mother-archetype

The Mother Archetype

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Let’s get the first, most obvious question out of the way. Do you have to have biological or adopted human children to have the mother achetype?

The answer is absolutely, “No”. Both women and men can mother nieces and nephews, friend’s children, and adults who act like children. The mother archetype doesn’t require an actual child to nurture either. She can treat siblings, parents, friends, employees, and co-workers like children. She can mother her pets, her garden, and her land. Companies and organizations need plenty of mothering. Creative projects flourish under the nurturing influence of the mother archetype.

It is worth remembering that all of us have the child archetype. It is an archetype that every human being on the planet experiences. Thus, the mother archetype can nurture any inner child in any person in the world.

The Cosmology of the Mother Archetype

The mother archetype is a lot to live up to. And this is no mistake. It is archetypal. This pattern of high expectations comes with the territory. In the big picture, the mother archetype is the giver of life. She is the one who gave birth to the stars, the planets, the suns, the moons, and our world. She is the protector and nurturer of the life force of the cosmos. She has the capacity for the immense expression of unconditional love, devotion and caring.

The crux of the tension in the mother archetype is the pull between the mother’s needs versus her children’s needs. For some mothers this is not a question. Her mother instinct causes her to naturally put her children first. For other mothers it is a tougher decision. Regardless of the statistics, this is the overarching dialectic within the field of the mother archetype.

Dealing with Pressure in the Mother Figure

The mother archetype carries lot of pressure. Every person that is under the influence of the mother archetype pulls from a set number of recognizable strategies to manage the immense pressure of the job. It doesn’t matter if you wear the mother archetype naturally or you don’t have a mothering bone in your body. If you find yourself in the role of the mother, these characteristics of the mother archetype are ones you will negotiate in one form or another.

Strategy #1 – Hover – For some within the field of the mother archetype the first instinct is to watch the child like a hawk, so that everything goes perfectly for the child and he is always safe. In the extreme, this can be the overbearing mom who leaves nothing to chance. We know the downside of this pattern. But, the upside is that children of these mothers can grow up to be secure and confident children who are able to rely on and trust others.

Strategy #2 – Transfer – Another strategy is to transfer the pressure and expectations onto the child. This is the mom that projects her hopes and dreams onto her child. A transference pattern like this can lead to an abusive mother than is constantly criticizing and/or attacking her child for not being enough. Practiced lovingly, this strategy can manifest in the child that excels because she has someone that never stops believing in her.

Strategy #3 – Roam – Other moms figure the best bet may be just to shirk the pressure altogether and allow the children to roam free. These are the free-range kids that other parents look at and say, “where is his mom?” This strategy can spiral into the neglectful or abandoning mother who is not there when the child truly needs them. It can also result in the child who grows into a independent, responsible, highly functioning adult.

Strategy #4 – Befriend – Then there is the mother who looks to be the best friend. She channels the pressure of being a mom to construct an intense bond between herself and the child. If the child always likes her, then she knows she is doing a good job. If not, chaos ensues. A child of this type of mom can resent neediness or be an outgoing and loving adult who forms equal partnerships.

These are the few of the strategies to help you see the way the power of the mother archetype is channeled. The strategies are often used in combination.

Types of the Mother Archetype

There are a kaleidoscope of manifestations of the mother archetype. Just look at these lists of traditional and modern mother archetypes and you’ll see how each pulls you into an entire story, an entire world.

Traditional Mother Archetype Examples: Career (or Working) Mom, Mr. Mom, Homemaker, Virgin Mother, Birth Mom, Adopted Mom, Mother Figure, Neglectful/Abusive Mother, Mother Nature, Mother Bear.

Modern Mother Archetype Examples: Helicopter Mom, Free-Range Mom, Soccer Mom, Tiger Mom, PTA Mom, Hot Mess Mom, Perfectionist Mom, Hipster Mom, Best Friend Mom, Stage Mom.

Shadow of the Mother Archetype

Children have a way of seeing the shadow aspect of the mother figure regardless of how much she tries (and is) a good mother. This is the natural process of individuation. So, next time the person you are mothering starts to push back and complain about your poor qualities, don’t fret. It is not personal. Taking it personally can trigger some of the less savory aspects overbearing, dependent or abusive mother.

Know that this is all happening in its natural order. It is time for the fledglings to venture out of the nest. It is up to you to determine if the mother instinct is also leaving you. If not, another person, animal or project in need of a mother is close at hand.

Universal Power of the Mother

We all come under the influence of the mother archetype when we birth a project out into the world. Examples of projects we birth are books, businesses, new houses, works of art, room designs, engineering drawings, and so on. Creative projects don’t have to be artistic in nature, they just need to be something new in the world that wasn’t there before you brought it into form.

When looking at the pressure the mother archetype is under and the ways we seek to alleviate, transfer, control, escape, or channel that pressure, look at your creative projects. Are you able to balance all the influences and come into the true power of the mother archetype offering unconditional love and bottomless support? Are you able to draw on your mother instinct and know when it is time to let go? The mother archetype teaches us the perfect timing of when to move in and when to step back.

For more information about the protective aspect of the mother archetype see this article on the Mother Bear.

For further insight into the universal power of the mother archetype, watch this video!

 

 

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Nurturer archetypes class: mother archetype, companion archetype, servant archetype

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All three archetypes love to care for others and pour their energy into giving. They reach their full potential once they complete the journey through the self and into their unique form of service. The divine mother aligns with the cycles of life. The loyal companion softens the hardened heart. The humble servant embraces service to all.

 

rebel archetype

The Rebel Archetype

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The Rebel Archetype Pushes Back

Revolution is the first stage of transformation. The rebel archetype is the natural archetype to step in and help us break free of the mold. We all need at least a little bit of the rebel. Sometimes we need every ounce of rebel’s power pushing back against the tide of what we’ve made of our lives.

Do you just want out? Have you had enough and do you want it to end already?

