Aging from the perspective of Umbanda: the old archetype represented by Orixás and Entities

• Autor(a) principal: Karat, Flora Ricciopo
• Data de Publicação: 2019
• Outros Autores: Nobre, Isadora Di Natale, Concone, Maria Helena Villas Bôas, Lopes, Ruth Gelehrter da Costa
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Revista Kairós (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://revistas.pucsp.br/index.php/kairos/article/view/45023
• topic: Archetype of the Old; Umbanda; Aging; Puer-Senex.; Arquétipo do Velho; Umbanda; Envelhecimento; Puer-Senex.; Arquetipo de lo viejo; Umbanda; Envejecimiento Puer-Senex.

In order to deepen some of the representations of the old in Brazilian society, we proposed this work that aims to study the Archetype of the Old from the perspective of a typical Brazilian religion: Umbanda. Two Orixás, Nanã Buruquê and Obaluaê, and the Entities called Old Blacks are the ones that best represent the Old Archetype. The very bodily manifestation of such energies in Umbanda rituals unmistakably carries symbols linked to old age. It is common for ritual participants to incorporate symbolic knowledge and meanings concerning the Orixás and Entities worshiped there. The Old Man Archetype in this religion represents knowledge gained over time, lived experience, acquired wisdom, maturity, and patience. These are some of its most striking traits. Umbanda deals with aging and the Old Archetype as essential elements in the process of life evolution and its importance in the individuation process of each of us. In this study we seek to correlate this archetypal principle with the Puer-Senex Archetype of Carl Gustav Jung's theory. In the development of Analytical Psychology, Jung shows this Archetype as a fundamental element for the constitution of the subject in his individuation process.