Like most conscious-minded people, you probably know that your childhood has a lot to teach you about who you are right now, the choices you made in the past and those you’ll make in the future.

But can it help you find a more purposeful life right now?

According to renowned Jungian analyst and bestselling author of Goddesses in Everywoman, Jean Shinoda Bolen, by using insights from your childhood, you can get to the heart of your truest self by using insights from childhood to find a dominant part of your psyche: your “natural goddess archetype.”

Understanding your natural goddess archetype (one of the 7 well-known Greek Goddesses) can help you understand who you are today and how you can navigate back to your most authentic version of yourself. It’s that special place within you where your vitality and zest for life still lives, no matter your age or where you are in life.

But what happens when the tendencies of your natural archetype aren’t properly nurtured during your childhood? What if you never fully accessed that authentic side of you? What if what you were taught or what was expected of you conflicted with who you truly were then and are today?

This childhood dissonance can have many different negative, long-term side effects , including resentment, lost passion, a sense of purposeless, feeling jaded and hopeless, or a feeling that you never became who you were meant to be… and sadly, so much more.

To begin to heal these maladies from your youth, you must thoroughly understand what your most natural state is —which you can do by learning your natural goddess archetype — then see how that innate part of you aligned with, interplayed, or was suppressed by outer influences of the world such as your family, community, and culture.

While this may be challenging, and often times very emotional, now is the perfect time to begin your journey of self-healing, awareness, and compassion, to finally access your authentic you.

To help get you started, below are 12 things you may have wished you were told as a child — statements that you may or may not have heard that can elevate your awareness of your natural, beautiful self.

Take a look at the list and see which statement or phrase strikes a chord in you. Did you wish this was told to you? If so, spend some time thinking about when that would have been beneficial for you to hear and what that could mean for your adult self — the you right now.

The more awareness you have and the deeper you go with this exercise, the closer you are to find the healing you deserve, and the more magnified your understanding of your true purpose in this lifetime will be. It’s also a powerful list of loving statements to say to your children or any child in your life!

Want to learn more about how to use information from your childhood to find natural archetype — and how thatt can propel you on a life towards a more purposeful, meaningful, impactful life? If so, join Jean Shinoda Bolen for a FREE online event, Goddesses in Everywoman: How Discovering Your Natural Archetype Can Liberate Your Full Expression.

Did you discover something new from Jean Shinoda Bolen in this article or elsewhere?  Share your thoughts in the comments below.