The rebel archetype is an opposing force. She needs something to push against. Generally, this opposing force is called the “establishment” or “the man”. Specifically, when under the influence of the rebel archetype, we target workplaces, government institutions, bosses, or loved ones. The rebellion is personal.

Ultimately, the rebel archetype is looking to break out from underneath some controlling force in our lives. We like to put a face to the rebellion. It provides a point of focus. But, we risk tying ourselves down all over again. Resenting the controlling person or institution is a cage all its own. We become obsessed with proving them wrong. We want to smash their petty rules and expose the deception of their false promises. We will stop at nothing short of pure destruction. This pulls us from our center and binds us to an insatiable hunger for the man’s demise.

The need to fight back against an outside controlling force is a necessary first step. Initially, the revolution must be televised. It must be in the visible world and it must gain some momentum through notoriety. Wisdom comes in knowing when to stop lashing out at the man. We have to set down the torch and feel into our own darkness.

The real rebellion is against the expectations we’ve placed on ourselves. When is it time to stop pretending? How do we stop playing by the rules when the rules are playing us? Why does everyone else’s opinion matter?

When are you going to do what you want to do?

The Shadow of the Rebel Archetype

The rebel archetype in the shadow can be pretty darn selfish. From all things balance must flow. Often we are overcome by the rebel archetype when we have been kowtowing to other people’s desires for too long. It is time for the pendulum to swing the other direction. The time for selfishness has come. It is a natural flow, but that doesn’t absolve us from responsibility.

We have to be especially mindful with the rebel archetype that we don’t take this impulse as free license to wreck havoc on other people’s lives. If we aren’t careful, she’ll lay waste to entire landscapes without conscience. She feels completely validated in taking back what is hers at the expense of others.

Who Cares What I Do?

We often call rebellious teenagers irresponsible, but we aren’t willing to admit our own tendency towards irresponsibility. When considering the light aspect of the rebel archetype it is important to explore who, or more so what, you are responsible to. Some of the greatest rebels (Nelson Mandela, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malala Yousafzay, and so on) were and are responsible to a set of values. They upheld virtues such as compassion, tolerance, and non-violence. They believed in a higher ideal generated by the creative force of the universe.

When we are acting from the power of the rebel archetype, we don’t use what we feel responsible to, as an excuse to harm others. We use it as a reason to move forward. Our conscience is an on board, guiding force.

Heck with the Rules

The rebel can’t stand rules. One whiff of a rulebook in the room and she is slamming the door in your face. In addition, she doesn’t think much of structures either – and I’m not talking about buildings. Organizational charts, job descriptions, class outlines, and instruction booklets all drive her to shear insanity. Give up trying to reason with her at this point. No thing can tell her what to do or how to live her life.

We must be mindful that rules and structures have value. A mature rebel understands this. It is only when these things become dogmatic, when they suppress creativity, that they become troublesome. We can always count on the rebel to keep us safe from such danger.

We think we can’t rely on the rebel archetype, but we can. We can trust she’ll get us out of a bind. She’ll break us free from thinking that any rule, structure or person has authority over us. 

The Paradox of Needing to Belong

By her very nature, the rebel is an outcast. She has cast herself out of established norms. Speaking up may have resulted in her being tossed out of society or she may have walked out on her own.

We all have a need to belong and no rebellious urge can supersede that.

Have you noticed that rebels tend to ban together? It is paradoxical that the archetype that drives us to reject the group mind at the same time draws us to find others who think like we do. The riff raff, rag tag group of friends creates family where there was none for someone with the rebel archetype. An added bonus is that we can find pleasure in popularity among the freaks and weirdos. The fame we get from our opposition can be seductive. We start to pander to a new group.

And then the cycle begins all over again when the rebel archetype finds herself resenting the expectations of her misfit comrades. She becomes fed up with playing by their rules. She is disenfranchised with their silly games. Soon the rebel rebels from the rebellion. It is the cyclical trap of this archetypal pattern.

The way to break free from this cycle is to come back to the wisdom that the rebellion is an inner upheaval. When treated as such, this process can foster immense, accelerated and profound self-growth. Soon you’ll be breaking into new creative potential you never imagined existed and you don’t have to give up your friends in the process.

Documentaries and movies about rebels: He Named Me Malala, Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom, The Divergent Series, The Hunger Games, Star Wars… and the list goes on.

Additional rebel archetype examples are: the bad boy (girl), the maverick, the outcast, the outsider, the anarchist, the troublemaker, the nonconformist, the weirdo, the freak, the free spirit, the hippie, the punk, the cowboy.

 

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warrior archetype

The Warrior Archetype

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The warrior is a masculine archetype, but this does not mean that women can’t express the characteristics of a warrior. From what I’ve seen women are just as likely as men to fall under the influence of this pattern. The word warrior contains the word “war”, which is what this archetype is about. Conflict is the name of the game.

The Warrior Archetype in Battle

To exist the warrior needs a battle to fight. The first question you must ask yourself is, “Who your battles with?” Are you an actual soldier on the battlefield? Or is your war on the mental/emotional plane?  Have you considered the inner demons you are wrestling?

The gift of the warrior archetype is an outstanding amount of courage and composure. In the midst of the worst imaginable circumstances the warrior remains calm and rational. The masculine quality of action is embodied in the warrior. He has good instincts and is quick to respond.

When in your life have you tapped into a strength you didn’t know you had? This is the power of the warrior mentality. That sense of invincibility and resolve that nothing, nothing at all, can conquer you.

The Warrior’s Sixth Sense

Intuitive abilities are frequently seen as soft, feminine traits. The alternative healing field mostly attracts women who are looking to mend and caretake. Warrior energy is often shunned because it is seen as destructive and careless. When we release judgements, there is much we can learn from this powerful archetype.

