The idea of archetypes is a concept that has existed for centuries and has been largely popularized in more modern times by swiss psychologist Carl Jung. Archetypes are a way of understanding different types of patterns of energy that exist within our subconscious and unconscious minds. In a practical sense, they are different ways of being, different ways of interacting with reality. And these ‘ways’ are already within us, available to be summoned.
As humans we are vast and there is a lot more depth and complexity to the human being than we are often led to believe. For example think about what makes up a humans world. They are an awareness, a consciousness in the now but they also have a physical body. A body that can move and do and sense and feel. A human also has the ability to think. So there is a world of conscious thought, of ideas, of concepts and of understandings. And then there are the more unknown dimensions. Let’s say dreams are the beginning of those unknown dimensions. In the dream state you are acting in a completely different world. It is completely an inner world and it is a world we often forget. It is a world we often don’t pay attention to, yet it exists nonetheless.
Archetypes are a way to tap into these deeper more unknown dimensions in order to basically recieve a pattern of behaviour that can help us function better in the here and now. Archetypes can achieve this because the conscious mind can work with the subconscious mind through symbols, and archetypes are a symbol, a key of sorts, that we can use to unlock certain patterns of energy.
To understand how to use archetypes you must understand that the archetypes already exist within you. Your job is to locate them and summon that energy into the now. It’s basically just tapping into deeper aspects of yourself.
So, what archetypes should one align to? Well I geuss that is up to the individual and his or her needs but understanding energy, it’s pretty easy to see that the following 4 archetypes would be fundamental to rounding out and balancing one’s psychology. These archetypes are: the Warrior, the Sage, the Lover and the Wild Man/Woman. By reading and learning about these archetypes we are able to understand them and align to them within oursleves.
The Warrior
The Warrior is basically the fighters spirit. It is the attitude of being willing to fight through adverse circumstances and antagonistic forces. It is the attitude of standing your ground and not backing down in the face of adversity. It is the attitude of not giving up. It is access to the ability to fight through the tough times in life. To be effective, one must understand that it is an inner energy and attitude. It does not mean to fight others. That would only create unnecessary conflict and more problems for you in life. It means to fight to not allow the negative aspects of life to get you down. It means to fight to allow your natural self to live and be. It means to fight to live life with positivity and joy. This is the fighters spirit.
The Sage
The Sage is the part of you that is connected to the more mystical parts of life. It is connected to wisdom, the energies of life, to nature and the light-heartedness of life. The Sage is inwardly focused. The Sage understands life from within and is concerned with virtuous living: with kindness, benevolence, and an inner purity. The Sage is emotionally calm and mentally clear. It is the sage that understands the wisdom of ‘no-mind’. It is the sage that understands the abundance in simplicity. The Sage is self-disciplined and connected to deeper aspects of self, beyond emotion and mind.
The Lover
The Lover is the part of you that fully embraces life, that seeks to be in love with life and with living. The Lover enjoys the sensualities of life: the flavours, the textures, the senses etc etc and wants to feel alive, to seek out experiences and adventures. The Lover wants to experience joy in the moment and wants to embrace others in joy rather than compete and ‘beat’ others.
The Wild Man or Woman
The Wild Man or Woman is the part of you that yearns to be free, to be undomesticated, and free to follow your own path and perception in life. The Wild Man/Woman craves naturalness, realness, and no BS. He or she is in touch with their instincts and intuition and is willing to break social norms in order to follow what they know is right. The Wild Man/Woman feels at home in nature and seeks to live in harmony with the natural rhythms of life.
And so those are the 4 archetypes that I believe can help one achieve a more healthy psychology: a more natural and integrated psychology but also one that is effective at handling the challenges of modern life.
Finding these archetypes within yourself is all about intention. You have to intend on having a connection, be genuinely interested and take the time to research and learn about the archetypes and what they symbolize. You then want to summon and embody the feeling of what the archetype is, or summon and embody the specific traits that an archetype is made of. When you become familiar with these traits and feelings through repetition they essentially become a part of who you are in the here and now. This is called growing and evolving through training.
