New Money for a New World

by Bernard Lietaer

  Carl Jung explained:

  The psychic energy that appears to have been lost [by the repression of an archetype]…forms an ever-present and potentially destructive “shadow” to our conscious mind. Even tendencies that might in some circumstances be able to exert a beneficial influence are transformed into demons when they are repressed.329

  When repressed, an archetype’s energy can manifest as one of two shadows. One represents the repressed archetype’s characteristics in excess; the other, in deficiency.330 An individual who represses his or her inner Sovereign archetype, for example, tends to behave either as a tyrant or abdicator. The tyrant possesses an excess of the Sovereign’s emotional and behavioral attributes, while the abdicator has a deficiency of the same characteristics. Similarly, the repressed Lover becomes either addicted (excess) or impotent (deficient). The two shadows of each archetype are two faces of the same coin.

  Fear—The Common Denominator

  The common denominator that connects the two shadows of a given archetype is always fear. Fear is normally a healthy emotion. For example, when a car veers out of control in front of one, fear unleashes an adrenaline rush that prompts one to react more rapidly to protect oneself. Normally, one’s emotions stabilize back to neutral after the danger is over.

  When a fear gets permanently embodied, or when it freezes up in an individual’s personality as an enduring rather than a transient reaction, it is no longer a healthy emotion, but instead becomes pathological. Such pathologies can manifest on an individual or a collective level, thus becoming a characteristic of a society’s culture. This embodied fear splits the archetypal energy into two, so that now-repressed archetype manifests in the form of two polar shadows, as illustrated in Figure 22.1 with the splitting of the Sovereign archetype into its two shadows, the tyrant and the weakling, due to the prevalence of fear.

  The same fear also links the two shadows of an archetype. When one scratches below the surface of a tyrant, one invariably discovers a weakling (abdicator). Conversely, when an abdicator is given power over someone else, he or she will start acting as a tyrant. This is brought on by the unresolved fear responsible for the splitting of an archetype in the first place. A tyrant, for instance, is primarily afraid of appearing weak, while an abdicator is fearful of appearing tyrannical.

  Additionally, someone who is under the influence of one of the shadows will automatically tend to attract people who embody the opposite shadow. A tyrant will tend to be surrounded by abdicators and vice versa. It is one common way whereby, in Jung’s words, we, “Translate into visible reality the world within us.”

  The Shadow is Not the Enemy

  It seems logical to regard the shadow as the enemy. It is the problem we would most like to be rid of, the face we do not want to acknowledge, the aspect of ourselves that elicits the most disapproval from our culture, our family, and ourselves.

  The shadow is also our taskmaster, however, relentlessly urging us to grow and evolve. When the ego, the conscious perception of the individual self, narrows our feelings to an acceptable range—the image of what is culturally appropriate—and when personal will is used to maintain that image, the shadows begin to haunt us. Shadows take us to places within ourselves we would rather not explore. Although unpleasant, their role is not to harm but rather, to assist by obliging us to face our own vulnerabilities. Paradoxically, the real enemy is our very reluctance to face the shadows and embrace them in the first place.

  In this framework, consciousness can be seen as a personal theater where the ego, individual unconscious, archetypes, and their shadows all play their respective roles. By its very nature, the ego is unaware of these other actors. It is convinced that it alone is in charge, operating under its own free will. Yet, as long as an archetype has not been integrated, the ego will be dominated by the fear-ridden axis between the two shadows, acting out one or the other.

  The only way to escape from the influence of the shadows is to overcome our fears and embrace them. By doing so, shadows are no longer in control and the power and wisdom of the repressed archetype can be accessed. This is referred to as integrating the archetype.

  This process of integration is not easy. But the effort and suffering that often accompanies it are but preludes to the reawakening of the sacred in daily life. The rewards associated with shadow work have been recognized by many respected figures down through the ages, as noted by the following quotes:

  If you bring forth what is within you,

  what you bring forth will save you.

  If you don’t bring forth what is within you,

  what you do not bring forth will destroy you.

  Jesus331

  “Chaque ombre à son âme reconnait la lumière”

  (Each shadow in its soul recognizes the light)

  Christian Tzara

  If only it were all so simple!

  If only there were evil people somewhere

  insidiously committing evil deeds,

  and it was necessary only to separate them

  from the rest of us and destroy them.

  But the line dividing good and evil

  cuts through the heart of every human being.

  And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?

  Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

  Shadows of the Five Essential Archetypes

  Illustrated below is the archetypal human along with the excess and deficit shadows of the five essential archetypes.

  The shadows of the Sovereign are again, the tyrant and the abdicator. The shadows of the Warrior are the sadist (excess) and the masochist (deficit). The Lover’s two shadows are the addicted (excess) and the impotent (deficit). The two shadows of the Magician are the hyperrationalist know-it-all (excess) and the indiscriminate or chaotic fool (deficit).