First of all, we forget that intuition is spontaneous. On the battlefield, the warrior doesn’t have time to mull over a decision. The warrior that doubts himself dies. The faster he responds, the more likely he is to survive and prevail. Too often we give ourselves too much time to doubt our intuition. A worthwhile test of our intuitive abilities is to get in the middle of a fast paced situation and see how well we follow our instincts.

Stories and movies about the samurai warrior with the sixth sense (warrior archetype examples: Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon or the blind warrior ‘One Hundred Eyes’ in the Netflix series Marco Polo) show how the best warriors are those who trust their intuition. The empowered warrior can see the blow coming before anyone else. He can anticipate his opponent.

The best training for the warrior does not consist purely of endless rounds of mock combat. Hours of observation allow the warrior to learn how to open up beyond his body, listen with his whole being, and sense the world around him.

One of my favorite warrior archetype examples comes from the book Eldest by Christopher Paolini. The main character Eragon, a dragon rider and warrior in training, is instructed by his master to sit on a stump in the woods and do the following: “Open your mind and listen to the world around you, to the thoughts of every being in this glade, from the ants in the trees to the worms in the ground. Listen until you can hear them all and you can understand their purpose in nature. Listen, and when you hear no more, come tell me what you have learned.” Eragon is told later that he will master this training when he can, “watch one and know all.”

The Consumed Warrior

The warrior archetype lives for the battlefield. When not in the midst of all out warfare, this archetype is training to prepare for the next confrontation. The warrior mentality can be all consuming and obsessive in nature. An unbalanced warrior chooses conflict over diplomacy every time. In the shadow, the warrior archetype creates conflict where there is none.

We often think of the warrior archetype in extremes. And he does seem to swing from composure to rage quite easily. Part of the healing challenge of this archetype is learning to manage emotions and find a healthy outlet for them. Societal norms asking us to be courteous and kind suppress the inner warrior. Regardless of your gender, this bottling up of anger without any training on how to channel it causes the unexpected eruption of violence that is becoming all too common in our world.

The suppressed and undisciplined warrior becomes the heartless barbarian. The violence is directed both outward and inward. The aggression does not need to be physical. It is just as likely to be in words that perpetuate shame and criticism. The shadow warrior is numb to pain, his own and that of others. He slays and injures without remorse. The sanctity of life is lost on him.

The Enlightened Warrior

Take note as to whether you view the warrior as good or bad. Remember that each archetype has a light and a shadow side. In working with the warrior, this knowledge is one of your most powerful weapons.

The word courage comes from the Latin word “Cor” which means heart. To this day we still say that people have heart. That is to say they have inner strength. The intense fortitude of the warrior can help us through seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The hero archetype and the warrior have courage in common. The hero has the hero’s journey of many different settings and trials including battles, hardships, and riddles. The warrior lives on the battlefield.

The sense of invincibility of the warrior can lead to an inflated ego, but the true gift and power of this archetype is the ability to release selfish ends and conquer malevolent forces. The enlightened warrior knows that the true enemy is the enemy within. The power to face and triumph over one’s inner demons is the gift of the warrior. So too is a deep appreciation for the sanctity of all life.

The spiritual warrior drinks in the gift of life and cultivates this appreciation in others. He reconciles with the warring nature of humans by cultivating compassion in peacetime. He defends the innocent and is a champion for good.

There are many manifestations of the warrior archetype including but not limited to: soldier, samurai, ninja, gunslinger, guardian, sell sword, militant, barbarian, mercenary, Amazon woman, and musketeer.

 

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caregiver archetype

The Caregiver Archetype

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One of Carl Jung’s primary archetypes, the caregiver archetype is the same as the servant archetype. Many people lump a whole host of archetypes under the umbrella of the caregiver which can confuse our understanding of this fundamental archetypal pattern.

Selfless Service of the Caregiver Archetype

The main attribute that characterizes the caregiver archetype is a desire to serve others and to forget oneself in doing so. The path of the caregiver archetype is the same selfless action that Lord Krishna and the Buddha teach about. Also known as charity, this altruistic service is a key component of the spiritual path. Many spiritual seekers endeavor to befriend the caregiver archetype and hold her in high esteem.

For those of your born with the caregiver, this archetype can seem more like a curse than a blessing. A natural, automatic tendency for taking care of others can be exhausting. Burn out that causes a complete system collapse is a reality when you are ruled by the caregiver archetype.

The Caregiver Requires Service to the Self

The healing path of the caregiver archetype involves discovering ways to prioritize taking care of yourself. The caregiver may compulsively give of herself until she runs out of gas. A caregiver bereft of energy finds she resents the exact people she’s tried to help. Burn out also erodes at the reliability of the caregiver. She’s always there until one day she’s not. Her beneficiaries then resent her for leaving them high and dry.

The most extreme form of burn out for the caregiver archetype is called “compassion fatigue.” People suffering from secondary traumatic stress experience an overwhelming sense of hopelessness and harmful negativity. Compassion fatigue leads to addictive and compulsive behaviors as well as general meanness and aggression towards others. Too much caregiving results in a person who starts harming herself and others either through her words or actions. Anyone who’s worked in a non-profit focused on helping humans or animals in need is familiar with these consequences.

Here is a link to a list of behaviors representative of compassion fatigue:
http://compassionfatigue.org/symptoms.html
If you suspect you are suffering from this condition, now is the time to act and make some major life changes.

Within the caregiver archetype is a basic lesson about the law of conservation of energy. Nothing is created or destroyed. When the caregiver pulls from her own essence to take care of others, she has a limited pool of resources. This energy bank must be replenished.

The caregiver archetype in the light aspect knows how to set time aside for self care. Balance is a cornerstone of this archetype.

Holy caregivers have learned through intense prayer, meditation and contemplation how to draw from the sacred well in service to others. They fall into a completely different category. Think Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Be sure not to fool yourself into thinking you are pulling from this well. It is better to assume for now that you have a limited reserve and routinely take care of yourself. When the time comes for grace to fuel your service, you’ll be guided appropriately. And, in the end, you still need to eat, sleep and breathe.

