Dragons and Wolves

There are several festivals this month that I find meaningful and exciting. 

Chinese New Year
Today, February 10, 2024, marks the Chinese New Year based on the lunarsolar calendar. It's often referred to as the Lunar New Year in reference to other Asian cultures. In the Chinese calendar, the Chinese New Year usually falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice. 

The Chinese calendar assigns an animal sign from the Chinese zodiac each year using a 12-year cycle. The calendar also cycles through the Chinese five elements of earth, wood, metal, fire, and water.

The combination of animals and elements results in 2024 being the year of the Wood Dragon. 

What will a year of the Wood Dragon bring? In Chinese mythology, dragon characteristics include creativity, individualism, power, charisma, and confidence, while the wood element emphasizes morality and ethics. This combination of characteristics could prove interesting, to say the least.

Lupercalia
February also means the return of the annual Roman festival of Lupercalia, which occurs between February 13 and 15. 

I ended my blog post about Lupercalia last year with the following, 

Lupercalia isn’t about the sacrifice of animals. Or naked individuals whipping others with goat skins (which is okay if you’re into that and it’s consensual among all participants). The eternal spirit of Lupercalia is a recognition of the goodness of the physical body and the enjoyment of our carnal desires.

The modern Lupercalia is a time to release your inner wolf and howl at the moon.

I still find Lupercalia to be an important and meaningful festival.

Embracing the Dragon

It’s impossible to overstate the influence of Joseph Campbell. Campbell was a professor of literature at Sarah Lawrence College. While his most influential book was The Hero with a Thousand Faces, the PBS production The Power of Myth with Bill Moyers made him a household name.

Recently, I watched a clip of The Power of Myth in which Joseph Campbell discussed the myth of the European dragon. In the classic myth, the European dragon represents greed, for it guards either a hoard of gold or a stolen virgin maiden. In the myth, the hero fights and kills the dragon, taking ownership of the gold and winning the maiden’s heart. And they lived happily ever after.

 

In the clip, Campbell provides an interpretation from a psychological perspective. Campbell says that the dragon represents binding oneself to one’s ego. You’re imprisoned by your ego (i.e., the dragon), and the solution is to break the dragon and release yourself from the cave. How does one slay one’s dragon? By allowing yourself to “follow your bliss.”

Even though Campbell is one of the greatest minds on myths and comparative literature, many scholars question several of his conclusions and theories. While it might be hubris on my part to think that I’m qualified to also question Campbell, I propose an alternative psychological interpretation of the dragon.

Maybe the dragon is less like a hoarder or kidnapper and more like a family dog protectively watching over its homestead. Indeed, the dog will respond aggressively to any stranger approaching the house and fight to the death to defend the ones they love.

Understanding the dragon as a defender rather than an obsessive hoarder changes our approach. From a psychological perspective, the dragon isn’t an evil to be “killed.” It’s part of the greater Self. Therefore, we should embrace the dragon out of self-love. We can help the dragon understand we’re not a threat through patience and effort. Eventually, we would be allowed access to the treasure it protects.

This reinterpretation of the European dragon helps to bring the archetype closer to its Asian cousin. Campbell points out that historically, the European dragon is negative while the Asian is positive. By understanding the psychological archetype of the European dragon as a defender, we can accept it as a positive force in our lives that can aid us in healing.

Embrace the dragon.