The Destroyer Archetype

The destroyer archetype is a force of nature, a simple truth that just is. When you consider the destroyer archetype, think of natural disasters – wildfires, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, earth quakes, volcanoes, landslides, and avalanches.

Just as creation is a cosmic force, so is destruction. Destruction is at work everywhere. All that is in the cosmos is impermanent and will come to an end. This is the truth of the destroyer archetype.

The destroyer archetype brings about the end of things. Another way of saying it is that the destroyer brings death. As Benjamin Franklin, a founding father of the United States, once said, “Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”

The Destroyer is Chaotic

Destruction, by definition is to take apart structure and order in a disorganized way. The destroyer archetype is chaotic and messy. This frightens us because it highlights the fragility of life, of our lives, and how small we are in the grand scheme of things.

The fear of loss and death breeds the need to attach meaning to destructive events. If we can explain why our neighbor’s house burned down, then we presumably can avoid the same fate. The trouble with the destroyer archetype in the shadow is that it draws us into false narratives. If we can’t find a reasonable physical cause of a disaster, we blame the immoral behavior of the victims. We say that God punished them.

Deluge myths are the most famous of these narratives. From Noah and the flood in the Bible, to Utnapishtim and the flood in the Epic of Gilgamesh, we find countless stories of destroyer gods punishing man for poor behavior. The men and their friends and family that survive the floods were rewarded for being kind or virtuous.

The problem is that these stories oversimplify the complex nature of the destroyer archetype. When the force of destruction is unleashed it is impossible to predict who will be hit and how. Think of the tornado that levels a house and leaves the one next door completely intact. There are a multitude of GoFundMe pages with stories of inexplicable devastation striking good people.

The destroyer archetype touches everyone’s lives in different ways at different degrees and different times.

The destroyer archetype works in a chaotic fashion and does not follow a direct line to the finish. It works in fits and starts. She turns back and devours her own tail. However, there are recognizable stages in a destructive event that progress over time.

Stages of the Destroyer Archetype

The first stage of destruction is evacuation. This is when you may or may not receive warning. The tornado siren may blare. A flash flood warning could buzz into your phone. You might smell smoke. Either way, you have a very short amount of time to get out and take whatever you can with you.

Next is the stage of shelter. We have bomb and tornado shelters. You might “shelter in place.” This is when the chaos is at its peak, raining down destruction all around, but in the shelter you sit tight.

The third stage of destruction is surveying. At this point, we seek an arial view to assess the damage and gauge if it’s safe to return. Noah used a raven and dove. Today we use helicopters, drones, and cameras. When you have experienced a destructive event, you dig through the rubble at this stage to see what and who has survived. This is the same for literal disasters as well as life tragedies such as an illness, divorce, death of a loved one, and loss of a job.

Then come the aftershocks. After the initial catastrophe, most people try to start rebuilding immediately. The chaotic temperament of the destroyer archetype is not over yet. Aftershocks, landslides, or additional storms that no one saw coming undermine the new construction. This can be the most trying stage of working with the destroyer archetype because the aftershocks thwart every last shred of hope.

Lastly, is recolonization or “succession” as the biologists call it. This is when new seeds can take root and you can rebuild your inner self and outer life.

Shadow Destroyer

There is no way to live a life without loss, but the shadow destroyer fights this truth. The shadow destroyer may convince you that you can control the devastation. You may decide what to get rid of and think that you can keep everything else intact. Once the destruction begins you realize too late that the flood you unleashed is going to take more and harm more than you intended. This can breed a distrust of one’s destructive ability.

We all have and use the force of destruction. In this moment, your body is breaking down food to produce energy which is used up and destroyed. Destruction is as much as part of our nature as creation. The shadow destroyer may tempt you to repress your destructive capacity. We all know what happens when we repress forest fires. Fuel builds up and an out of control mega-fire erupts eventually.