A further resource for dealing with compassion fatigue is this article on “Why Caregivers Need Self-Compassion” from Dr. Kristin Neff: https://self-compassion.org/why-caregivers-need-self-compassion/

Humility of the Servant Archetype

The caregiver archetype and servant archetype are closely related if not interchangeable. If I had to tell the difference between the two, I would point out that the servant is more often associated with a lower social class. The servant archetype is also the expression more likely to involve being paid for one’s services.

Many people shun the servant archetype and jobs in the service industry because these jobs can be humiliating. I know from experience as a waitress, florist, and grocer that it is easy to go unseen. I’m not sure which is a worse feeling – being invisible or being ordered around by strangers. Those encounters were humbling, if not frustrating, and have helped me endeavor to say “thank you”, look someone in the eye, smile, and give generous tips when I’m being served.

The servant archetype is a master of humility, able to show up for whatever is needed without worrying what she looks like.

Caregiver Archetype Examples

We’ve been reintroduced to the caregiver/servant archetype through the PBS Masterpiece series Downton Abbey. Many have fallen in love with the servants in this show. If you are looking to know more about the light aspect of the servant and caregiver archetypes follow Mr. Carson’s lifelong loyalty or Mrs. Patmore’s tireless toiling. Mr. Barrow’s scheming to gain status and Daisy’s frustration with how the servants are treated teach plenty about the shadow of this archetype.

The Shadow of the Caregiver

Those suffering under the burden of the caregiver archetype will complain of being held back by a lack of money, connections or status. On the other hand, scarcity can be used as an excuse for a lack of ambition. This archetype swings into selfishness when the wick runs low. This breeds martyrdom but is not be confused with the martyr archetype. The traps of codependency, an over-bearing nature and excessive worry are found in the pattern of the caregiver. Some with the caregiver archetype carry a fear of being seen as selfish. The shadow caregiver is more concerned about her reputation than her works. Caregiving can provide an escape to avoid difficulties in life. An example is the cancer diagnosis that leads to a headlong plunge into taking care of others.

The Gifts of the Caregiver

I’ve touched on many of these already, but the gifts are worth repeating. Humility is the primary gift of this archetype. The humble person is immune to ridicule and the more insidious snare of caring what other people think. Humility begets gratitude and shuns craving. Other gifts include loyalty, reliability, balance, and compassion. Both compassion and self-compassion are skills the caregiver archetype in the light aspect posses. Kindness and generosity are attributes we gather from exchanges with the caregiver. So many of the virtues of a holy person are contained within the caregiver.

Many people say the caregiver has a hard time making rational decisions and that she comes from emotional response. In the business world the caregiver archetype is pitched as a great helper, but poor decision-maker. This is a two-dimensional portrayal. An empowered caregiver is intimate with how much energy is needed for an action as well as how much the action is needed. In the light aspect, the caregiver can make some of the most balanced, level-headed decisions there are.

 

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All three archetypes love to care for others and pour their energy into giving. They reach their full potential once they complete the journey through the self and into their unique form of service. The divine mother aligns with the cycles of life. The loyal companion softens the hardened heart. The humble servant embraces service to all.

 

the trickster archetype

The Trickster Archetype

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Daredevil skateboarders, snowboarders, BMX bikers, skiers, and motocross riders have an ever increasing dictionary of tricks. They are our modern day trick-sters, doing what defies logic and seems impossible while having a good time. An avid snowboarder for many years, I could never fathom what a rodeo flip was, let alone how to do it, but it didn’t matter, I still admired the beauty and grace of my trickster friends. These amazing tricks are a simple demonstration of how the trickster archetype stretches the bounds of what we think is possible.

Blaming the Trickster

Like the counter-culture members of modern-day youth, the trickster archetype is often viewed as a mischievous outsider. The trickster is interested in breaking through convention, undoing structures and over-stepping bounds.

Most people think of the trickster as a misfit that causes trouble. Many distrust the trickster.

The trickster archetype is blamed for our computer crashing in the middle of completing a lengthy tax form, our pipes breaking and flooding the basement during a dinner party, or an overdue loan payment getting lost in the mail. We often don’t see the trick coming, it comes at the seemingly worst possible time, our plans are defeated, and our life as we know it is ruined.

In viewing the trickster from this one-sided perspective, we leave ourselves subject to the whims of this energy. We feel powerless and helpless. We pass off blame. The best we can do is throw up our hands and hope life gets back to normal soon.

Paradox of the Trickster Archetype

When asking, “what is a trickster?” a key piece to realize is that the trickster is known for duplicity, landing us in situations that are both a blessing and a curse. This propensity for paradox is signature of the trickster archetype.

The Greek God Hermes

The trickster archetype has taken many forms throughout history, and the greek god Hermes is one that most embodies the paradox in this archetype. Only hours after Hermes’s birth, he made off with a handful of the god Apollo’s oxen. Initially, Hermes denied ever stealing them, but soon enough took Apollo to the cave where they were hidden. Apollo couldn’t stay angry with Hermes for long because he was charmed by the sound of the lyre instrument that Hermes had just created.

This story shows that the trickster archetype can be both charming and frustrating. We want to stay mad when the trickster wrecks havoc in our lives but we soon throw up our hands and find laughter. Usually the act of the trickster is so preposterous that we can’t believe it. A newborn baby stealing oxen and inventing a musical instrument is about as absurd as it gets. There’s nothing left to do but laugh in exasperation.

Hermes was known for being both the inventor of sacrifices and protector of sacrificial animals. He was the god of commerce and was a thief. He was heralded as a peacemaker and committed fraud. He was a great container for paradox.

