Pu'er

A solution called the ‘pure’ or the 'pewer' (having never seen the word written.., we must spell it as pronounced) is prepared in a large vessel, and into this the skins are immersed.

[…] The bacteria of fresh dog-dung were not found to possess a satisfactory puering effect, but those from dung with had been fermented a month (as in practice) have a result nearly equal to actual puer.

[…] it was about 50 years before the use of puer was discontinued, at least in Europe.

“No; you called it that. Anyway, what’s wrong with ‘whither’?” / “Oh, that; we had to struggle through a high school commencement speech one time, something about ‘Whither now, oh, puers and puellas?’ and now the word gives us the hiccoughs.”

As I mentioned earlier, the circumstances that precipitate puer development prece sexual differentiation and the formation of a strong identity based on gender. Some puers and puellas are, therefore, heterosexual, others are homosexual.

TR spirit-work: For some extreme and gifted puers and puellas, Jesus or Mary another spirit comes in vivid visions. […] The blessing, though related to the body, takes place mainly on a heavenly-spiritual place. It is a necessary beginning for puers and puellas, though much embodied “shadow-material” remains to be dealt with, including the “nasty old (wo)man.”

Mr. Pan, I wrote a book that owes much to von Franz's interpretation of the puer syndrome: THE SECRET RAVEN: Conflict and Transformation in the Life of Franz Kafka (Inner City Books, 1980). Also, my book THE SURVIVAL PAPERS: Anatomy of a Midlife Crisis (Inner City, 1988) is a narrative about the personal analysis of a puer brought to his knees by his own psychology.

Having a child was a definite turning point in my puella lifestyle, so was getting an education and working towards a serious career. John Lee's book is on my shelf and will have to give it another look in the coming days. I much prefer Hillman's twist on the puer archetype over some of the Jungians. Even my fav, Von-Franz, is a bit too pessimistic about it. Hillman's archetypal dig brings back the positive aspects of the puer/puella and for those of us who inhabit this realm,it was a great relief to be able to claim more than the negative side of it.