The shadow destroyer can also go too far with destruction and reveal in it, preventing anything in your life from taking root. The shadow destroyer cuts off life. At the most extreme, the shadow destroyer is abusive, suicidal, and murderous.

Destroyer Archetype in the Light

The destroyer archetype in the light has many critical functions. The first is providing a blank slate. If you create without end, eventually, like an overgrown forest, no more light, no more inspiration will be able to get in. There will be no room left to make anything new. The destroyer archetype comes in and makes space for new endeavors and experiences. The destroyer is the left hand of creation.

Destructive events unlock and uncover hidden resources within you. The heat of a forest fire breaks open pine cones and releases the seeds. The intensity of a disaster can call up strength you never knew you had. When your life is busy and full you don’t have time for certain talents. A destructive event opens up time and space to explore new aspects of yourself.

There are always legacies that survive a disaster. Bits of plants or tiny fungi and insects may be the first to recolonize a volcano blast zone. You come to treasure the aspects of your inner self that survived the eruption. These qualities are what help you rebuild.

Finally, the chaotic nature of the destroyer works in your favor, touching different aspects of yourself and your life inconsistently. This creates a diversity of interior, a mosaic of being. After a destructive event, you are in various stages of construction. Some of you is brand new and other parts of your inner landscape are like an old growth forest. In biology, diverse ecosystems are the most resilient and the same is true for you. The destroyer archetype in the light is an agent of resiliency.

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The “Purifier Archetypes” Online Class

All three archetypes clear out the status quo to make way for an expansive, naked awareness. They purify us along the spiritual path and address the fears we encounter. The exorcist transmutes demons into allies and separation into union. The destroyer embraces the cycle of destruction to unlock hidden potential. The liberator uses wisdom to free us from attachment and suffering.

The Mystic Archetype

The mystic archetype brings us into another world, the world of the soul. I have little hope to encompass the whole of the mystic archetype. However, I can direct you to the depths and the places to watch.

A thick mist surrounds the mystic, shrouding her so you can never quite grasp her. To those around her she is a reservoir of peace. Inside she struggles in turmoil. The keystone of what makes the mystic relatable is her suffering. It is intense and enduring. It is unreasonable. Just like her unyielding love of the Divine.

Suffering of the Mystic Archetype

As a young woman, Julian of Norwich prayed to experience a bodily sickness when she was thirty years old and receive three sacred wounds. Who prays to get sick? Who asks to be wounded? The mystic, she does.The mystic longs to stretch her faith past bodily concerns. She believes this unites her with the infinite. She is often conveyed into divine union through suffering, be it welcome or uninvited.

During her thirtieth year, Julian did fall gravely ill as she had asked for. In the midst of the pain everyone was sure would take her life, Julian had second thoughts. She was read her last rites. She survived to receive sixteen revelations (visions) from Christ, his Mother, and the Lord. Julian lived many more years.

St. Teresa of Avila was plagued by illness throughout her life. She too fell so ill that she was incapacitated for an extended period and nearly died. She survived to experience many spiritual ecstasies and teachings and lived well into her sixties. Her companion, St. John of the Cross, endured painful beatings during an extended imprisonment. This lead him to compose his great work The Dark Night of the Soul.

There are endless stories of the overwhelming suffering of holy people of every faith. This is the pattern of the mystic archetype.

In the shadow, the mystic archetype inflicts bodily pain upon herself mostly through deprivation to try and reach spiritual ecstasy. She can put suffering above all else and lose sight of the One for which she suffers.

Siddhartha, the man destined to become Buddha, nearly starved to death during an intense fast meant to convey him to enlightenment. He was revived by the tears of his deceased mother and gave up the stark ascetic path. There are many merits to the way of asceticism. However, with the mystic archetype in the shadow these self-depriving tendencies can be taken to unhealthy, counterproductive extremes.

