Inga Olej
Female archetypes in oil paintings and linocuts
Since time immemorial, ancient knowledge has been passed on to future generations in the form of stories and myths. Fables, legends or metaphors can convey wisdom and intuitively understand essences. It's about transporting an energy, a subconscious recognition and an inner reasoning. These stories are maps for orientation and every aspect contained in them can also be found in us. These archetypes and mythological figures appear throughout our cultures and religions alike. They are universal. They are patterns of our deepest inner humanity that binds us all together. In 1934, Carl Gustav Jung developed a concept of 12 archetypes and describes them as basic structures of human imagination and behavior patterns belonging to the collective subconscious. There are numerous other theories and literature on this topic. The terms and designations may differ, just as the gods of the different religions differ. The principles behind meet again. "Within myths there are characters who express particular aspects of our existence and potential" (Davis, Leonard: In the Circle of Life, p.20) I dedicate myself to the artistic and spiritual exploration of the female archetypes in order to feel the wholeness of the universe within myself. To get to know my very personal vibration and expression of the female elemental power in its various aspects. The ideal is to explore, heal and integrate each archetype. It is a journey to myself, to wholeness within me, to connection and resonance with the big picture. By reading different theories and feeling the coherence with me I explore the following 12 archetypes:
The Girl
The Virgin
The Mother
The old Sage
The Wild Woman
The Female Warrior
The Artist
The Lover / Sensual
The Witch /Shaman
The Magician
The Animus
The Queen
With each picture I have given expression to a snapshot. As it has shown itself to me in the course of my trial. Each of these goddesses hold within them manifold mysteries and aspects to be explored. Some are very powerful, others are still unfolding, some appear in their injured form at first. As we spiral through the archetypes again and again in the course of life, their appearance will change in the course of the phases and we may succeed in sensing them more and more deeply and anchoring them in our being in a healed form.
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