Forest, Watcher, Tower, Treasure
Reflecting on the story and symbolism of Rapunzel and her Protector/Persecutor Complex.
Opening – Imaginary Exercise
What if there were a place deep inside of your being, where a long-hidden treasure laid waiting to be discovered? Could you imagine it?
Maybe this place within you is something like a vast forest – so thick and labyrinthine that no one has entered it in many, many years. And perhaps in the center of this forest lies a clearing, and in the center of that clearing a large stone tower, draped in decades of ivy.
Are you curious enough to approach the tower?
Maybe you reach it unimpeded. Or, perhaps you encounter what you knew in your heart must be here too – the sweeping figure of The Watcher, emerging like mist from behind the curving stone wall.
Does this figure reassure you – or alarm you?
This is your forest, after all; and The Watcher is an intruder within your innermost sanctum. Or, could it possibly be that you are the intruder? Either way, you know you’ll never reach the tower – or the treasure within – unless you successfully pass this threshold guardian.
You may, of course, retreat from the challenge and return through the forest to your old, safe life. But if you do that, you might get the uncanny feeling (as I have) that you’d never be able to find this place again. The only path then, seems to be forward.
Rapunzel & The Protector/Persecutor Complex
My inspiration for today’s post was sparked by a recent episode of This Jungian Life podcast titled “The Archetype of the Orphan,” in which hosts Deb and Joseph discussed this powerful symbol and motif.
For as long as humans have lived, orphans have been part of our cultures, histories, and even our storytelling - ranging from Aladdin to Batman to Little Orphan Annie. Along with this cultural significance, The Orphan is also a recurring symbol within the inner life and psyche, often signifying the aspects of ourselves which have been abandoned and separated from our outer lives.
For example, we might “hide away” vulnerable capacities (like the capacity for grief) in order to survive stressful or traumatic situations. Or we might “abandon” something like an artistic inclination in order to excel in the professional world. The examples are numerous.
And while it can be a challenge to reconnect with these “abandoned” parts later on, the good news is that we can always find ways to re-engage them, no matter how long it’s been.
The psyche’s potential to harbor such “orphaned” aspects and capacities is summarized in the following exchange between Deb and Joseph, using the fairy tale Rapunzel to concretize the concept:
Joseph: “When we are living through… irreconcilably painful moments, something in the psyche will cut off a part of the soul and ‘orphan it,’ so to speak, in the psyche, [and] surround it by fantasy material and defenses.
“Much [in] the way Rapunzel is orphaned and kept in a tower, protected by a witch who provides all that [Rapunzel] needs (ostensibly), but will not allow her to go into the world and live. And so, we ourselves have multiple internal orphans – capacities, memories, aspects of our own potential, that are wandering in the unconscious in a kind of haze, waiting to be reclaimed.
Deb: The image of Rapunzel is especially vivid, as it really depicts what Donald Kalsched… depicted as the Protector/Persecutor complex. The witch protected Rapunzel and also persecuted her. This kept Rapunzel safe in a certain literal sense, but not able to go out in the world.
As someone who has intimately experienced the Protector/Persecutor complex in my own life, I resonated strongly with the conversation above, and felt inspired to illustrate my own experiences below.
Diagramming My Inner Landscape
In the diagram above, I’ve attempted to portray how the Protector/Persecutor complex and other symbols from Rapunzel have appeared within my own interior landscape.
The Forest
Rapunzel’s story begins deep in the forest, where the Witch/Mother has stashed her away from the rest of the world. The forest is a buffer between Rapunzel’s wild “inner” existence and the civilized “outer” society/kingdom/world she came from.
In my own psyche, I can imagine the forest symbolizing the thicket of qualifications which define my societal standing – the health records, diplomas, job titles, marriage certificate, tax returns, and so on.
Traveling within to encounter my own hidden treasure will require “shedding” the security these qualifiers usually provide me. Rather than relying on “official” vouchers, I will have to rely on inner resources like courage and faith which no one else can produce for me.
The Protector/Persecutor
The Witch/Mother “protected Rapunzel, but also persecuted her.”
This is my exact relationship with OCD, which has long “persecuted” me with irrational, frightening obsessions. At the same time, OCD has “protected” me in that it conjures up fantasy scenarios for me to worry about instead of facing the real, complex challenges/demands of becoming my own person.
Like the misguided Witch/Mother character, OCD is “helping” me while also severely limiting my ability to individuate and live an expansive, creative life of my own. Breaking this spell and attachment will shatter the Witch/Mother’s heart, but will also free me.
The Tower
Rapunzel’s tower is a monolithic symbol of her isolation from the wider world. Although she is cared for there by the Witch/Mother, she is also confined within its stone walls.
In my own psyche, I can imagine the tower representing the “rock-solid” doctrines and dogmas which have defined my sense of morality and “what is permitted.”
These towering rules-and-regulations have created a stern yet firm bulwark in my life, and I am grateful. Yet no flowers can grow under the weight of a thousand stones. Like Rapunzel, I too must “let my hair down” – and risk letting love in – to break the tower’s hold on me.
The Treasure
Rapunzel’s story doesn’t have a “treasure,” per se – unless you consider that in the original, uncensored tale, Rapunzel and the lover she hoists up both “get lucky” before their eventual escape. But methinks this risqué rendezvous is only half of the picture.
The real treasure in Rapunzel is the same treasure that we all possess – our unique capacities and gifts which, yes, we deeply want to share with others. These gifts are fantastic, and sometimes we really do need to hide and protect them so they won’t be crushed.
The challenge is that our protections are often as fierce and strong as the gifts themselves – which can make it a real task to draw them out again after they’ve been hidden.
Conclusion
If I knew exactly what my own treasure was, I wouldn’t need to write this piece. Truthfully, I’ve only just begun this inner work; I’ve started journeying through the forest, and I have even begun a dialogue with my inner Protector/Persecutor through reflective journaling.
But the treasure itself remains – for now – behind stone walls.
Yet I know this much – something in my core longs to break free and express itself. The “what” and the “how” are still question marks. Perhaps I need to paint, write a book, live abroad, or start a business. I’m not sure. But the desire itself speaks volumes, since my defenses in life (including OCD) have historically been about eliminating desires and needs, to help me stay invisible.
Now I realize that, actually I do have appetites in life.
I do want adventure and excitement. I do want intimacy and romance. I do want to write juicy stories that matter – and not just bland press releases for work. And yes, I even want a bold and fun sex life – something my Puritanical Protector/Persecutor would never let me admit (let alone pursue) under normal circumstances.
But these aren’t normal circumstances.
I’m in brand-new territory, diving below to find the parts of me which have drowning – and pull them up for air. I’m on a mission to find my inner “orphans,” and to let them know they don’t have to be alone anymore. And if this mission means sacrificing the “surface-level me” – then I’ll have to face the mirror and say sayonara.
Thanks as always for reading.
How About You?
Can you relate to the symbolism of Rapunzel? How so?
Can you relate to the Protector/Persecutor complex? Is something keeping you safe at the cost of your authentic self?
Do you have an inkling of what your inner treasure might be? If not, what could help you identify it?