Using Archetypes to Enhance Your Understanding of Self and Others

These characters determine our daily behavior and actions but often remain hidden in our unconscious.

Archetype Definition: The original pattern or model of which all things of the same type are representations or copies: Prototype Merriam Webster Dictionary

Anyone studying psychology will run across the word archetype and often associate it with psychologist Carl Jung’s work. He suggested they were forms of innate human knowledge passed down through our ancestors.

He believed our human psyche was divided into three major components: the ego, the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious. Archetypes stemmed from the collective or universal unconscious. His work even led to a new definition of an archetype:

An inherited idea or mode of thought in the psychology of C.G. Jung that is derived from the experience of the race and is present in the unconscious of the individual. Merriam Webster Dictionary

Although Greeks coined the term, archetypes have existed since the beginning of civilization and have highly influenced our personas, the masks we don in public. The ancient Gods of Olympus serve as familiar archetypes to this day. Mention Aphrodite and we refer to love and beauty. Zeus is a leader and mentor. Persephone rules the underworld etc.

Even if we never consider the word archetypes or how they may function in our lives, we are operating under archetypal laws and always have been. It’s hard-wired into our survival instincts.

When we enter a room full of strangers we instinctively scan to identify archetypes we resonate with. We think we are reacting to someone’s personality or physical being. Our first, automatic response, however, is an unconscious association with an archetype you reject or align within yourself.

We’re taught about archetypes when young, through fairy tales and other culturally based stories imparting morals and values. The photo above is from the story of Green Snake and encapsulates many forms of archetypes.

A Queen [privilege] gives birth to twin daughters [fortune]. A banquet is thrown for favored faeries [grace] who cast their gifts upon the newborns. They are rudely interrupted by Old Mag [shadow]who has been left out of the party [outsider]. She rebels and dooms one daughter to be ugly [bad luck].

The ugly daughter retreats [hermit] at the age of 12 from her family, but is led to a magical kingdom [redemption]. She is catered to by miniature dolls [servant] who attend to her every need and adore her. The Prince [savior] who governs their kingdom is absent, but present through his voice [mystic].

She casts light upon his form one night and is horrified to discover he is a loathsome Green Snake. She rejects his explanation that he is also under a curse by Old Mag and shrinks away [betrayal]. She finally relents after Green Snake saves her from drowning [hero] and willingly agrees to marry him when his curse is lifted in two years [patience].

She must go through a series of initiations and trials [courage]before cultivating enough wisdom to see through her masks [persona, ego] which falsely identify her. She comes to a place of inner wisdom [teacher] and purifies herself by bathing at the well of discretion [morals]. This act restores her beauty [truth] and she is renamed Queen Discreet [integrity].

Her honor flying high, she reunites with her now handsome Prince and the two of them marry and rule with high values. Even Old Mag is accepted into their kingdom [forgiveness] and becomes a kind person [compassion].

This story made a huge impression on my 7-year-old mind. I realized actions were more important than appearances. My understanding of human behavior began developing from the larger field of universal archetypes.

I wanted to know more.

I bought my first Tarot deck when I was 14, with the money I earned from two babysitting jobs. Ugh. I couldn't stand being responsible [rebel] for other people’s kids while growing up with ten siblings [trials]. But I needed that deck. It called. I answered and earned the funds, never babysitting again.

I immediately became obsessed with the Major Arcana cards. Here was the cast of universal characters and concepts I had been searching for. Fairy Tales was a beginner’s class. Tarot was archetype P.H.D. level if you really understood it.

The first card 0, The Fool, is the archetype for trust, innocence, confidence, and belief in good for all. It carries joy in its wake. It is our very alive and always present an inner child. It has not been tested. The Fool is the building block for the 21 remaining cards of the Major Arcana. We have to start somewhere and better to be hopeful than not.

The Magician, the number 1 card is also associated with Mercury, the fleet-footed communicator between Gods and Mortals

Writers, in particular, embody both of these archetypes.

All hell breaks loose when High Priestess [inner knowing] reveals the laws we must abide by. The Emperor [patriarchy] and Empress [matriarchy]come into the picture and Hierophant [teacher] enters to sort things out from a loftier perspective.

Lovers describe relationship dynamics which often ends up requiring an appearance from Justice. You know, after the glow has worn off a bit.

Sensitive, introverted Hermit takes a break from the world and Death shows up uninvited. Temperance comes to the rescue out of necessity. Moderation is dashed by The Devil, a specialist in disturbing balance and inflicting addictions.

This mayhem brings on an inevitable blast by The Tower [chaos]. Spiritual awareness arrives with The Star [awakening]. Moon and Sun have their say as equalizers of masculine and feminine energies. We attend Supreme Court with The Judgement and finally reach our destination at card 21, The Universe or World.

Holy s**t I thought, embracing my Potty Mouth Polly archetype. This is the entire cycle of life laid out on my blankie. I locked the door of my bedroom so my boundary bashing brothers couldn’t disturb my trance.

