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THE CLOWN ARCHETYPE:
Reflections on the age-old wisdom within the fool’s humor
by Dr Deon van Zyl
In this article Dr Deon van Zyl reflects on the figure of the fool,
the jester and the clown and on what advice the archetype might
offer us.
Deon van Zyl, Ph.D is a former Associate Professor in Psychology
at the University of Pretoria, where he worked for 13 years.
He is past chairperson of the South African Institute for Clinical
Psychology. For the last 20 years he’s been in private
practice as a clinical psychologist, management consultant,
mediator and group facilitator. He is a member of the International
Association for Jungian Studies and the International Association
for the Study of Dreams. He has delivered numerous papers at
conferences in South Africa, the U.S.A. and Japan. He explores
the interface between psychology and spiritual practices.
Extract
“If the fool would persist in his folly
he would become wise” – William Blake
As the audience, we experience these extremes in ourselves.
We might even briefly re-live similar incidents from our own
lives. Actually, on close inspection, these polar themes are
also very serious issues in life. But then the clown makes us
laugh, and through our release and acceptance during laughter,
we neutralize the hurt and change the negativity. The clown
helps us to embrace seemingly irreconcilable differences in
ourselves and others. Ultimately we end up with a more extended
understanding of ourselves and others. Laughter brings perspective
and restores balance. By integrating the opposites in and through
him/herself, the clown assists us to transcend polarity. The
clown is a magician, a transformer of the inner world, an elevator
of the human spirit. But who is this person that can integrate
opposites in and through himself, and who does it for the sake
of others? Doesn’t that take a tremendous amount of wisdom
and compassion?
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