Psyche's Knife: Archetypal Explorations of Love and Power

by Elizabeth Eowyn Nelson

Psyche's Knife examines the myth of Eros and Psyche as a metaphor for the development of soul in the psychology of women, explicating the tropes of love and power as depicted by Psyche's use of a knife in attempting to learn the identity of her lover. Elizabeth Eowyn Nelson examines the metaphor of the knife from all angles--alchemical, sacrificial, lunar, phallic--and delves into the mythology and imagery of women and knives, connecting our deep past to our present lives and our possibilities for the future with archetypal explorations of love and power. Elizabeth Eowyn Nelson is core faculty and dissertation policy director at Pacifica Graduate Institute near Santa Barbara, California, where she has been teaching since 2002. She is co-author of The Art of Inquiry (2005), which expresses many key ideas about research and the creative process centered on the living psyche. Her research interests focus on mythologies of feminine power, cultural expressions of the shadow, and somatic psychology. A professional writer and editor for thirty years, she is also a lifelong athlete, a certified massage therapist, and an avid student of the Tarot, runes, and archetypal astrology.

Genres: Mythology

186 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2012

Reviews

[JHM · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, but after more than two months I keep setting it down and forgetting it.

I love the theme: looking at the symbolism of the knife Psyche brings to her bedchamber when she spies on the sleeping Eros. It's an implement which apparently isn't usually discussed, and Nelson addresses the topic with enthusiasm and intelligence.

But after the first 50 pages or so, it stopped being interesting to me. I've picked it up multiple times in the past couple of weeks and can't get more than a page or two.

I can't finish the book now, but I'm going to hold onto it to try again later.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Elizabeth Nelson is a depth psychologist, teacher, author, and feminist. In Psyche's Knife, Dr. Nelson uses the myth of "Eros and Psyche" as a lens through which to explore the psychological relationship within marriage, in particular the psychological development of a woman. Marriage is also viewed as a metaphor for other durable commitments we make in life. What are the assumptions we make about what it is to be feminine? How do these assumptions play out in the marriage relationship? What is the relationship between love and power in intimate relationships? What are the "shadow vows" we make when we enter into an intimate relationship? What is the impact on a woman's relationship to herself, and to her "soul work"? This is very provocative work. Reading it you may feel understood for the first time!