The Roman God Mercury

The greek god Hermes was known to the Romans as Mercury. Today, astrologers call the planet Mercury the trickster. When the planet Mercury goes into retrograde (moves backward in relation to the earth), astrologers warn us to be on the lookout for the trickster. The element mercury itself is paradoxical, and as Carl Jung points out, Mercury “is metallic yet liquid, matter yet spirit, cold yet fiery, poison yet healing draught—a symbol uniting all opposites.”

Blessings of the Trickster

For some, the trickster is a constant presence. For others, he merely comes to visit on occasion.  However often he drops in, the trickster’s influence is typically unwelcome.

Many people believe that the best way to thwart the trickster is to become more conscious, mapping our patterns and befriending our shadows. This comes from knowing that the trickster is incredibly good at finding what is hidden, unveiling our greatest insecurities and fears.

In this protective stance against this multi-faceted archetype, we miss key blessings of the trickster archetype:

  • The trickster manifests what we wish for but are too afraid or meek to actualize. Whether it is changing careers or investing more time in a relationship. The trickster breaks what we no longer want and makes room for the new. The trickster makes the time and space for what we’ve secretly been craving.
  • The trickster knows what is best for our soul and cares little what is best for our reputation and pride. Staying home to dry vac a flooded house may be just what’s needed to unwrap us from the constant need to achieve and produce and impress.
  • The trickster is our natural “eject” button that pulls out of a crash course leading us precisely to a life devoid of soul. Even though the trickster’s tricks feel like a crash landing, the trick is a rescue mission bringing us out of our ego and into our soul. Anyone who values humility should befriend this archetype.
  • A trickster experience brings disappointment and elation. The trickster archetype teaches us the divine truth that everything contains its opposite. When we stop trying to frame experiences as either good or bad, we come closer to the sacred.
  • Fun, welcome, liberating and happy accidents are also the craftsmanship of trickster. Remember to keep an eye out for the faux-pas that delight and inspire. Give thanks to the trickster.

The Divine Trickster

Above all, rather than fear, revere the trickster. The trickster archetype has appeared as Gods, Goddesses, spirit animals, demigods, guardian angels, and helping spirits. He has played pivotal roles in creation myths and helped shape countless life forms. The trickster acts as a divine messenger bringing us much needed guidance when we are most blind to our own need. Leading us to cosmic truths, the trickster helps us transcend into the infinite. One of the most common forms the Divine takes to intervene and save us from ourselves, the trickster is a sacred instrument.

Confused with Tricksters

There are a number of archetypes that are confused with the trickster archetype, among those are the fool, magician, and shapeshifter. The fool makes jokes to alleviate tension within conventional structures whereas the trickster is set on breaking free of the structures.The fool often wants people to like his jokes. The trickster is not trying to make friends. The trickster could care less if we think he’s funny or not. The magician archetype and the shapeshifter archetype are caught up with creating illusions. The trickster exposes illusion.

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seeker archetype

The Seeker Archetype

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It is no surprise that the seeker archetype is one of the most difficult to define. Pinning down this roving icon becomes more complicated the longer you spend following her this way and that. She’s like the seed of a dandelion cast on the wind.

The Lost Seeker Archetype

When she starts out, the seeker archetype continually wanders to find something undefined. The unevolved, shadow seeker isn’t sure what she is seeking. She knows that she is after something, but committing to what that something is can prove tricky. This results in her feeling like something is lost. That something may be her. She becomes the consummate lost soul.

Typically the seeker is certain that the search has something to do with learning about the way life, the world, and maybe even the cosmos. She may refuse to get more specific than that for fear of pigeonholing her quest. The seeker realizes that by framing the question, she is already determining the answer.

This ambiguity does not water down the confidence of the people influenced by the seeker. The seeker carries at her core an intense inner drive to continue on regardless. This is part of the gift of this archetype.

The Seeker’s Quest for Answers

The seeker has a habit of asking unanswerable questions and not allowing them to rest. The seeker wants to know why life is the way it is not just for humans, but often for the entire universe. The questions that the seeker asks are not necessarily questions that can be answered such as “Why are we here?” and “How did life begin?” and “What other life is out there?”

Just because we can’t answer these questions, doesn’t mean they are is not worth seeking after. These inquiries bring a deep sense of meaning for all of humanity, calling us to something greater than ourselves and bringing us out of our day-to-day existence. The seeker archetype serves us all in this way.

Asking about the meaning of life brings meaning via the search. This is the classic, “the journey is the destination.”

Astronomers as seekers use highly evolved telescopes to look and listen far out into the universe. They are trying to find out, “Is there more life out there?” Think of how many astronomers looked for many decades and died without ever coming to the answer. That doesn’t mean that their search was fruitless. They gained so much along the way – wonder, immersion, discovery, bliss, anticipation, and more.

Literal to Symbolic Search for Truth

The seeker often starts out her journey expecting to find truth and answers some where; that is to say in some physical location. She moves about the earthly plane hoping truth will be found under a rock, in the heart of a city, swept up in romance, bowing at the feet of a guru, following the road to a holy site, gazing at a wonder of the world, or laying in a field of sunflowers. The truth she seeks is personal truth.

The maturation of those with the seeker archetype brings the realization that the search is not an outward search. The ends of the earth can be reached. The seeker turns inward to travel beyond the senses and beyond this world. She finds a limitless terrain vast enough to match her enormous questions.

As she evolves, the seeker archetype looks for a thing, a feeling, a knowing, an experience called truth. This is not truth with a lowercase t mind you, but Truth with a capital T. She goes beyond personal truth to universal Truth. Concrete physical facts or data that satisfy scientists and engineers are a bore for the seeker. She is different than the student archetype in that she doesn’t like a syllabus and a course schedule.

The answers she seeks leave concern for tangible things. The seeker wants to know what she cannot touch with the five senses, and this desire ultimately leads her beyond this earthly plane.

