What is an Archetype?

by | Jun 12, 2016

reflectionsWHAT IS AN ARCHETYPE? 

Why do you want to know? First, an archetype is a pattern of power that everyone, including you, recognizes and uses all the time. When you label a person as a Princess or a Rebel, you know their characteristics just from that one word. When you say, “She’s such a Princess!” you know the person you’re talking about loves all things fine and beautiful, as well as wanting a Knight to sweep her away and take care of her forever.  With the Rebel, you know the person goes against the mainstream, whether it be concerning religion, appearance, or authority. In other words, when you identify someone’s archetype, you don’t have to explain its meaning; with that one word, everyone understands it psychically.

Second, and perhaps more importantly, you want to know what your archetypes are to become empowered. The following analogy will allow you to grasp the significance of it. Imagine a train. Your BODY is the CABOOSE, and the ARCHETYPE is the ENGINE. engineYou want to learn your archetypes to get your hands on the ENGINE, which has all the POWER. When you live your life in the CABOOSE, you are being dragged, unable to direct your life. You have NO POWER. You ask yourself, “How did this happen? How did I get here?” and the answer is, you are not in the engine of your own train.

Also, archetypes are impersonal; there is no emotion in this level of consciousness. There is only data. You may get emotional about the data, but there is no emotion in this realm of energy.

HOW MANY ARCHETYPES DO YOU HAVE?

You have 12 basic archetypes, 4 of which are common to the human race: Saboteur, Prostitute, Victim, Child (Magical, Orphan, Wounded, Nature, Eternal, Divine). Caroline Myss identifies these 4 in her work, Sacred Contracts, as the Survival Archetypes, and in essence, give you opportunities throughout your life to develop self-esteem. (You are not born with self-esteem, you must build it.) Think of them as four legs of a table. One of the legs is going through the challenges of the Saboteur. saboteurYou will feel these challenges because life presents you with many situations where you have the opportunity to empower yourself instead of sabotage. We often fear change, yet change is necessary to deepen our resolve to see the world more truthfully. Deliberately turning away opportunities that will positively change your life is a glaring signal you are in the shadow of the Saboteur.

Another leg of the table that confronts you is the Prostitute archetype. We all go through trials where we are tested to cultivate our faith, not to negotiate any part of our lives for the well-being of our physical security. When you have no faith, there will always be a price you are willing to obtain. With faith, you cannot be bought; your integrity (self-esteem) is intact. The Prostitute shows itself when you’re in a job you know is not ethical, or you remain in an unhealthy relationship for fear of being alone. When you confront your fears of survival, having faith you can take care of yourself, this archetype is transformed into your protector.

The Victim, a fear known by everyone, is also a leg that supports your table of self-esteem and self-respect. In its shadow,victim 4 the Victim is present every time you tell yourself it’s never your fault. You are given a road map with obstacles and challenges that will make you feel like nothing is easy. It’s when you take things personally. An example is when someone takes an illness, such as cancer, and says, “Why did this happen to me?” Once you tell yourself the disease, cancer, happens to many people and is not personal, you are victorious and have confronted the shadow. The illness itself is impersonal, but your experience of cancer is intensely personal.

The fourth and final leg of the table is the Child archetype, which contains various types, such as the Wounded, Abandoned, Orphan, Invisible, Eternal, Magical, or Divine Child.  Without going into all types of Child, suffice it to say the core issue of all the Child archetypes, writes Caroline Myss, “is dependency vs. responsibility: when to take responsibility; when to take responsibility, when to have a healthy dependency, when to stand up to the group, and when to embrace communal life.”   When you think of a child, you see someone who is happy and carefree, which is our normal state. As we grow from children to teenagers and finally adults, we go through various maturation stages, such as when you become conscious of what is right and wrong at around the age of seven to when your spiritual power emerges around twenty-one. Each archetype is bound by both light and shadow aspects, of which the latter must be confronted.

If you are intrigued by what you’ve just read, then I’ve done my job. It’s important to remember that archetypes are impersonal patterns of power in you; they are neither good nor bad; they are just patterns by which you behave.  There is no emotion in archetypes; there is only data. They are real forces, entities and they are psychic fields. When you understand the power archetypes have, you’ll become empowered by discovering the TRUTH about yourself, and FEAR will slip away…..I promise. One thing I’ve learned is “the speed at which you see TRUTH changes the speed of CHANGE in your life.” Do you want that to happen? If so, contact me for more information or to schedule an appointment. You’ll be glad you did.

Debbie Gill - author and coach

Debbie gill

The heart and soul behind Go Within Spiritual Coaching.