Resisting Change: The Iron Stove, pt. 2
Digital Jung Season 3, Episode 15
For this week’s episode — the second part of my series on the Grimm’s fairytale ‘The Iron Stove’ — I take up the theme of change and the ways that it can activate in us the energy of resistance.
In the story this energy is personified by the figure of the Old King. He is the agent of resistance, working to prevent his daughter from an encounter with the larger world outside the boundaries of his kingdom.
As I state in the episode about this figure:
In general, whenever a king in a fairytale is described as old, something is wrong; something has come to the end of its usefulness, its effectiveness; something is in need of renewal.
The “Old King” is a common symbol in myths and fairytales. It is an image of the attitude or principle that rules our conscious outlook. When it is functioning in an effective way, this ruling principle can lead us into meaningful action in the world, or in our relationships to others. Too often, however, we cling to such attitudes or ideas long after they have been outgrown.
As the Jungian Analyst D. Stephenson Bond explains:
“Disturbing as the idea may be, in analysis and certainly in everyday life it is imperative to have some overarching awareness that the beliefs we hold dear at one phase of life may age and decay as life continues. Their motivating energy wanes, no matter how beloved to the ego they are.”1
In the episode I explore some of the ways that we attempt to outsmart the process of change by trying to rearrange some of the externals of our lives in order to avoid the challenging work of psychological growth and transformation.
I also look at what it is involved when we finally recognize there is nothing left to do but move forward into the new phase of life that is waiting for us. This last exploration involves a closer look at the symbol of the Iron Stove itself, which I’ll leave for you to discover by giving the episode a listen. Please check it out.
I hope you enjoy this latest offering from Digital Jung. You can find this episode wherever you listen to your podcasts or simply by clicking this link: Resisting Change: The Iron Stove, pt. 2.
Remainders
Just a reminder that if you want to experience the complete tale of ‘The Iron Stove,' you can read or listen to it by clicking on the link immediately below:
Thanks for listening, and take good care!
The Archetype of Renewal by D. Stephenson Bond