The Wanderer Archetype

One of the variations of the seeker archetype is the wanderer. The wanderer archetype has less fire for an outcome than the seeker. She is lulled into a quiet, comfort that comes via endless travel be it outward or inward travel. The wanderer is more comfortable with uncertainty than certainty, which is both a blessing and a curse. The wanderer can abandon loved ones and commitments. She forgets the important truth that connection and community bring wisdom too.

The comfort with uncertainty helps those with the wanderer archetype to practice the spiritual grace of detachment, embracing the present moment. As long as the wanderer stays intent on not being attached to being detached, gifts of the now flow freely.

The Seeker’s Light & Shadow

Suffering comes when the shadow seeker longs to be like everyone else, wishing she could be content with the simple, stationary life. This is not an archetype meant for putting down roots, although friends and community may be exactly what the seeker needs to keep from becoming a lost soul.

The shadow side of the seeker is also someone who doesn’t let go of the answer she expects. If she sets out to find a treasure chest full of gold and instead finds self-love, she misses the opportunity. When she thinks the answer is “out there” and refuses to return home, she misses the cosmic Truth that what she is searching for was under her feet the whole time. She keeps trying to find the person she thinks she should be instead of who the journey has made her into. 

The light aspect of the seeker archetype is the brilliant opening up to the universe. An expansion occurs for all of humanity when just one person begins to question. This creates a ripple, then a storm of cosmic Truth that helps the whole wake up.

Detachment and openness are the light side of the seeker. The seeker brings solace in the aloneness that sometimes comes along the path. The tie to something larger than herself brings faith and courage to the seeker archetype.

Seeker archetype examples in movies: The Way; Contact; Close Encounters of the Third Kind; Seven Years in Tibet. 

Seeker archetype in books: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, The Conference of the Birds by Attar, Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

 

Explore your relationship with the
seeker archetype…

the learners class

The “Learner Archetypes” Online Class

In this four-part audio course, “The Learners,” Stacey Couch goes in-depth into the student, dilettante, and seeker archetypes. These archetypes share a perpetual love of learning, driven to know about the nature of life. The student converts experience into knowledge and wise action. The dilettante turns information overload into the grace of awe. The seeker transforms ambiguous questions into universal truth.

 

 

archetypal hero archetype

The Hero Archetype

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The hero archetype is one of the most recognizable archetypes in literature, film, television and video games. It seems that any compelling story has a hero of some flavor that is easy to name.

Here are twenty real-life and fictional hero archetype examples: Superman, King Arthur, Joan of Arc, Luke Skywalker, Rocky, Hercules, Spiderman, Harry Potter, Wonder Woman, Wolverine, Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games), Neo (The Matrix), Rosa Parks, Frodo, Daniel LaRusso (Karate Kid), William Wallace (Braveheart), Dorothy Gale (Wizard of Oz), Moses, Robin Hood, Amelia Earhart. Please note that this random smattering is no indication of value, ranking or merit of each example. I’m merely trying to touch on someone you recognize.

Do you know what makes these people and characters heroes or heroines? To make the hero an archetype, we must be able to identify universal patterns of behavior and story, which we can!

The Archetypal Hero’s Remarkable Birth

The hero archetype by definition has unusual circumstances surrounding his/her birth. Immaculate conception, birth from the foam of the sea or the blood clot of a buffalo, or emergence from the mother’s heart are examples of the mysterious stories surrounding the hero’s birth. Often the hero is born under a prophesy of the coming of the savior. The hero or heroine may also be born into an opulent or privileged family or be of esteemed ancestry, but they may not know it.

If you are considering if you have the hero archetype, how do you reconcile this piece of a hero’s mythology with your own history? If your family tells wild tales of the storm that raged the night you were born or the colossal labor your mother went through to have you, this can be considered a remarkable birth.

If everyone is counting on you to be the first college graduate, lawyer or doctor of the family, this can be a reflection of the idea of you as the savior. If you feel you were born to greatness, but can’t find the reason for this, you may very well have the hero archetype as part of your make-up. Remember, if the hero is one of your natal archetypes, the legends surrounding the archetypal hero should relate to your life symbolically.

The Estranged or Abandoned Hero

In the stories, the hero archetype may be estranged from his family at birth as in the story of Moses or he may lose his family in an accident like Luke Skywalker. The heroine may deliberately leave her family out of distaste for their values or out of necessity. If you’ve “left home” no matter what the age, this could be connected to the archetypal hero patterning.

The hero archetype and abandoned child archetype have a lot in common, so if this is the only part of the hero you identify with, look instead to the abandoned child. It is possible, however, to have both archetypes.

The archetypal hero typically has a strained, or even shattered, relationship with his or her father. The journey or quest he or she embarks on often helps the hero or heroine reconcile or heal from this wounding.

The Hero’s Journey

I speak at length about the stages and process of the hero’s journey in a three-part series of articles. When considering if the hero archetype as one of your own archetypes, be sure to familiarize yourself with the stages of the hero’s journey and relate those back to the seemingly insurmountable quests you’ve endeavored to accomplish in your life. I will touch on a few key aspects below, but for more in depth information…

Read The Shamanic Journey & The Hero’s Journey Series

Supernatural Guide for the Hero

At the beginning of the hero’s journey, he or she encounters a supernatural guide. Merlin helped Arthur, Obi-Wan tutored Luke Skywalker, and the Good Witch of the West advised Dorothy. I pull this important piece out of the hero’s journey because it is a key element to search for in your personal history when considering the hero archetype for yourself.

Have you had the assistance of one or more gifted teachers, gurus, or guides of this world or another? Has a loved one come from the other side to visit in a dream and show you the way? Has someone with uncanny wisdom been there at just the right time? You don’t have to know an actual witch or a wizard to have the hero archetype, but you do have to know what it’s like to get help that is supernatural from an especially gifted mentor.