Devotion to the Beloved

Serious bodily ailments often do afflict someone with the mystic archetype, but not nearly as much as her own deep yearning for The One. She loves God so much it hurts. She wants to be married so completely to God’s will that she aches endlessly. St. Teresa speaks of this holy matrimony in the fifth through seventh mansions of her workThe Interior Castle. In her teaching, we are the bride and the Lord is the bridegroom at the center of our souls. He waits for us to come and give ourselves over absolutely.

The Sufi poet Rumi best writes of what this wild, abandonment looks like. He tells of the Beloved being the winemaker that crushes us like grapes into wine. Rumi’s poems are drunk with love for the infinite. Rumi’s work is vast and steeped in the power of the mystic archetype. In much of his writing, he brings the indescribable to life through transcendental passionate symbols.

The mystic archetype’s devotion borders on madness, for who in her right mind would hand herself over what she cannot know? She strives to surrender, to give her hand in marriage to the One Who Moves Through All Things. She is the blushing bride in love with God / Yahweh / Great Spirit – the One of many names.

Absorbed in Mysticism

When you look up the definition of “Mysticism” you see that it starts with “belief”. That is mysticism – to believe in something that cannot be felt, seen, heard, tasted, or touched with the senses of the body. The mystic awakens her soul’s faculties so that she can catch glimpses of God, but most of her devotion must rest in belief. She believes in a higher power. She believes in a unifying, pure, undying, omnipresent force. The mystic can’t help but have faith.

The mystic archetype studies, but unlike the student archetype, she studies that which doesn’t make sense. She forgoes rational thinking for mystical thinking. No longer does she take the world literally or personally, she perceives life mystically and impersonally. This does not mean she does not care – oh she knows how to love. In her power, it means she loves with and through the Sacred Heart.

She tries to know Divine will, always knowing the futility of such a quest. She will never fully assimilate a mystical reasoning ability while still in a human body with the necessary attachments to life. Nevertheless, the potential fertility of her ongoing engagement is endless.

The mystic stands apart from the seeker archetype because her ultimate goal is to let go of the need to know. The seeker carries on always as the self that questions. The mystic looks to dissolve any sense of self that is the one who knows. The mystic does not work to be the sage archetype or guide. She does not endeavor to guide others, instead she looks rather to incarnate Divine guidance and show her love for the holy through works.

Virtuosity and False Humility

In the light, the mystic archetype brings a beautiful grace. She is a sea of tranquility for those around her. The mystic models virtuosity and pure devotion. In her presence, others feel the grace of the holy seep in. Quietude surrounds her. She is a source of divine light, a well of faith for others to drink from.

Inside, the mystic’s experience of herself can be much, much different. She knows too well what St. Teresa calls the “inner clamor of battle”. The mystic is constantly spotting her own wretchedness and bemoaning it. When she finds herself in quagmire of her own ugliness, she realizes she’s moved even farther from the Source and feels even worse about herself. And so on it goes.

St. Teresa calls this a “false humility”. It is a trap of self-deprecation that pulls us away from God’s grace and into our own imperfection. Yes, she encourages, let’s strive to be virtuous, but please let’s not spend all our time trying to be perfect. For, as Julian of Norwich teaches, we will always find woe.

In Julian of Norwich’s Showings she says, “He wants us to see our wretchedness and meekly to acknowledge it; but he does not want us to remain there, or to be much occupied in self-accusation, nor does he want us to be too full of our own misery.” Julian continues on to say,  “He wants us promptly to attend to the touching of his grace, rejoicing more in his unbroken love than sorrowing over our frequent failings.”

The Shadow of the Mystic Archetype

The shadow of the mystic archetype is best seen in the false humility and extreme asceticism. It can also show up as righteousness judgement of others who are not following the path.

The mystic’s shadow has her chasing spiritual ecstasy and visions, thus worshiping the false idol of the rush that comes from being infused with divine light. She gets caught up in comparing her spiritual favors to those of others.

The shadow mystic gets lost in her love of the Divine and forgets to love her neighbor. She needs to be here, with her feet planted firmly on the earth, engaged with the people around her.

