Archetype 21: The Dentist
The mental image of biting through can be used in the analogy of food, situations, problems ect. But just so that image is more tangible, let’s stick with food for our example. In it’s whole, food is often too big to take on as a whole. The teeth of the mouth will act as their own little community to bring vital nutrition to the body. The mouth is where it all begins. The incisors are responsible for the tearing mechanism, the canines are responsible for the piercing and shredding, and the molars are responsible for pulverising and mashing those larger particles into smaller ones.
What is unique about teeth and the gene keys is that each tooth and each gene key have a programming partner. All of the teeth on the top have equal bottom partners. They all play their role. In fact, if a top or bottom tooth ever has to be extracted, the opposite partner will start to slowly remove itself from the jaw, as the partner that was keeping it in place is now gone.
The teeth do not focus on hoarding the food in the mouth and “saving it for a rainy day”, nor do they argue over which tooth plays a more important role. They are all equal. They all have one goal: providing the necessary resources for the body. The mouth is the gatekeeper. When something goes wrong in the mouth, say infection- it will travel through the entire body. This affects all lifeforce systems from the heart, to the brain, and lungs, and so on. The health and integrity of the mouth is vital for the integrity of the whole.
When looking at the shadow of the 21st gene key, we see a submissive or controlling nature. In the example of the mouth, if one tooth is missing from the mouth, it has a cascade of affects on the other teeth, making the function and role of what teeth are left more difficult. This has a long term effect on the body. Likewise, if the teeth tried to take over as leader of what the stomach was allowed to digest, and which nutrients could be used by what organ, they would become so overworked that the mouth would simply shut down out of sheer exhaustion. A “healthy bite” is one that works in unity, everything functioning as a whole. There is no hierarchy here- the teeth are in service to the body.
Biting through whether it be resources, problems, emotional turmoil, fears…. Requires a servant’s heart. It starts with the question, “how can I serve.” Biting through involves viewing every contributing member as essential, and all of the gifts and talents they bring to the table as essential. There is no better or worse here. When we view it this way, we can let go of control and feelings of inferiority. All serve a purpose.
The ‘Biting Through’ reference of the 21st gate never made sense until now! The way in which both the literal and figurative concepts of the term are woven together is pure tapistry.