  Of particular interest are the shadows of the Great Mother, for, as noted, this archetype is most closely associated with money. Her long and systematic repression has created deeply etched shadows in the collective unconscious and in our monetary system. Many of the most important challenges we face today can trace their origins directly or indirectly to her extensive repression. Her two shadows are greed (excess) and fear of scarcity (deficit).

  To provide us with an adequate language and framework with which to more precisely capture distinctions between archetypes, shadows, and their relationship to money, we turn briefly to Taoism and the concept of yin-yang.

  CLOSING THOUGHTS

  Another fundamental concept of Archetypal Psychology is shadows. When an archetype is repressed, it does not just disappear, but instead manifests in a shadow form, either in excess or in deficiency. The common denominator that connects the two shadows of a given archetype is always fear.

  Though it seems logical to regard the shadow as the enemy, it is also our taskmaster, relentlessly urging us to grow and evolve. The way to escape from the influence of the shadows is to overcome our fears and embrace them. In so doing, shadows are no longer in control, and the power and wisdom of the repressed archetype can be accessed.

  CHAPTER TWENTY THREE - Money and the Tao

  The Tao is called Great Mother.

  Empty yet inexhaustible,

  It gives birth to infinite worlds.

  ~LAO TZU

  Another lens on archetypes and money is provided by the philosophy of Taoism. The Tao, (pronounced “Dao” or “Dow”), meaning “The Way,” explains all forces in nature as complementary pairs, such as Earth-Heaven, water-fire, inhaling-exhaling, pulling-pushing, and so on. These apparent polarities are referred to as “yin-yang” pairs. Although such polarities are seemingly separate forces, this ancient Chinese philosophy, like modern physics, which regards action and reaction as inseperable, sees each element as necessary parts of a greater unity.

  “Yin” denotes the essential quality of the feminine, which is not to be confused with the biological female. Similarly, “yang” is not synonymous with the physical male. According to Taoism, a dynamic equilibri
um between these two polarities is required for a healthy expression of the natural order, both in the world about us and in ourselves. For example, a male is not complete without accessing his feminine dimension, just as a female is not complete without embracing the masculine within herself.332

  The seemingly exotic terminology of yin-yang is used because Western languages and philosophies tend to lack a vocabulary that adequately captures this concept. Jung stated:

  Unfortunately, our Western mind, lacking all culture in this respect, has never yet devised a concept, nor even a name, for the “union of opposites through the middle path,” that most fundamental item of inward experience, which could respectably be set against the Chinese concept of Tao.333 This philosophy dates back to prehistory to the teachings of Lao-Tzu (see insert).

  Lao-Tzu and the Tao

  The concept of yin-yang in China seems to have originated in prehistoric times. The semimythical Yellow Emperor, estimated to have lived around 2500 BCE, used yin-yang concepts extensively in medical texts. The classical form of Taoism is believed to have been founded sometime in the 6th century BCE by the Chinese scholar Lao-Tzu, curator of the emperor’s Imperial Library.

  Legend has it that in his old age and disgusted with courtly chicanery, Lao-Tzu resigned from his respected post, left most of his belongings behind, mounted a water buffalo, and headed off to live his remaining years as a recluse. But before doing so, he was stopped by a gate guardian who asked him to first please sum up all he had learned from a life spent with the greatest book collection of the Empire.

  On the spot, Lao-Tzu wrote the Tao Te Ching. Consisting of only 5,000 ideograms, it is the shortest treatise on good living in existence. It begins with the immortal words: “The Tao that can be spoken is not the real Tao. The Name that can be named is not the Eternal Name.” This opening conveys that language and intellect are the first barriers to knowing The Way.

  Lao-Tzu stressed the importance of living in a balanced flow, valuing both the feminine and masculine, and the equality between men and women.

  Some traits associated with yin-yang are summarized in Figure 23.1. This figure can be read top-down to identify internal yin and yang coherences—the logical connection whereby these concepts reinforce each other in a consistent worldview. The same figure can also be read horizontally, focusing on the polarities between yin and yang manifestations listed in each half of the diagram.

  It should be emphasized that the prime importance is an appropriate balance between yin and yang. Taoists warn against falling into the trap of believing that either yin or yang, or any one of the values represented in each of these polarities, is right or wrong, good or bad.

  The key point is that both yin and yang are necessary in life. Without this balance, dangerous pathologies can develop, as displayed by the shadows.

  YIN AND YANG SHADOW AXES

  As discussed earlier, when an archetype is repressed its essential energies are expressed as two shadows, each of which manifest deficit and excess aspects of that particular archetype. Employing Taoist concepts, deficit aspects can be understood as yin shadows, while excess aspects can be labeled yang shadows.

  With respect to the five major human archetypes—the Sovereign, Warrior, Lover, Magician, and Great Mother—the yin (deficit) shadows are, respectively: abdication, masochism, impotence, inability to discern, and fear of scarcity. Together they form a collection of shadows referred to as the yin shadow axis.

