Archetypes – The Source of Personal Power

“I like my job; and I’d have to say that Kim and I are happy together,” confided Chet, “but sometimes I have this feeling that there’s something else I should be doing, like my life is supposed to be about something, but I don’t know what.”

“I guess I put all my energy into the children; and into making a home for us all those years,” admits Anne.

“Now, with Libby, our youngest, headed off to college, this should be a time for Ron and I to do other things that are important to us. Only trouble is, I don’t know what those things are anymore. I should be happy, but instead I’m confused. ”

“I always thought computer programming was what I should do, and I was making. As in most of my courses until Dad died last spring,” reflects Kimberly. “Since then it’s been harder to concentrate on my studies; I feel as though I’ve misplaced my rudder.”

These scenarios offer a glimpse of the kinds of changes that people experience through-out their lives, personal power lost. Whether it begins by the ushering in of a new phase of life or by loss or by an “itch” from deep within, we all reach moments in our lives where we are called to reassess the path of our journey.

Within us all are guides that can help us know when we are following the best path for us if we know how to access them in healthy way.  If we have not be “initiated” and educated about them and their energies, they can “take over” our ego and produce unhealthy results and create a live of turmoil.

If we have experienced a soulful initiation into The Hero’s Journey, have the education and qualified guide, we can then uses our inner guides for the embodiment of out true personal power.

The Archetypal Journey Model

Humans are storytelling creatures. Listen to people talking in a restaurant, at the water cooler, or at a party, and you will find that the majority of what they say is in the form of stories. We connect by telling each other stories.

We understand our lives by telling parts of our stories to ourselves. The life story or myth is the tale we repeatedly tell ourselves about who we are, what we want, what we can and cannot do.

Even before the second year of life, we are sensitive to the tone of narratives lived around us, and already we have begun collecting thousands of images that resonate emotionally with us in some important way.

At first, the plots are inconsistent and illogical—much as our dreams will continue to be. But by the time we reach elementary school, we follow particular rules about beginnings, middles, and endings; our stories “make sense.”

By adolescence, we have begun to tell ourselves consistent stories about our lives—stories that define for us who we are, how we came to be that way, and where we are headed. The narratives that make meaning of our lives may change over time as different archetypes are activated. When they exert their influence, we tend to see everything that happens to us and inside of us through their lenses.

These stories of our lives, like tales and dramas everywhere, have scenes and settings—both physical and ideological. When we hear a tale that begins “long ago and far away,” we are prepared for certain things, such as the suspension of the familiar and a beckoning into the universality of what is to come. In the same way, when we hear that a woman grew up on a small Amish farm in Pennsylvania, we are prepared to hear about the influence of another kind of setting.

The stories of our lives also have narrative structures, themes, definable characters, and implicit “happy endings” that, if achieved, give us at least a temporary sense of success, fulfillment, and satisfaction.

The main characters of these stories represent potential parts of ourselves. One of the modules in The Warriors Path describes twelve of them in detail, how to determine which ones are active in your life and how to access the other.   These are the twelve most important to maturing and taking responsibility in today’s world.

• Innocent, Orphan, Caregiver, Warrior, which help you, others, and the species to survive.

• Seeker, Lover, Destroyer, Creator, which help you and others find yourselves and express your gifts.

• Ruler, Magician, Sage, and Jester, which help you and others live authentically, making a positive contribution to the world while also experiencing personal fulfillment.

The archetypes described in The Warriors Path serve as the central characters in stories that have mythic weight in human consciousness—the Lover is the main character in a love story or the Warrior in a war story. These narrative patterns are so ingrained that we all know the basic plots people are likely to live out if they fall in love or go to war—whether the ending is happy or sad.

Imagine that your unconscious can act as casting director to choose those aspects of yourself most relevant to a particular time in your journey. However, the more you understand about your journey, the more the part of you that makes conscious choices can share in this process the more you increase your personal power.

The Warriors Path can help you achieve such an advanced level of self-management by letting you know which of these timeless characters are active in your life at a given time. The result can be greater success, effectiveness, and fulfillment. It is to these parts, called archetypes, we now turn.

What Are Archetypes?

Archetypes are psychological structures reflected in symbols, images, and themes common to all cultures and all times. You see them in recurring images in art, literature, myths, and dreams. You may experience archetypes directly as different parts of you.

If you say that on one hand you want one thing and on the other you want something else, you can give archetypal names to those parts, as they generally communicate desires and motivations common to humans everywhere. Although the potential characters within us are universal, each of us expresses them differently, endowing them with somewhat different styles, traits, and mannerisms.

For example, while the Warrior is an archetype, different kinds of warriors engage in different battles. The Warrior archetype encompasses the Japanese Samurai and the American G.I., but it also might include the HIV researcher, the advocate for social justice, or the member of a street gang. Each of these warriors follows its own code of honor, goals, style of dress, etc.; nevertheless, all of them are warriors.