The Archetypal Hero’s Special Weapon

Very often the hero or heroine receives a special weapon that only he or she can wield. The weapon is a symbol, a metaphor, for a unique talent or gift. If you feel like you are especially gifted at one thing or another and that you can use it to overcome great adversity on behalf of others, you may well be in the realm of the hero. Aphrodite’s special weapon was her beauty. She disarmed many with it. Whereas, Athena had the weapon of great strategic ability, continually outsmarting her adversaries. Beatrice Prior in Divergent has the ability to be many personalities at once which eventually breaks the oppressive social caste system she lives in.

The “Hero Complex”

When acting within the archetypal hero, we are at risk of falling into the shadow known as the “hero complex”. The larger than life mythology of the hero can lead those with the hero archetype to become self-involved and over-inflated. Someone with a hero complex will unconsciously create crises so that he has an opportunity to swoop in and be the hero. The hero archetype compels us to act as a lone ranger, refuse help, and ignore the benefits of teamwork. When out of balance, the selfless nature of the hero can also cause us to overdo the need to triumph at the cost of our own health and wellbeing

Light Aspects of the Hero Archetype

The hero puts the needs of others, whether it is one person or many, before his or her own needs. For the good of others, the hero archetype may submit him or herself to extreme physical danger or crippling emotional trauma showing an admirable selflessness. The hero displays unwavering bravery in situations where most people wouldn’t. His or her moral integrity is proven out in the end even if the hero’s honor was in question at the beginning of the adventure. The hero’s actions and character in the face of great adversity inspire others to rise above their own trials.

 

Want to know what archetypes are yours?
Schedule an Archetypal Consulting Session
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healing the inner child archetype

The Child Archetype

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archAll of us have the child archetype. We all experience her literally in our childhood and carry her within as the inner child that likes to play. This archetypal pattern is a fundamental part of human nature, a template for us all. The lessons we gain from struggles with the child archetype are what bring us into our divine nature, and our authentic selves.

The Inner Child & The Child Archetype

Any modern day discussion of the child archetype likely must start with our understanding of the inner child. The concept of the inner child emerged in psychology, counseling and healing therapy in the 1960’s and came quickly into popularity in a wide variety of professional and communal contexts over the next thirty years. The inner child is basically understood as the component of our psyche that contains what we learned and experienced as children.

Work with the inner child endeavors to uncover unmet desires and needs from childhood as well as immature, shadow patterns that drive detrimental behavior in adults. Depending on the therapist and the client, the inner child can be seen as an aspect of self that needs healing and care and/or an aspect of self that must be parented, mended, and raised up.

The child archetype is different in that it is not purely an aspect of the mental psyche. It is an element of soul. The child archetype is timeless and although aspects of our childhood affect the perspective of our child archetype. It is not set in the past. The child archetype  is with us in the here and now, a part of our soul that requires we engage with questions of both innocence and maturity.

Healing the Inner Child

The concept of the inner child is commonly linked with ideas of healing. Many people who have had traumatic childhoods benefit from a process of healing the inner child. Engaging compassion and understanding for the part of themselves that suffered helps patients open up and allow light to shine on memories that may have been hidden away for years. This is beautiful and transformative work that applies to one aspect of the child archetype, the wounded child.

Many people do not have the wounded child archetype, although, so seeing the child archetype in the context of the inner child is too limiting. The child archetype is not composed merely of trauma and memories. The child archetype has many current day motivations and desires that serve people of all ages.

The Motivation of the Child Archetype

First and foremost, the child archetype is concerned with the tension between independence and dependence. Individuation and the need to belong are constant draws for the child archetype within us all. When considering your own child archetype, ask yourself how do you manage the balance between these two extremes? Do you bounce from independence to over dependence? Would you rather not be too dependent on anyone? Do you take on too much responsibility or try to have as few strings attached as possible?

There is no right answer here, just an opportunity to enter into a candid conversation with your own child archetype to start to see how the archetype operates in you.

Understanding your relationship to and feelings about responsibility, will help you understand more about your child archetype. Who do you feel responsible for? I am responsible for my two cats and two horses. They depend on me. Who is responsible for you? Some of you will be able to say “no one”, but many others will have a spouse that is responsible for helping you remember to pay the bills or a parent who is still responsible for reminding you of your sibling’s birthdays. Oftentimes, our supervisors at work are responsible for us whether we want them to be or not. You may feel your doctor is responsible for your health.

Also exploring how involved you are in your family or community will show more about your child archetype. Going with the flow of the group or standing up for yourself are key challenges for the child archetype.

The Art of Presence & Play

The child archetype symbolizes innocence, playfulness, wonder and awe. Nothing helps us better come into the moment and learn the great skill of presence that spiritual masters discuss than the child archetype. Being present is nothing more than detachment from the past or the future and absolute absorption in the moment.

Think of a child at play. Nothing exists but what they are doing at that exact moment. Spiritual seekers spend their entire lives trying to seriously recapture this gift. Enlightenment is mistaken for maturity, but the great teachers tell us that we must embrace innocence and playfulness to find God.

The child archetype is not merely a side of us that needs attention, but a gifted, powerful force within that can help us grasp some of the most profound of life experiences. The child archetype is ever present in the world around us and in the One. Why else would animals play? It is an essential aspect of living, a way to shirk the fears and troubles of the world and for a moment at least come into communion with all that is beautiful.

If you find yourself struggling with how to become present, stop studying, stop trying, just stop with the effort. Take a break. Invite the child archetype in to show you how to play. Play has no obvious purpose, isn’t on a timeline, and draws us in. Find what you like to do, forget what time it is, and put the to-do list away.

The Different Child Archetypes

There are many variations of the child archetype, and we experience different ones to different degrees. Two or three loom large over the course of our entire lifetime, while others come and go. Some names for different child archetypes are the Adult Child, Divine Child, Eternal Child, Golden Child, Invisible Child, Magical Child, Nature Child, Orphan Child, Scapegoat Child, and Wounded Child.

The light and shadow expression of each of these child archetypes is quite different and we may see nuances of more than one of these child archetypes acting in our lives. it is helpful to single out just one that has a primary influence and dig deeper into her patterns.