  The yang shadow axis consists of the yang (excess) shadows of each major archetype, namely: tyranny, sadism, addiction, hyperrationalism, and greed.

  Today in our society, a broad spectrum of patriarchal influence, together with the specific repression of the Great Mother archetype, has led to the dominance of the yang shadow axis in our society. For example, we are vulnerable to tyrannical leaders who abuse their office, ruling over rather than serving the good of their constituencies. From the ancient Assyrians, who flayed and impaled men alive for sport, to the atrocities and genocides of World War II, Bosnia, Rwanda, and Darfur, the sadist shadow has been with us for a gruesomely long time. Addictions of all varieties have become endemic in our society, and include illegal addictions such as heroin or cocaine; legal habits such as caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco; and other compulsive behaviors condoned in mainstream culture, such as workaholism; addiction to control; obsession with escapist entertainment; and codependency. Ironically and irrationally, reason is exalted to the exclusion of all other ways of knowing, resulting in a hyperrationality that narrows and even perverts our thinking. Finally, we feel constantly driven by greed to accumulate more money, goods and possessions, and to act in such ways despite our deeper desires and better judgment.

  The pervasiveness of greed and other yang-shadow emotions and behaviors in many races, cultures, and religions down through history lends support to the illusion that they are normal expressions that simply reflect who we truly are.

  Our archetypal framework, however, tells a very different story. Though commonly present and very persistent, many of our feelings and actions are inconsistent with a healthy yin-yang balance and point instead to a widespread and long-standing pathology. The prevalance in our society of tyranny, sadism, addiction, hyperrationalism, and greed are each expressions of the yang shadow axis. Together with the Great Mother’s yin shadow—fear of scarcity—these aberrant, unhealthy behaviors lead us directly back to our monetary paradigm.

  “YIN” AND “YANG” CURRENCIES

  The distinction between yin and yang can be applied to currency designs based upon their underlying agreements, along with the behaviors and emotions they engender. The agreements with regard to our current official monetary system includes a strong hierarchical control via central banks.334 The embedded interest feature creates competition, as well as the need for perpetual growth and the concentration of wealth, and it rewards the accumulation of money. It is on the basis of these inherent patterns that our conventional money can be understood as a yang-type currency. Given that every single one of its features is yang, this money can even be described as “extreme yang.”

  Other types of monetary systems, like Time Dollars, LETS, and some of the local currencies used in the Central Middle Ages, promote entirely different types of behavior. Some of these currencies were available in sufficiency, provided incentives for circulation and distribution, and promoted cooperation and community building. Money designs with such characteristics reflect yin energy and can therefore be referred to as yin-type currencies.

  It should now be clearer why we describe differently designed national and local currencies as “complementary.” Yin-yang pairs, by their very definition, complement each other. And as Lao Tzu pointed out: “When yang and yin combine, all things achieve harmony.”335

  Central to our issues is that in the currently dominant monetary paradigm there is a lack of yin currency to balance the monopoly of yang-type national currency. This lack is directly related to the fact that in our culture the Great Mother archetype has been systematically devalued and repressed.

  Shadow Money

  Money, as noted, is a key attribute of the Great Mother. Repression of this archetype led to the development of monetary systems that embodied her two shadows. On a historical level we can understand how and when these shadows were programmed into the monetary system. After all, this system was developed during the pre-Victorian era, a time of intense rejection of the feminine in almost every way, as reflected in religion, philosophy, ways of knowing, and the treatment of women themselves after three centuries of witch hunts. Since our monetary system developed in the midst of this archetype’s repression, it encapsulated the Great Mother’s shadows rather than her wisdom.

  Not only are greed, and fear of scarcity, embedded in money, but the fear that links them is also perpetuated in an endless, vicious cycle by our monetary system. A well-known cliché on Wall Street goes: “Financial markets know only two emotions: greed and fear.” Fear customarily characterizes
many people’s relationship to money and drives our financial decisions and markets, while scarcity is built directly into our bank-debt monetary system. It is scarcity that maintains the value of our national currencies.

  We depend on this scarce type of money for nearly everything we need, do, and aspire to. Yet, this built-in scarcity leaves many of us without sufficient means to meet even the basic requirements for survival. This lack perpetuates fear, regardless of our own particular financial situation. Even those who have sufficient money are aware of the fortunes won and lost every day in the fluctuating marketplace. The poor, disenfranchised, and homeless serve as constant reminders of the fate that awaits the rest of us should we happen to become the next losers in the current paradigm. Our sense of financial security is tenuous at best. This causes many to experience the world as a place in which we must struggle to survive.

  These shadows and the behaviors they engender can be found in all societies that live with a monopoly of yang money. These emotions and behaviors persist, not because they represent who we really are, but rather because of the unnatural state in which we are forced to live. This state of affairs is perpetuated by the monopoly of our national currencies, and amplified by a particular capacity of money to replicate information.