often are the Medusa myth (where Perseus is the hero) and Vampire myths. An example of more commonly known myths are those relating to Hera and Hercules. All of these mother experiences have a destructive and draining impact on male and female children who, in adulthood, will need to overcome the burdens imposed by their personal mother if they wish to live a life filled with vitality where they can develop into their true Self.
Transformation
It is only after the descent, and the hero’s subsequent conquering of the symbolic mother, that a transformation occurs. This now transformed hero re-emerges into the world with increased libido and vitality. The hero, having taken the risk, is now ready to engage life not with an infantile relation to mother but as a separated, individual being. He is now equiped, not with a regressed, backward facing libido (or lack of libido), but a transformed, forward facing, future facing, re-vitalised libido which is in line with the Self and on its own path; not a path which is shackled to the past, shackled to personal mother, or the personal father, or ‘tied’ in an infantile manner to the parents of origin.
In a practical sense, the idea is to take risk, adapt, move forward in life, take on goals, take on your aspirations even if they seem “impossible”. The idea is to create a forward facing libido instead of regressing back to the mother, and infantile ties. The theme of the “impossible” task or “impossible” risk is a theme which recurs in these hero journey myths.
STEP 2: the hero’s journey - separating from and conquering the personal mother by finding a symbolic equivalent
This symbolic mother is sometimes referred to as the ‘other mother’ or the mother archetype. The mother archetype or symbolic mother can be very broad and encompass many things.
Regardless of the the intial experience of anima with the personal mother, at some point in the individuation process, a relationship with the symbolic mother or the mother archetype needs to be established. You can find this symbolically.
What is the symbolic mother, the ‘other mother’, or the mother archetype?
To separate from the personal mother and deal with unbalanced feminine/ unbalanced anima issues, it is critical to understand the mother archetype and its many forms. Once the symbolic mother or mother archetype is understood, the next step is to develop a relationship with it. The mother archetype is a broad topic and requires its own separate article. Below it is explored in a general, practical way:
Examples of the symbolic mother, the ‘other mother’ or the mother archetype include:
Inner nurturing and caring qualities.
Fertility, growth.
Nature (rock, tree, water).
Female mother related symbols in mythology (Goddess and elements of nature).
Things of devotion and awe.
Institutions of a mothering nature.
Some negative examples of mother symbols or archetypes in religion, mythology and literature
Goddesses (eg. Hera in relation to Hercules)
Dark female representations or symbols: Medusa, Vampire, Dragon, Whale, Witch, etc.
Deep water (drowning, devouring, descent, overwhelming).
Devouring or entwining animal (especially large fish or serpent, noting that the hero's journey often involves a descent into deep waters where the hero must face and overcome a shadow representation of the mother archetype).
Illustration of Harry Hamlin as Perseus conquering the Medusa in the film, ‘Clash of The Titans’, 1981. Note that Pegasus is in the background. Pegasus was born from the blood of the beheaded Medusa. Pegasus acts as a positive symbol and guide for Perseus after he conquers the dark feminine.
Those who overcome a personal mother with a Medusa Archetypal energy need to find a symbol such as Pegasus to guide their hero’s journey away from the toxic feminine and into the peace, balance and power of the Self.
How can I identify the state of my masculine and feminine energies within? Once identified, how can I relate this to a symbolic mother or mother archetype?
As a starting point, think of the masculine and feminine energy balance within. Identify that energy sucking (loss of libido) and draining effect from the bad feminine within (devouring, overwhelming, draining, loss of energy, defeated, life too hard) and try to identify what symbols, what figures, what activities, what relationships, and what environments you associate with that energy. Common examples are family of origin relationships and workplace environments.
Now try to think of what symbols, figures, activities, relationships, environments, and values would remove that negative feminine or would generally balance out the feminine and masculine within. Seek those positive symbols.
For example, the negative feminine will feel cold, overly masculine, no vulnerability, competitive, expectations, heavy, heavy, heavy, no libido, deep waters, angst, tension, energy sucked out, lack of freedom.
Now think of the opposite: vulnerability, acceptance, nurturing, fertile, growth, space to breathe, self acceptance, love, eros, vitality, devotion, awe, gratitude, softness, simplicity, nature, etc. If you reflect upon these positive feminine examples, many of them fall into the positive symbols of mother listed previously in this article. Conversely, the negative feminine described above falls into the darker, shadow side of mother symbols and archetypes previously listed in the article.
Balance out the negative archetypes or symbols with what is missing. This may mean ‘letting go’ of the toxic feminine and toxic masculine energy within which were inherited by the first life experiences with the personal mother and father. Some, from an alchemical point of view, like to think of letting such energies ‘die’. By doing so, transformation occurs because the death of the old makes way for something new. Allowing that draining negative feminine, the negative anima, to die off and transform into something positive is part of the opportunity for ‘psychological extremes’ to transform into their opposites (eg. from something that was bad into something that is good). This is supported by the previous Jung quote in this article which mentions psychological extremes and the tension of opposites (see Symbols of Transformation, par. 581).
