Flute Dream

Book excerpt: “If what this subtle clever old bard was singing in his muted voice was true, then all my songs were only nonsense and silly child's play.” When Hesse turned thirteen he wanted to be a poet. In the words of John Keating, the character played byRobin Williams in the Dead Poets Society, a poet sucks the marrow out of life without choking on the bone. A bard, on the other hand, is a professional poet employed to compose eulogies for his lord. In Scotland in the 16th century it was a derogatory term for a traveling musician. "Flute Dream" is a short fairy tale written by Hermann Hesse in March 1914, when he was about to turn thirty seven. The story, which was titled “Flötentraum” in German, deals with the subconscious dream world and is based on two ofCarl Jung's shadow archetypes, the “Impotent Lover” and the “Weakling King”. In Jungian psychology, the poet is one of the main manifestations of the “Lover” archetype. The “Lover” archetype is usually the first that develops in a man. It is the archetype of emotion, feeling, idealism, sensuality and of opening to the world. The Lover feels vigorously alive and is totally connected to those around him and to the world at large. He enjoys good food and drink, beautiful art, gorgeous women and uses all his senses, touching, tasting, smelling, hearing, and seeing, to enjoy life's pleasures. The Greek god Dionysus, the god of wine, art, passion, and sex is perhaps the best example. The “Impotent Lover” shadow arises when a man is out of touch with the Lover archetype in its fullness or feels shame when he indulges himself in life's pleasures. While the Lover in his fullness sees the world in vivid colors and textures, the Impotent Lover only sees gray. A man dogged by the impotent lover archetype feels depressed, flat, and dead inside. Nothing brings him joy, he has no passion for life. The “King” archetype is totally centered and functions as an intermediary between man and god, or heaven and earth. He serves as both the geographic and the spiritual center of his realm. All existence radiates from the King archetype. When a man lives the King archetype in its fullness, he feels confidence, purpose and a sense of well-being that gives him a supreme sense of balance and a centering power within himself. He's the rock in crisis and acts rather than reacts. Even when the world around him becomes chaotic, he remains cool, calm, and collected. A man fully engaged with positive King energy is completely present as a man. The “Weakling King” shadow is passive. Instead of taking control of his life and making decisions in a resolute fashion, a man possessed by the Weakling shadow abdicates his throne to others. This edition also contains “The Poet”, which depicts a variation on the true “Lover” archetype where the love of poetry was the main lover's desire and the poet manages to suck the marrow out of life without chocking on the bone.