 

 

 

class child archetype freeing imagination

Listen to Online Class
“The Child: Freeing Your Imagination”

– Determine which child archetype patterns are yours
– Balance the paradoxical sides of the child such as innocence and maturity
– Intentionally incorporate play in your life
– Find your imagination as a faculty of your soul

 

The Victim Archetype

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When I originally taught archetypes in a prescribed system, I had to use the name “victim”, which I always disliked. That name is a label used to judge ourselves and others. It is a weapon rather than a tool for exploration.

By calling someone a victim we further victimize them. When we identify as a victim we  disempower ourselves. The word “victim” immediately directs us to the shadow of this archetypal pattern, and what I saw over the years is that people get stuck in the shadow then. It is hard to see anything good about the archetypal pattern when calling it by the name “victim”. The challenges of powerlessness, pain, and trauma take center stage. The gifts of this archetypal pattern that help us not only survive but thrive are lost.

In addition, when we label someone as “playing the victim” or experience that label ourselves, we shut down to connection. This is in direct contrast to the gifts of compassion this archetypal pattern possesses.

This archetype is better known as the “survivor”. This name encompasses all the patterns of this archetype:

  • Experiences of victimization
  • The confidence needed to heal from attacks
  • The compassion for other victims that results from understanding suffering

All of us benefit from the strength of the survivor archetype that courageously carries us to the other shore. This archetypal pattern is a fundamental part of human nature. Using the term “survivor archetype” also helps us shift out of playing the victim and towards healing. As our experience with the survivor increases and we learn how to leverage its gifts, we come further into our authentic selves. Our compassion grows.

Archetypal patterns can’t be changed. And, they can go by different names and descriptions. Our understanding of them increases. There’s always room for rewrites.

GO HERE to read my full article about the SURVIVOR ARCHETYPE

 

 

The Saboteur Archetype

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All of us have experience with the saboteur archetype. We all experience her literally in the daily decisions we have to make and carry her within as our active free will. This archetypal pattern is a fundamental part of human nature. The lessons we gain from struggles with the saboteur archetype are what bring us into our divine nature, and our authentic selves.

To Deliberately Destroy

The definition of sabotage is to “deliberately destroy, damage or obstruct something, especially for political or military advantage.” A saboteur is someone who conducts sabotage. Now, how could that help our survival? In more ways than you can imagine!

Inherent in the force of destruction is change, and this is the gift of the saboteur. Each archetype has a light and a shadow side, bringing gifts or trouble. When we become conscious of how the archetype operates and learn the potential inherent in the archetype, we have the option to tap into great power.

The light side of the saboteur archetype also helps us deliberately strengthen, build and support the lasting change we want to create in our lives. By making key empowering choices, the saboteur archetype can help us rise to new levels of who we are meant to be and what we are meant to do in this lifetime.

Just think of one time in your life when you made a big choice to change something in your life for the better and stuck to it. That’s the saboteur archetype working in the light! We so often focus on how the saboteur drives our poor choices, but the saboteur directs the fruitful one choices too when she’s in the light.

The One Who Drives Change

The saboteur is the archetype in us that drives us to change. When we resist an intentional change, the saboteur will cause upheaval covertly. Ever wonder why you have those days when you just can’t seem to walk without falling on your face? That is the saboteur. A grease stained shirt, broken dish, and missed appointment all carry the signature of the saboteur. We know what it looks like and we get frustrated by it.

However, we don’t realize that the positive changes we instigate are also the jurisdiction of the saboteur. When we choose to allow plenty of time to dress and prepare for an important meeting we are embracing the saboteur. When we decide we’ve had enough of the old, ineffective way of doing things and we’re ready for a big change, that is the saboteur.

Like anything, this all happens along a spectrum, just as a refusal to change can be the shadow of the saboteur, so too can be the over infatuation with change. We all know that someone who changes things just to change them destroys progress before it’s even begun. An important aspect of learning to work with the saboteur archetype is to be present with the change we are making. It is not about the change itself, but our active participation in choosing the course of change.

Making Better Choices

When we gather a fierce determination to make better choices, we are acting in the light aspect of the saboteur. This is the part of ourselves that makes solid, far-reaching, and forward-thinking choices. The saboteur archetype is in close connection with the  law of cause and effect and understands deeply the impact of our choices. This can be a position of immense empowerment or incredible debilitation. Like the woman in the photo above, all the options and ramifications of our choices can really bring us down.

In calling on the wisdom of the saboteur, we can make our way through the mire and find a solution. The ability to make an informed decision that relies on our faculties of intuition and foresight is a gift of the saboteur.

Fear of Power

The saboteur is that part of us that knows deep down inside that we can attain greatness. And we are deathly afraid of this happening. We think we aren’t afraid, but we are. Simply imagining that we had all the money and all the time in the world sends us into a tailspin of questioning. We wonder… How would I make a difference? What would people think of me? How would I make sure I’m making the biggest impact? Should I stop world hunger or prevent the spread of disease? Would I do the right thing?

[ct_focus background=”#f3f3f3″ gradient=”eeeeee” color=”light” style=”normal” ]”Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” – Marianne Williamson[/ct_focus]

Dare to Dream

The saboteur archetype is motivated to achieve success. In the definition of sabotage we saw that the destruction is for a “military or political advantage”. Both military and politics are directly related to power. The saboteur in the light is where a personal advantage, personal power, comes in. The saboteur empowers us to live the life of our dreams. Without the help of this archetype, we would never have the courage to make choices that lead to achieving our full potential.

We are fascinated by movies that feature the rise of an unrealized genius because we love to see how choices unlock greatness. Good Will Hunting, The Pursuit of Happiness, and Proof are all key examples of the triumph of the saboteur. The protagonist is ultimately faced with the realization of his or her success and must destroy the fear and resistance that blocks the way using the strength of the saboteur archetype in the light.