The Light of the Mystic Archetype

In the light, the mystic must learn to accept spiritual aridity with the same open arms as spiritual fertility. She continues to deepen her faith and moves on divine guidance without a care for proof.

She is able to recollect herself around the sacred and feel the same inner peace she shares with others.

The mystic learns that service is the pinnacle of showing her love for God. She turns herself over to acts of kindness. She embraces selflessness while holding the knowing that she too is worthy of God’s love. The mystic lives a deeply spiritual life demonstrated by works both great and small.

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The Rescuer Archetype

In the self-help field the rescuer archetype has a fairly bad reputation for enabling others and fostering co-dependency. There is a hyper-focus on breaking the habit of rescuing others. We are encouraged to have more time and energy to be creative, and less stress and drama. However, the rescuer archetype has a light side that is a gift to humanity, and, if you balance this pattern well, to you too.

This is an archetype that is judged against and thrown out all too quickly. But, when there’s an emergency you expect her to be there no matter what. Ultimately, rescuers are taken for granted. It’s important to honor the rescuer archetype throughout the whole of your life, so that when you need her she’s refueled and at the ready.

In an Emergency You Need the Rescuer

If you have ever called for an ambulance for someone in distress you’ve experienced the relief of knowing that help is on the way. The alert paramedics that look you in the eyes and ask direct questions cut through the fear and panic. They provide a critical lifeline that saves the wounded person’s life and saves you from the trauma of utter helplessness.

If you have ever needed rescuing by a paramedic or rescue team, then you know the value of the rescuer archetype more keenly. When your life is torn apart by an accident, you don’t know what to do. You’ve lost total control. It is terrifying. To have a team of rescuers there that knows exactly what to do and in what order is the most amazing thing. They’ve trained for this moment over and over. They take over and take action. There is no hesitation. The moments they save in moving swiftly save lives.

I have been whisked away in an ambulance, rushed loved ones into the emergency room, and stood waiting for sirens at the scene of a head-on car collision. Every time, every time, I was beyond grateful to have trained medical staff on call that were immediately ready to help. That readiness, that preparedness and training is something we are lucky to have in our communities. Next time you have an opportunity, thank a fire fighter, an EMT, an ER doctor, a life guard, a ski patrolman, a coast guard member, search and rescue worker, veterinarian, or animal rescuer. If you are one of these people, thank you.

Don’t forget too how much we count on rescuers to save communities in the path of natural disasters.

Forgetting the Rescuer Archetype

The rescuer archetype performs flawlessly in a crisis and we see her gifts come out then, but in between emergency calls the rescuer archetype struggles. She holds everything together in the middle of a burning building, but once the fire is out, she can fall to pieces and be forgotten.

We don’t want to remember our vulnerability. We’d like to pretend we won’t need the rescuer archetype in our lives. Many people purposefully forget about rescuers because it is terrifying to think about being in that kind of trauma. It’s not personal, it’s archetypal.

The problem is that the rescuer archetype takes this indifference personally. She feels she’s not being properly recognized for what she does and gets hurt. The friend that stops calling once the divorce is final and she’s moved on doesn’t mean to be disrespectful. She simply associates you, her emotional rescuer, with the trauma of her marriage splitting in two and she needs a fresh start. The shadow rescuer can convince you that you are not valuable unless there’s a crisis. This can at the least make you bitter. At the worst, the shadow rescuer can go too far as to create a crisis so that she has sense of purpose.

For those of you that work in the rescue field, forgetfulness on behalf of the victim is natural. They’ll say thank you at the time, but often go home from the hospital and move on. That’s good. That means you did your job. However, that doesn’t mean you need to forget yourself. On your off hours it is critical to tend to self-care and ask for help yourself. This is one of the toughest aspects of the shadow rescuer. She isn’t so great at receiving help, but she’s human and we all need support from time to time.

Adrenaline Detox

Adrenaline is a real chemical that has lasting effects on our bodies. Rescuers experience more than their fair share of adrenaline rushes. They learn to excel at managing adrenaline, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t build up in their systems.

It is critical for those of you with the rescuer archetype to allow yourself time and space to do adrenaline detoxes. This may look like going on a detox diet, taking a vacation, seeing a therapist, or going on silent retreat. My horses have taught me a lot about releasing adrenaline through the breath and body. Horses blow out, yawn, shake all over, roll, blink their eyes, and lick and chew to move adrenaline out of their systems. Breath work and mindfulness practices can be key for releasing the charge of adrenaline.

The rescuer archetype can have us in a hyper-alert state, never coming down from adrenaline, always ready to jump in and help. It is important to learn how to turn off this hyper-vigilance before fatigue and breakdown inevitably come.

Emergency Preparedness

There is hyper-vigilance and there is vigilance. This is the difference between the shadow and light sides of the rescuer archetype. Vigilance has to do with being prepared.

Recently, my husband was really into a new Netflix show called The Horn about a Swiss Alps helicopter rescue team. I sat down to watch an episode with him and was quickly bored. The entire 45-minute episode was about all of the ways the team takes care of their equipment, prepares and eats meals together, and trains for emergencies. My husband swore that the other episodes about saving a man from a crevasse and lifting a skier with a broken leg to safety were much more engaging, but I learned something important.

In the downtime between crises, the rescuer archetype in the light knows how to use her time wisely. She takes care of herself by eating and resting plenty as well as getting good exercise. The rescuer archetype goes through her supplies and resources, making sure that everything is clean and in good working order. And, she trains over and over and over again so that when the real emergency comes, she doesn’t panic. She knows what to do. When the real emergency comes she is strong, refreshed and ready.

One of the key aspects of the rescuer archetype is to know that it is natural and healthy for the rescuer to be forgotten in between catastrophes, but to know the importance of never forgetting yourself.

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The Visionary Archetype

The visionary archetype appeals to a lot of people. She is mostly known for her positive qualities of great imagination, forethought, optimism, and creativity. To be a visionary means to be forward thinking and be ahead of everyone else. Some people believe that the visionary archetype indicates exceptional intelligence because of the capacity to envision what’s possible.

A person with the visionary archetype is traditionally seen as a natural leader in their field that other people admire. Visionaries inspire others to follow her. We typically hold a visionary above others because of her superior foresight. The great positive authority and power this archetype carries cause people to latch onto her label. Be careful to look for both the light and the shadow of this archetype in you. You’ll need to see both sides of it in you to be able to claim it as one of your tribe.

Living in the Future

When living in the future, captivated by our dreams, we cheat on the present moment. We spend too much time in daydreams about what is possible. We rob ourselves and those around us of precious energy and attention for what is going on in our lives right now. This can lead to serious fragmentation.

The visionary archetype is the most likely to wander off into the future and never come back. We easily overlook and underestimate the cruel and presumptuous shadow side of the visionary. Visionaries are so brilliant at seeing what is possible that they live in the dream and can tend to neglect the necessary steps to make the dream come true.

A person with the visionary archetype in the shadow leaves the “dirty work” of building the vision to others. She is off having fun in her vision while her inspired followers toil. This eventually leads to disgruntled workers who abandon the job. The shadow visionary can take this personally. As a result, she becomes resentful of the blind people who weren’t able to see what is possible. Her judgement comes out and she can be quite cruel in putting others down and asserting her superiority.

There is an arrogance in the shadow side of the visionary that leaves everyone else behind. She decides that what is here and now is not worthy of her attention. She sees herself as better than everyone else because she thinks bigger than they do.

Gift & Trap of Visionary Potential

The visionary archetype has an amazing gift for being able to see the potential in everything and everyone. When she meets someone she is likely to meet their potential first before seeing the actual person that stands in front of her. This can be a generous gift for someone to finally be “seen” for who and what they have the ability to be. To have someone believe in you for the very first time can be overwhelmingly intoxicating and inspiring. Strong visionaries are able to circumvent other people’s inner critics and show them who they have the potential to be. This is what makes them so inspiring.

