The Great Mother Archetype & Creativity: The Nurturing and Devouring Struggle

Exploring the Jungian & Gothic Perspective of the Great Mother Archetype on Creative Struggles

Gothic image of a woman with a flower coming of her mouth and her spine, in the background a mask and an abandoned house — Image created with Canva by the author

I've been feeling her power. She's been suffocating. For the last weeks, the archetype of the Great Mother, which in Jungian psychology represents both nurture and destruction, has been pulling me into the discomfort that birthing a project brings.

Many of us romanticize creativity and believe that by simply going with the flow, things will happen effortlessly, that if we put a little bit of content here and there or tell people what we do, success will follow.

The truth is that consistency rules the online world. Without it, potential customers vanish into the ether of social media. But since it is rooted in structured thinking, often associated with the left hemisphere of the brain and crucial for the order-seeking nature of ego consciousness, it puts a direct constraint on creativity.

This constraint is one of the core reasons why creativity can consume us and tear us between inspiration and exhaustion, even destruction.

Perhaps this tension is more prominent in the presence of the Great Mother archetype and her paradoxical caring and devouring nature. On one hand, she offers the fertile ground for new ideas to grow, but on the other, she can become overwhelming and suffocating.

In this way, the balance between structured consistency and wild creativity mirrors the dance with the Great Mother, both a source of life and, if unbalanced, a force that can pull us under.

What happens when we confront these aspects as we navigate our work, our energy, and the struggle between financial necessity, a deep need to make an impact, and reality is what I will explore in this article.

The Dual Nature of the Great Mother: Nurturing vs. Consuming

Inspiration tends to strike me like lightning. The rush of energy that comes from it is what helps me move all the strings to bring something new into the world. This process is beautiful and careless, but it also comes with a price. It can sometimes feel like a black hole in the middle of my chest.

Just like giving birth to my boys, creating a project, or even finding a new path through the exploration of my personal myth demands immense energy from me, both physically and psychologically.

Jungian psychology teaches us that creativity is deeply tied to the unconscious, which we access through dreams, synchronicities, and symbols. That's why, when I started investigating the Great Mother archetype a couple of years ago while analyzing "sirens" in Supernatural and some of the female archetypes in the Catalan novel A Broken Mirror by Mercè Rodoreda, I was fascinated by how the positive and negative aspects of creation moved the story forward.

"A Broken Mirror", book cover — Image by Amazon

In the episode "Sex and Violence" of Supernatural, the Siren, in a Dionysian quest for love and pleasure, lures victims into committing crimes against their loved ones. From a Jungian perspective, the Siren functions as an Anima/Animus figure, exposing, among other things, the shadow aspects of relationships.

Similarly, in some global mythologies, goddesses can birth worlds only to swallow them whole, which can mirror what we experience with our projects.

The tension between the pull of creation and our entire being is also a wrestle with exhaustion, doubt, and a lingering sense of isolation.

How Gothic Literature Mirrors the Struggles of Creativity

We know when projects begin, but we never know when they will finally see the light.

My online project began five years ago, and it continues reshaping itself in that uroboric cycle of creation and destruction.

Throughout this journey, I have tried to make sense and give some purpose to my research by turning it into tangible outcomes. This has forced me to confront my deepest limitations due to my constant health struggles, caregiving responsibilities, and the desire to carve a meaningful space for my work.

The Great Mother archetype has been teaching me the brutality of creativity, its demanding sacrifice and total surrender. She is both the womb that births new ideas and the abyss into which they may disappear without a trace.

In its shadowy side, creativity often requires more than we can give, consuming us in the process. But its process is also a reflection of the cyclical nature of existence itself, and a moment to question whether your creative drive is a gift or a curse, and whether you're truly in control, or if your work has become the one pulling the strings.

In any case, we are offered the chance to transform and only by acknowledging the darker side of creativity—its demands, its sacrifices—can we truly harness its power without being consumed by it.

Confronting the Shadow Side of Creativity: Lessons from Victor Frankenstein and Sethe

The Gothic has always been both a refuge and an investigative tool for me, a space to disconnect as well as to explore the human mind. But it has also made me aware of how my unconscious, like a haunted house, is a reflection of the tension between my ambitions and my reality.

In this haunted house, the monstrous presence lurking behind me as I walk through its corridors is always the fear of failure, which mirrors the anxiety I feel when my creative endeavors threaten my family’s status quo, especially when the outcomes of my work don't meet our most basic needs.

To exemplify these ideas, think of Victor Frankenstein, who, in his role as creator, is ultimately devoured by the product of his God-like complex. While he embodies more of a Promethean figure than the Great Mother archetype, his downfall illustrates the dangers of unchecked ambition. This imbalance between the nurturing and devouring forces of creation is what leads to the destruction of his world and the people he holds dearest. This is why Mary Shelley called her book Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus, because his journey mirrors the archetypal energy of Prometheus, a mythological figure punished for his hubris in seeking to bestow fire (and, symbolically, knowledge) upon humanity.

We see a similar example in Beloved, a novel by Toni Morrison. Here, Sethe is haunted by the ghost of her past after she commits an act of infanticide to save her child from slavery. This action aligns her with the Monstrous Mother archetype, in a story that illustrates how societal oppression forces individuals into impossible choices, much like how external pressures on creators can distort and burden our creative processes, creating new ghosts that will haunt us forever.

Overall, the Gothic reminds us of a constant cycle of transformation through death, but also a reminder that we must confront both the life-giving and destructive powers within ourselves to navigate the creative journey.

How to Work With, Not Against, the Devouring Mother in Creativity

Creativity’s Great Mother can feel overwhelming at times, but instead of fighting her consuming energy, we must learn how to dance with it. The tension between creation and destruction, as we have seen, is a necessary part of the process.

Here are some practical steps to help you balance the creative forces without losing yourself in the process:

Recognize the Shadow Side of Creativity: Understand that exhaustion, self-doubt, and overwhelm are natural stages of creativity.
Set Clear Boundaries: Define time for work and rest. Don’t let your creative projects take over your life.
Embrace Cycles of Creation and Rest: Creativity works in waves. Honour both action and rest.
Use Gothic Symbolism as a Guide: Literature and mythology are helpful tools to navigate creative darkness and explore the unconscious.
Reflect Through Journaling and Dream Analysis: By documenting your creative journey, you can gain insights and integrate your experiences into your personal growth.

Every step you take toward shaping your work is a step toward integrating these struggles, toward finding a balance where you are not just consumed but also empowered by what you bring into the world.

Take Action

If you are struggling with the tension between creation and burnout, talk to me. Share your thoughts in the comments below or book a free consultation to dive deeper into this transformative journey. Together, we’ll be able to figure out your myth.

If you want a more detailed step-by-step guide, I have created a great roadmap for you to start working on balancing the struggles between the nurturing and devouring energies of the Great Mother Archetype. Just click the image below: