Robin Williams, was not only a consummate actor and tour de force comedian. He appeared to also be a lovable Puer Aeternus, an eternal boy; and also a Pater Familias, a father not only to his own but to many many young persons pursuing comedy careers. [icopyright one button toolbar]

He was also a Lover — of life, so so deeply and so sensitively. His role in Fisher King* was hardly an act, regarding his character’s so easily written upon self, his character’s deep heartbreak for himself and for the world of souls on earth whom he felt had lost their tie to Spirit in all Things.

Robin was also a Mystical King, a person who channeled so many different strains and veins of characterization– and with energy and with ace-accuracy.

He showed in the signalings from his vessel over the decades, such bravery and also, at times, of his vessel being in distress. Anyone with the eyes to see… any with the ears to hear… As the song goes, “Vincent [van Gogh]… The world was not made for one as beautiful as you.”

One could see both the tremendous timbre of Williams, as well as what I would gently and lovingly call, ‘his efforts to constantly be bringing back treasure from the wreck.’

Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist, speculated that within masculine psychology are at least four central archetypes… that is, ideas that are enormous in instinct and appetite, pushing a person to great positive ideals but also, sometimes, into ideas darker.

The archetypes are sometimes parsed as these…

Puer, meaning eternal boy…positive in the masculine sense of energy, imagination, inquiry, exploration, ever highly excited about new and interesting possibilities. But also a person thusly configured can fall into the negative aspects of such. That is, [in the Peter Pan trope] unreliability, refusal to ‘grow up’, trying to charm others for not keeping commitments, meet responsibilities. There may be inability to evaluate and in a timely manner tend to critical matters of others and regarding self, because one might be off chasing ‘the next rainbow. That is, whatever most gives energy to an often underlying depression regarding the ‘senselessness of a too tame world.”

Thus the puer in extremis can be swamped by serious addictions that initially calm or give energy, yet leave the person debilitated immediately or over time. The secondary injuries [from addiction] to bodily functions can also add to the devastation of what was initially meant only to have meaning and ‘feel good.’

The middle way is to, just as one for instance, to choose carefully by roots and not just wings whatever one will pursue; to develop a ‘quiet craft’ of the hands and mind, to work evenly, while choosing excitements that build useful things, that bring bursts of life without mayhem and melancholy to the person and to those all around.

Pater, meaning being invested in being a father to love and protect in its positive aspect, but if allowed to tilt too far over into trying to create ‘perfect beings’ in children and colleagues– or in self– then to dominate and destroy in its negative aspect.

In the extremes, think of ‘Father Knows Best’, then think of “The Great Santini”. In the middle way, think of a father learning as he goes, but drawing on time tested good ways from the past, correcting for over or under-doing in love, and creating what needs to be done for the sake of loving others and self, helping to develop self and others in the present and future.

Lover… some have attempted to reduce this archetype to sexual sensations only, but it encompasses far more. It means to enter an alternative state of consciousness that is very real and nourishing of one’s energy, to see the worlds that merge between physicality and the psychic. Jung put it this way; that place in the psychoid unconscious where physicality and the soul are the same thing.

Think of who Lancelot and Arthur cherished. Think of the latters’ foibles in taking up some of the common negatives of the Lover archetype, re ‘taking for granted’ the great treasure, or in attempting to usurp physically the soul of another who’s elemental configuration is far more than physical only. As a positive, think of Philemon of Greek mythos, who like Merlin was said to have lived backward [with Philemon’s it was with his lifelong mate Baucis] from the future, and in so doing, whomsoever he loved, [ Baucis who cherished Philemon in return] had the larger overview of what could be, and that love flowed through his loving Baucis, like a river flowing through a beautiful spillway of his lover, to include the mountain, the forest, the mint leaves, the harvest, the animals, the day to day crafts, and all else.

The Lover balanced is one who often may also have appetite for loving the unloved, including oneself. And for returning time and again to just ‘being with’ in that space between all worlds with those one loves, with earth and ideas and creatures and all life that one is devoted to.

King who can walk in two worlds, the mystical King: this appetite/influence/urge to develop a legacy, to create a kingdom in which there are like-kind who can thrive, interested followers/subjects, creative ways of building a world in most positive sense both spiritually and concretely, benevolent, without harms to others. Creating within and without, a golden ideal that holds ideas of the visible and also the not visible, but palpably felt influences of spirit and heart and soul… and doing what one can to administer these, enable these, follow this panorama of a great Self oneself –and to help others follow the best and life-granting radiant ideas.

In its negative sense: mayhem. Torments meted out, disregard for those vulnerable and for the tenuous human condition, ‘wrapping oneself in all the bullion’, killing off the talented, taking unto one’s inner circle the most diseased of minds and greedy minds. Think of the fictional Hannibal Lector. The most chilling combination throughout ancient and modern mythos: intelligent, psychic and… evil. Think of Zeus, the chief God/King of Olympus who could build and manage a pantheon, but often abused and harmed both Gods and mortals including his own son, Haephaesus. Think of ancient and modern tyrants and politicians. But then in a balanced sense, think of leaders of families and towns and states and nations who are evenhanded, who do-over what is failing the people, who listen and who within their powers attempt to make better for all.

Robin Williams. Robin seemed in his chosen roles and in his comedy routines and in his actual private life… understood at some level, was rocked and washed, half drowned and yet surfaced topside, in all these. He is what we call “a Sensitive.” Easily written upon, easily drowned, easily bobbing back up again time and again. Time and again.

Until today.
As the rest of the story comes in about Robin’s death, we’ll know, perhaps, the least important about him, how he died.

But the most important will be who he really was– complicated, easy as butter under a hot knife, intrepid, gifted, so so very gifted in all the archetypal energy swirling about his life as fire. He learned for 63 years of his life how to be ‘the fire handler.’ That is where I would praise him, for what he has managed to do for six+ decades; handle fire, while being made of parchment.

May Robin’s loving family be comforted and know that the angels are walking with them in many forms.

Resquiat in pacem Robin, Rest in Perpetual Peace… and May You Live Forever.

Fly on dear soul, fly onward. Whatever was once paper, is now winged and strong sinew and bone.

____________
*The Fisher King is the wounded king in mythos who is next in line to preserve and shelter the Holy Grail– which stands for the idea of eternal life, and resurrection from the dire, and resurrection from the dead. The wound in various of the mythos can be too much or too little of something physical, psychological, bodily or spiritually.

Nonetheless, the wounded king rises to protect what is most precious, even while injured, perhaps even because, not despite, his injury: He knows what cannot be allowed to vanish from this earth– nor from the minds of human beings with souls. He moves to show this, protect this, preserve this for all souls.

See here also, for an insightful interview of Robin.

Dr. Estés is a Jungian Psychoanalyst in private practice for 43 years, specializing in post-trauma recovery.