You can see how this could also be a trap. The visionary’s image of you can keep you coming back for more and leave you codependent on the dream they offer. Soon you forget that the vision was of your potential, not theirs, and you are committed to their dream of you, not your own.

The visionary archetype can just as easily trap herself in dreams, locking them into place without considering that the future has countless opportunities. She can get so attached to one outcome that she can drive herself mad with anticipation and trying to make it happen. She can also find that she is constantly let down by other people when they don’t live up to the potential she saw in them. This is a huge part of the shadow visionary archetype.

Envisioning the Way

Part of the shadow of the visionary archetype is an inability to see the way to the future. She can become intensely frustrated with not having a roadmap for how to get there. Being able to feel, touch, taste and smell “there” makes it even more painful because she’s not there yet. This can cause her to spiral into depression, hopelessness and bitterness.

In the light aspect, the visionary archetype is able to work a vision bit by bit and find the patience to allow the vision of each small step to emerge. She can hold the final outcome loosely, allowing the picture to change over time and leaving room for necessary surprises. She understands that her visionary ability is fluid and that she is a co-creator, not driver, of the process. The visionary can realize the manifestation of great dreams over the course of decades or an entire lifetime. Some visionaries are able to stick to visions that aren’t accomplished in their lifetimes, but generations later. This is the cosmic, selfless potential of the visionary archetype. There is powerful dedication in here, if approached properly.

This is a key teaching for someone with the visionary archetype, to remember that she is collaborating with greater forces beyond her control. The gift of the power to influence the outcome is hers, but she cannot ensure it. This will help her loosen her grip and remember the present moment. In the light, the visionary archetype has a healthy awareness of the present moment and the importance of being in the now.

The Oracle Archetype

There is a good deal of crossover between the visionary archetype and the oracle archetype. In this day and age people call the oracle the “psychic”. The difference between the visionary and the oracle is that the oracle is able to accurately and reliably predict the future. The visionary works toward a vision of the future that may or may not happen. She believes she needs to make it come to pass and understands that she helped create the vision. The oracle typically sees the future as set in stone regardless of what we do. The vision comes to her without her intervention.

Someone with the oracle archetype may have precognitive dreams, waking visions or intuitive knowings. The shadow side of the oracle archetype involves misinterpreting the insight that comes and forgetting free will. She assumes that her vision is inevitable and slips into the arrogance of believing that she has the “right” answer. Ultimately, she is seeing one possible future of many. Her client has the choice of whether to engage with that image or another. Oracles can cast spells on clients with their overpowering conviction. They must wield their gift compassionately and softly to stay in the light of this archetype.

In the light aspect, the oracle is a channel for guidance and grace, giving lost souls helpful signposts and directions that can lead them out of the woods of suffering.

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The Explorer Archetype

The explorer archetype is an adventurer who is excited to be in new places and see new things. The person with this archetype is the one who climbs the mountain simply because it is there. He wants to go see it, check it out, and experience it. He’s up for whatever. The explorer is willing to try new things and take risks. There is always a new horizon. The person in the full expression of the explorer archetype has a bubbling enthusiasm for life.

Curiosity is a keynote of this archetype. It’s not the kind of intellectual inquisitiveness that leaves him sitting at a desk pondering. This is the kind of curiosity that drives the explorer out of his comfort zone to see what’s on the other side of the neighborhood, city, state, country and world.

The explorer is constantly wanting to know what else is out there. If there’s a fork in the trail to take, he always wants to go down both branches. He has a habit of wanting to go just beyond where everyone else decides to stop.

Roaming and Limits

Oftentimes, the explorer is out roaming new landscapes. He is at home in wide open spaces and in nature. This is the kind of person you can’t fence in. Regardless of if nature is or isn’t his thing, he’ll also explore cities, civilizations, cultures, lost cities, temples, museums, etc.