To be clear, it is not as simple as the negative feminine just ‘dieing’ off… it is a process. You engage with it. Sit with it. Identify. Grieve. Accept. Transform! After all, the text is called ‘Symbols of Transformation’ for a reason.
A summary of the questions to ask in this process:
How can you access these positive mother symbols and qualities?
Where and how are you embracing the opposite of these positive symbols and qualities (eg. negative mother symbols and qualities)?
How can you balance it out, integrate it as necessary, let the old draining elements die, make space for the new, and in the process… transform.
To assist in understanding this process, a practical example is considered below.
Richard Wagner's 'Siegfried': Jung’s practical example from Symbols of Transformation regarding transition from negative mother to symbolic mother
In Symbols of Transformation, Jung considers Richard Wagner's 'Siegfried'.
Siegfried is the third of the four music dramas that constitute Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung) by Richard Wagner. The final revision of the score was undertaken in 1871 and its performance was withheld until the first complete production of the Ring cycle in 1876.
Polish dramatic tenor and opera star, Jean de Reszke, as Siegfried (circa 1896).
Siegfried shows us how on the hero’s journey a person can conquer the Terrible Mother by finding a symbolic equivalent of the ‘other mother’ or the mother archetype.
There are two examples from Siegfried which help to understand this symbolic equivalent of mother and the hero’s transformation.
The first example from Siegfried: 'Brunhilde' (anima figure) and 'Wotan' (man unconscious of his own femininity):
The character, 'Brunhilde', is an anima-figure who is attributed to masculine deities and represents a dissociation in the masculine psyche and a "split off" from the masculine psyche.
The character, 'Wotan', is a hero who is "unconscious of his own intriguing femininity" (Symbols of Transformation, par. 563). Jung says that this must have been on Wagner's mind (the author) when he wrote Wotan's lament (a lament by a man unconscious of his own femininity) to 'Brunhilde' (an anima figure). The lament included the following words:
"None knew as she my innermost thoughts;
None knew as she the source of my will;
She herself was
The creating womb of my wish;
And now she has broken
That happy bond!".
(Citation of ‘Die Walkure, li. 1867-74’, at par. 564, of Symbols of Transformation).
Wotan is “justly indignant” with Brunhilde (an anima figure) because she has “deprived the old man of his power” (Symbols of Transformation, par. 565). However, Wotan is both “unconscious of his own intriguing femininity" (Symbols of Transformation, par. 563) and is unable to consciously "recognise his own contradictory nature" (Symbols of Transformation, par. 565).
Accordingly, he is unconscious of his femininity and therefore unsurprisingly at odds with the key anima figure in Wagner’s drama. If a man is unconscious of his anima, or a woman unconscious of her animus (or the balance of feminine energy within), he or she will have difficulty facing a personal mother or maternal figure in real life; especially if such maternal figures embody shadow traits such as those belonging to The Terrible, Devouring or Death Mother archetypes. A person must be keenly conscious of their internal feminine and masculine energies to engage with such persons and to have the strength of consciousness to conquer or avoid them as required.
Second example from Siegfried: the hero finding the symbolic mother
The grandson of Wotan is Siegfried. Siegfried is brought up by a foster parent who is a chthonic god named 'Mime'. Mime is not a woman but a crippled dwarf who belongs to a race of abjured love (eg. renounced love).
Mime becomes Siegfried's enemy and wills his death through another character, Fafner, who is a dragon. This dark act reveals Mime's true nature: "a masculine representative of the Terrible Mother who lays the poisonous worm in her son's path" (Symbols of Transformation, par. 567). It is important to note that a dragon is used to attempt to kill Siegfried. As we have discussed, a dragon is a common symbol for The Terrible Mother (Symbols of Transformation, par. 567, fn. 110). More importantly, the dragon is in a cave. Caves are symbolically important because in such myths they are symbols of death, graves and involve great risk to enter (all themes of the hero’s journey). Furthermore, there is a ‘descent’ required to go into the caves when they signify such death, darkness and risk (for the importance of ‘cave’ symbolism see: Symbols of Transformation, par. 577).
Importantly, Siegfried's longing for the mother-imago* drives him away from Mime.
*Mother-imago (as defined by the American Psychological Association): an unconscious mental image of another person, especially the mother or father, that influences the way in which an individual relates to others. The imago is typically formed in infancy and childhood and is generally an idealized or otherwise not completely accurate representation.
Jung cites the following passage from Siegfried, to illustrate Siegfried's longing for the mother-imago and how it drives him away from Mime.
"Away with the imp!
Let me see him no more. [banishing, rejecting the personal ‘mother’]
If only I knew
What my mother was like!
But that will my thought never tell me!
