As someone who’s had a lot of trauma & wounding from my biological mother & father, I used to find myself connecting into these energies every year when Mother’s Day & Father’s Day rolled around. These were set times on the calendar for me to feel into the relationship & experiences I had with these forces of my lineage, and add compassion, forgiveness and healing into the mix (for them & myself).
I’ve done a lot of healing around these wounds over the years and in the process, found an archetypal force that supports me deeply; not only with healing wounds from my parents, but also in cultivating a resource within that supports me with better parenting myself now.
I learned about the archetype of the Nurturing, Generative Adult from my mentor, Bill Plotkin (you can read more about it in his book “Wild Mind”…I highly recommend it). The “NGA” as I like to call it, has been an amazing ally for me to continually cultivate as I move through my MiddleWorld Apprenticeship.
The NGA carries both the nurturing qualities of mother and the generative qualities of father; and is genderless. By taking out the gender of mother and father, I am able to release some of the personal aspects of my bio parents, and connect into a powerful genderless adult archetype to guide and inspire me, which is so powerful for me.
The Nurturing, Generative Adult is an aspect of our innate wholeness that engages us to contribute our best & most creative parenting, leading, teaching, mentoring, directing, producing and healing.
“To nurture is to care for the well-being of other humans, earthly habitants, and ourselves. To be generative is to design & implement innovative practices that imaginatively and effectively restore, solve or shelter - in a way that truly serves the whole person in the web of life.” Bill Plotkin; Wild Mind
We all have the capacities of the Nurturing, Generative Adult (NGA) within us. And while some people can access this archetype more fully then others, it's a resource each one of us can cultivate, to better support our health & vitality and the eco-system we are part of.
- How are you parenting your fullness?
- How are you nurturing the fullness of others? - What generative experiences are you cultivating for your community & future generations?
I'm excited to bring the archetype of the Nurturing, Generative Adult into deep cultivation in my upcoming Earth Apprenticeship program which starts in Feb, 2023. This aspect of our wholeness is something that can bring immense transformative power into our lives, and our communities, especially during these powerful days we are living in and through. If you would like to cultivate your NGA, I recommend a deep dive into the wisdom teachings of the earth element in my upcoming 3 month Earth Apprenticeship Program. It would be lovely to take this journey with you.
Blessed parenting to you. May the Nurturing, Generative Adult be ever present in your living and serving.