The expression of an archetype will be influenced by a person’s culture, setting, and time in history, but it also will be a manifestation of his or her individuality.

As aspects of ourselves, archetypes may reveal our most important desires and goals. Understanding their expression in our life myths or stories helps us gain access to unrealized potential, grasp the logic and importance of our lives, and increase our empathy for the stories that others live.

In our computer-literate society, we might think of an archetype as analogous to computer software, which helps us to accomplish certain tasks.

For example, a word processing program can be used to write a letter, report, or book; other applications help with accounting and financial planning and reporting. But these programs would be no help if you confused their functions.

Similarly, the Warrior helps people be more focused, disciplined, and tough; the Lover helps them be more passionate, intimate, and loving; while the Jester helps them lighten up and enjoy their lives. When a particular archetype is awakened, you live out its story. In the process, you are able to accomplish definable new tasks.

However, it also is important that the archetype be relevant to the task you are facing. If you are going on a date, the evening is not likely to end well if you act out a war story. Conversely, most people find it wise not to go into war with the Lover’s vulnerability or the Jester’s playfulness.

In the ancient world, many people projected the archetypes outward onto images of gods and goddesses. In the twentieth century, Jung explored the manifestation of the psychological symptoms of archetypes and their role in healing.

The teaching and modules in The Warriors Path can help an individual recognize the deep psychological structures that give meaning to life. Understanding one’s archetypes, personalities, beliefs and values can help you better decode the underlying logic of your life, find greater fulfillment and satisfaction, and free yourself from living out limiting patterns and behaviors.

Such knowledge can also increase your insight into other people, thus greatly enhancing your relationships. Most importantly, understanding these deep psychological structures will make your individuation process—the process of finding yourself and fulfilling your potential—conscious, so that you can gain the gifts associated with maturity, success, and happiness.

Note that when each archetype is active in a person’s life, it tends to call forth a particular kind of story or plot. The Warriors Path goes over about the archetypes and their stories and how you can access them in yourself.

Archetypal Stages of the Journey

The archetypes and their stories also are engaged more subtly as they emerge at different stages of the journey. The mythic hero’s journey is outlined below; however, it may or may not be the order in which you have lived the stories of these archetypes.

In addition, one or more archetypes may be active throughout your life and become critical to your sense of who you are. Again, check the stages you have experienced in the past and put asterisks by those most germane to your life right now.

Note that the hero’s journey is a spiral, so you may revisit these stages at different times in your life and at different levels of sophistication. Therefore, remember that your archetypes are not static. They may change in the future.

In everyday life, this can express itself as a process: For example, you may start out on an endeavor full of hope and optimism (Innocent), but then problems emerge. You face them squarely, noticing who and what is being hurt by whom or by what (Orphan).

Then you take action to help those affected (Caregiver) and to remedy or eliminate the cause of the problem (Warrior). If you take the issue deeper, you then seek out cutting-edge solutions (Seeker), make needed sacrifices (Destroyer), while safe-guarding the people and values you cherish (Lover).

You then envision and create a new vision (Creator), taking responsibility to implement the plan, using realistic means and timetables (Ruler). To insure success, you shift your own attitudes and behaviors to be congruent with the outcome you desire (Magician), objectively monitor and evaluate progress (Sage), and make the process as enjoyable as is possible, eventually celebrating your success (Jester). If any part of this process is lacking, because that archetype is unavailable to you and to those you partner with, the problem may not b e adequately solved.

You may find it useful to discuss your results from within The Warriors Path with a friend, psychotherapists, coaches or other qualified professional.  To help the samurai tribe I have include a monthly group coaching call help with understanding archetypes and other questions that come up during their journey on The Warriors Path.

When you get a better understanding of your own archetypes, you can also use them to help guide your children to psychological maturity; to increase communication among family members, friends, or a work team; or to foster environments that encourage people to fulfill their potential.

Archetypal Stages of The Hero’s Journey

I’m, you’ve already recognized a couple archetype and have begun wonder which other ones are dominant in you life. The process of gaining a better awareness of your journey is many, one of which is joining The Warriors Path.

In the module for archetypes you’ll be able take an archetypical assessment.  Then throughout the rest of the module you’ll be able to read more about archetypes, their stories, and gifts; and a section describing each of the twelve archetypes.

In addition, throughout The Warriors Path you’ll find tips, tools, and exercises to help you better understand and validate your results and how to use them.

Understating archetypes, where they show up and how to access their power can assist you in living a rich life, full of personal power, purpose, passion and perseverance.

References:
The Hero Within – Six Archetypes We Live – Carol S. Pearson
What Story Are You Living – Carol S. Pearson
King, Warrior, Magician, Lover – Dr. Robert Moore