By Chuck Spezzano

"The Orphan role is a form of sacrifice. It comes about when we lose ourself in an attempt to save the family. When we reach this desperate place we are barely surviving emotionally. We have decided that the best way to help the family is to disappear.

The result of this is that we either become a "ghost" in the family, who needs next to nothing to survive, or we leave or are sent away from the family. Even though this is heartbreaking, we sacrifice ourselves in order to save the family because it is more important to us than our own personal safety or inclusion.

All of us have played this family role in an attempt to save the family. For some people, it is the least recognized family role, especially if we played the hero or the charmer a lot as we were growing up.

Of course, the Orphan can be present within us from unconscious and ancestral levels, also, and we may have compensated heavily for such a shadow. It is a shadow that is tied in with loss and sadness and even more substantial levels of self-attack than is the case with most shadows.

Hidden Dynamic
If you recognise this shadow it shows you have a hidden pattern of abandonment, which is really self-abandonment and abandonment of others. The Orphan keeps you feeling like an outsider, and, if it is joined strongly with the family role of the martyr, it can produce strong death temptations in an attempt to help the family.

You may see different forms of evidence of the Orphan projected on the people around you. You may notice the patterns and feelings of the Orphan inside you or you may have repressed this shadow so deeply that you do not see much evidence of it. on the surface, However you get unspecific clues relating to all shadows, such as an inability to go forward in spite of doing all the right things and a tendency to attack yourself through illness or accidents or creating huge problems that stop progress.

Once you recognize the Orphan is there, it is important to integrate it to accomplish another level of wholeness. This will give you more confidence and put you back in the flow, which is necessary if you want to take the next step in your life."

For help with this and other issues a Coaching with Pam may be very beneficial for you. See Coaching page>

'Healing Your Birth Story- Heal Ancestral and Karmic patterns'
This workshop aims to heal these kind of hidden unconscious stories. The next is on August 22nd 23rd, a powerful weekend as the Sun trines Pluto. More info and book by July 10th to receive free coaching session worth £70>

 Text is from Chuck Spezzano's book and cards 'Archetype and Shadows', copyright Spezzano Associates. Available to buy at www.pov-int.com