I studied the definition of each card and how they stood for different phases of life and parts of ourselves. Empress is a young woman whereas The Crone and Hermit are older and more mature. We only gain access to wisdom in The Universe through life experience.

The more I played around with the deck, the more intrigued I became by the idea of identifying my own cast of archetypal characters. Archetypes morph according to our culture, society and environment. Although we work off original patterning, we also use our will to branch off these molds and develop our unique interpretation of a universal expression.

Dialoguing with your Archetypes

What if I started talking to them I pondered? Would I understand these prototypes more if I gave them a voice? “Hell yes” was the Hierophant’s sacrilegious response. “We’re unconscious, remember? You have to dredge us up into the light of day.”

I set to work and made a list of archetypes illustrating aspects of my personality. It grew longer by the hour. Siblings banged on the door, telling me to come set the table for dinner. “Big homework project” [trickster] I fibbed. “Do it for me and I’ll do the dishes for you tonight [negotiator].”

Rebel Teen was a dominant force from the get-go and absolutely incorrigible. She demanded to be seen and immediately started doling out her opinion.

“Start with me. I’m number one. Those others [a disparaging sniff here], merely follow my lead.”

“Oh, give me a break! What about Nature Worshipper who emerged way before you? In fact, I can’t remember a day without her by my side. And then there’s Explorer who came on board with my first steps. You took some time to develop and needed some assistance from She Who Must Be Obeyed as I recollect.”

Now I was engaged, my pen scribbling furiously with a life of its own as I came up with more prototypes and their sibling cast-offs. Bliss Queen came in along with Weirdo, Witch and Miss Self Righteous. Risk-taker showed up, hauling Jester in a backpack.

I spent days, months and years discovering and dialoguing with these characters as they morphed through time. Justice replaced Miss Self Righteous and became a determined advocate for equal rights. Flower child birthed at 14, thanks to the influence of an older beatnik brother. She evolved into Forever Hippie by the age of 16 and still remains in the Top Five.

“Peace and Love are not ideals,” she insists. “They are realistic goals if we strive to attain them.” Don’t talk to Forever Hippie about nuclear arms unless you are dead set against them. Be prepared for a tirade if you think their continued manufacturing is necessary as security measures.

Potty Mouth Polly will blast forth her opinion without being asked. “WTF you so called ‘leaders’! Are you insane? It doesn’t matter which country nukes another? We’re sharing the same atmosphere! Do you even care about our planet and the people living on it! Get a f***ing grip!”

My archetypal journey became an endless source of insights and a key to revealing my growth patterns, as characters jockeyed for position and adapted to new roles and names.

It became less easy to delude myself because I kept getting busted by my gatekeepers, the Truth Teller archetypes. The biggest gift from dialoguing, however, was the development of a deeper sense of compassion and empathy for myself and others. It went both ways.

By uncovering my own weaknesses and strengths, I realized we were all operating from this universal platform of types. If someone upset me, I would identify the archetype they were acting out and accept and forgive their behavior more readily. Why? Because I could often see the same trait within myself. Damn it. I wasn’t perfect?

We form archetype brain entrainments early in our lives. We can see this playing out in the costumes kids decide to wear for special events. Mini superheroes dash by, blasting us with special powers we all read about in the comics. Here come our future humanitarians. I always dressed as a witch or magician which irked my brothers to no end. “You already are a witch, no use pretending.”

Once a character sinks in deep, you might not even realize it’s being activated. It’s the recognition of your own team of archetypes and how you juggle the emotional triggers they produce which informs your consciousness.

A co-worker, family member or friend posing as Critic, for instance, can invite your Devil into the mix. It creeps out of your bones as you contemplate ways to softly punish these unpleasant creatures with a small curse. The High Priestess comes to the rescue with a reminder. The reason they bother you is that you disturb them too. Or perhaps you are overly defensive due to being the recipient of excessive criticism yourself.

Jung’s list of major archetypes.

Jung’s classic list of 12 major archetypes is as follows: 1. Ruler — 2. Creator/Artist — 3. Sage — 4. Innocent — 5. Explorer — 6. Rebel — 7. Hero — 8. Wizard — 9. Jester — 10. Everyman — 11. Lover — 12. Caregiver.

These broad fields form a foundation for countless sub archetypes derived from the Master mold. Here is where your creativity can shine as you start with the identities you are most drawn to. By shedding light on your dominant archetypes, you will begin discovering patterns in how your inner characters develop and feed off one another.

This play or study is a type of healing, self-therapy which has informed and enriched my life in numerous ways. It’s helped me cultivate a wider tolerance of differing opinions [nuclear arms being an exception] and a deeper acceptance of other’s actions and behaviors.

A wider comprehension of the archetypes we embody helps us extend compassion and empathy more freely toward others. This is good medicine for our rapidly changing times.

We’re also able to rework aspects of our own psyche with refined precision. Even better, you’ll have fun playing around with a new way of seeing yourself.