Date: 11-30-2024
Tags: anxiety empowerment integration shadow
Source: 🎵 “Go After the Dragon” - Akira the Don
This song brought tears to my eyes when I heard it the other day as I was painting my children’s book illustrations for Watercolor class. They were tears of inspiration. Empowerment. Something about this story resonated with me so deeply.
Jordan Peterson describes the details of a dream his young nephew had. A dream rich with archetypal symbolism. The boy’s dream involved a dragon that released a series of strange, chaotic creatures. The boy, in the dream, confronts the dragon and defeats it, integrating its power.
In the dream, the dragon represents chaos, fear, and the unknown. The creatures it emits symbolize the various chaotic elements that emerge when facing a significant challenge. By confronting and defeating the dragon, the boy doesn’t just vanquish it, he incorporates its strength, symbolizing personal growth and the mastery of chaos.
This dream reflects a universal psychological process rooted in myths and stories across cultures. The dragon is often a metaphor for life’s challenges, fears, or the chaotic unknown. Defeating it represents the hero’s journey: facing fears, overcoming obstacles, and emerging stronger. By integrating the dragon’s power, the story highlights the transformative potential of confronting the unknown, suggesting that what initially appears as terrifying can become a source of strength and wisdom when courageously addressed.
Peterson uses this story to illustrate how confronting and mastering fears is essential for personal growth and psychological integration.