Ultimately, the explorer is exploring limits. He likes to push the limits of what people have done before and/or his own limits. In the extreme, this is the person that pours over record books and finds the forgotten summit or treacherous and untouched ascent of the mountain. He lusts after the thing that everyone says can’t be done.

In ordinary terms, this is the person that takes the side streets in new cities and pours over maps of new places. He likes to see what is in his environment and doesn’t worry about getting lost or sticking to a schedule.

Fear and the Explorer

This archetype generally doesn’t have to work to overcome fear. Fear doesn’t occur to him. In fact, encounters with fear are rare life changing events the explorer doesn’t expect. He is more comfortable with the unknown than the average person. It takes a brush with death to shake him to his core.

In the shadow, the explorer archetype indulges in escapism, running out whenever everyday life gets hard. He fears routine and becoming homebound. He grows bitter about the commitments that chain him to normalcy.

The shadow explorer archetype grows reckless in an attempt to burst through his numbness. He craves adrenaline to make him feel alive. He can fancy himself invincible. Without death breathing down his neck, the shadow explorer stops sensing the world around him. Conversely, when abruptly confronted with his own mortality, the explorer can freeze up and have a hard time shaking foreign nerves.

The Pioneer Archetype

The pioneer archetype is fascinated with novelty. He too likes to do new things, but it is less about the thrill of peril and more about an obsession with what is new.

Any archetype can be hard working, dedicated and tough, but these are a qualities that pioneers are known for. To have a pioneering spirit is to have “a willingness to endure hardship in order to explore new places or try out new things” (Collins Dictionary).

The pioneer archetype is not fond of patterns and routine. The disruption of the pioneer pushes us out on a ledge and out of our comfort zone.

The shadow of the pioneer is an irritable dissatisfaction in not being able to find a new idea. The shadow pioneer does something new for the sake of doing something new regardless of if it is needed. He also abandons what he has to find something new. In the extreme shadow, the pioneer the conquerer, He does not honor the people that have come before him. Instead he pillages and takes what he wants without asking, claiming he was the first to arrive.

The Frontiersman

There are two expressions of the pioneer, the frontiersman and the innovator. The frontiersmen fit the traditional template of the pioneer known for venturing into new territory. The easiest examples are the early European settlers of North America. The recent surge of TV shows such as The Last Alaskans and Alaska the Last Frontier, feature modern day pioneers. Astronauts are frontiersmen of space.

The frontiersman travels into remote territory and settles. Then everything he does there is new. Even though he has a home base he still has novelty. This is the first house built here, the first tree cut down, the first cattle raised, the first winter of human habitation, and so forth. He is the first person or a member of the first family to settle this land. The struggle to survive is a critical aspect of the frontiersman.

The Inventor

The inventor archetype, also known as the innovator, is a pioneer of new ideas. The inventor is fascinated by the power of imagination. The mystical law that thought becomes form is the law by which this pioneer lives. He prefers to start from nothing and create a marvel from thin air.

Like all pioneers, the inventor archetype ventures into a new field and settles there. Each inventor specializes in an area, bringing novelty to the field. His speciality is his home base. Think of Steve Jobs. His speciality was computer technology. He didn’t venture off into agriculture, medicine or some other field. He stayed put where he excelled and brought new idea after new idea into the territory he staked out.

Telling them Apart

There is a distinct difference between explorers like Lewis and Clark and the pioneers who settled the North American plains. Pioneers put down roots and innovate within that established territory or speciality. Explorers never grow roots in the first place. The pioneer and explorer archetype are very similar, and choosing one over the other may be a matter of choosing which speaks to you more deeply.

Exploring or Seeking?

The explorer archetype and seeker archetype are also closely related. The explorer is in pursuit of a thrill, a rush of adrenaline, that comes from taking risks in unknown environments. The seeker is in pursuit of answers to life’s unanswerable questions. The seeker quests for truth on a cosmic scale. The explorer endeavors to discover a clarity of experience that heightens his awareness of the here and now.

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