Her eyes' tender light ... shine
Like the soft eyes of the doe”
[note that ‘doe’ means female deer... so he yearns for a female symbol, or symbolical equivalent of mother]
- (Siegfried, li, 1462-70, cited in Symbols of Transformation, par. 567)
Jung then describes how Siegfried parts from the personal mother of the past and finds the symbolical equivalent of ‘mother’:
"Siegfried wants to part from the "imp" who was his mother in the past, and longingly he reaches out for the other mother. For him, too, nature acquires a hidden maternal significance ("doe"); he, too, discovers in the sounds of nature a hint of his mother's voice and his mother's speech"
(Symbols of Transformation, par. 568)
Here we see how Siegfried transitions from "who was his mother in the past" to now reaching out for "the other mother". By reaching out for the “other mother”, he finds a symbolical equivalent of mother, the archetypal mother. This helps him to part from “his mother in the past” and to instead reach out to a symbolic equivalent, “nature”, and its hidden maternal significance.
Siegfried discovers in the sounds of nature a hint of his mother's voice and his mother's speech (the following is a direct quote from Wagner's Siegfried with my comments in square brackets):
"Sweet little bird!
Never yet have I heard you; [eg. the first time he hears the other mother, eg. nature! He finally finds the ‘other mother’ in nature]
Do you live in the forest? [forest is symbolic of nature, the other mother]
Could I but follow your sweet warbling! [follow the symbolic mother, libido, new energy and direction - transition to a symbolical equivalent of mother]
Surely it would tell me
Something of my dear mother? [this ties in with previous discussion of personal mother versus symbolic other mother / mother archetype; it also demonstrates Siegfried recognising a symbolic equivalent to ‘mother’. Eg. Siegfrieg identifies ‘mother’ in the bird/nature and notes ‘Surely it would tell me something of my dear mother’]"
(Jung, Symbols of Transformation, par. 568, citing Siegfried, Ii. 1462-70)
However, his conversation with the bird lures Fafner, the dragon representation of The Terrible Mother, out of the cave. Siegfried’s longing for the mother-imago has unwittingly “exposed him to the danger of looking back to his childhood and to the human mother, who immediately changes into the death dealing dragon” (Symbols of Transformation, par. 569). This is a regression and his longing for the infantile relation to the personal mother brings out the The Terrible Mother because he has “conjured up the evil aspect of the unconscious, its devouring nature… personified by the cave-dwelling terror of the woods” (Symbols of Transformation, par. 569).
All the themes of conquering the mother, the hero’s journey, libido (energy), attaining the treasure, dragons, caves (death, grave, danger), symbolism, etc are encapsulated in this story. Jung in his own words best describes the amalgamation of these psychological concepts and themes (Jung is in bold, while my comments are in square brackets and unbolded):
“Fafner is the guardian of the treasure [hero’s journey theme: treasure]; in his cave lies the hoard [hoard= valued object, the treasure], the source of life and power [libido, energy, and power are the treasure]. The mother apparently possesses the libido of the son (the treasure she guards so jealously) [The Terrible Mother owns and guards the libido of the son], and this is in fact true so long as the son remains unconscious of himself [if the son remains unconscious of his anima and the feminine, the mother will possess the libido and energy of the son… you must become conscious of the feminine to complete the hero’s journey and conquer the mother]. In psychological terms this means that the “treasure hard to attain” lies hidden in the mother-imago, i.e. in the unconscious. This symbol points to one of life’s secrets which is expressed in countless symbolical ways in mythology.”
- Carl Jung (Symbols of Transformation, par. 569).
Jung’s concluding words on the hero’s journey of Siegfried and his finding of the symbolic equivalent of mother are of significance and worth producing in full (Jung’s words in bold and my comments are unbolded in square brackets):
“The rewards of this battle with Fafner are glowingly described … Siegfried eats Fafner’s heart, the seat of life. He wins the magic cap through whose power Alberich had changed himself into a serpent - an allusion to the motif of rejuvenation by casting the skin [rejuvenation - libido - energy - transformation- reborn as hero]… In addition, by drinking the dragon’s blood Siegfried learns to understand the language of the birds [birds - nature - symbolic mother], and thus enjoys a peculiar relationship to nature, which he now dominates by knowledge [having found the symbolic equivalent of mother in ‘nature’, he now has a peculiar, new relationship with nature, a connection to nature, a connection to the ‘other’ maternal, he has knowledge of nature, he is able to use that knowledge to dominate his own nature and also the external nature itself, the birds, the earth, the symbol of mother]. Last but not least, he wins the hoard [eg. he wins the treasure, previously described by Jung as ‘the source of life and power’, therefore he wins the treasure of life, libido, energy and power].”
Carl Jung (Symbols of Transformation, par. 569).
Rather than commenting further on those last two important quotes, I suggest re-reading the Jung quotes and my comments in square brackets because the key points are contained there.
If you found this article on the hero’s journey, conquering the mother complex and finding the symbolic equivalent of mother to be beneficial, a donation would be greatly appreciated:
Harry Venice.
