I’ve had the best time tonight watching the White House Correspondent’s dinner, DVR’d from last night. Wow. It makes me think back to a post I wrote recently about power and function of the trickster archetype to diffuse the harmful potential in taking ourselves too seriously or holding ourselves in too much reverence. Kings in many ages and countries, as well as shamans in many tribal cultures, have had a full-time jester, or trickster, whose job it is to make fun of the king, of the sacred rites and rituals, and whatever else is in danger of being idealized beyond realistic proportion.

Tonight I am reminded that this function is alive and well in the U.S. of A. Whew. Some roasts going on, a lot of irreverence, no one seems exempt, the jabs are carefully targeted and many of them hilariously conceived of. I laughed out loud at our President over and over. And on it continues. Can’t wait to see the rest.

Whether we are conscious of it or not, I think this is an enormously wise and necessary ritual all of its own. It has been going on in Washington since 1914. I believe it is a self-protective and inspired instinct to have this rite in place.