Two key psychic forces, that are inevitably drawn into a state of conflict, are the Puer and Senex archetypes. The Puer is reflective of our adventurous spirit, whereas the Senex is characteristic of our more staid sensibility.

Nowhere is this conflict better portrayed than in J. M. Barrie’s play and the subsequent novel, Peter Pan and Wendy. Barrie’s Peter Pan tells the story of a boy who decides to never grow up and then runs off with the fairies to themagical world of Neverland.

One day,Peter Pan visits London in search of his shadow and invites the Darling children, Wendy, Michael, and John, to return with him to Neverland. There they encounter the dastardly pirate, Captain Hook.

The immensely popular story inspired artwork, sculptures, and several film adaptations, clearly indicating that the tale struck an archetypal chord whose resonance continues to this day.

Given his eternal youth, Peter Pan equates with the Puer Aeternus, that is, the eternal youth, which was well elucidated by Jung’s primary student,Marie-Louise von Franz, in her psychological text of the same name.

Hook, with his desire to control and enslave, describes the Senex.

This session will explore the challenges of both the Puer and the correlating Senex archetype, how their energies manifest, and how they may be reconciled.