The subject of archetypes come up with almost every client I see, so I thought I’d write this blog-post to explain what archetypes are and why it’s important to know your own!
Archetypes are psychological patterns derived from historical roles in life and provide the foundation of our personality, drives, feelings, beliefs, motivations and actions.
We are all made up of 12 archetypes. And we all share 4 in common: Child, Victim, Prostitute and Saboteur, while the remaining 8 make us uniquely individual. These uniquely individual archetypes can also change during different phases of our lives. Each one of these common archetypes can show up all together at the same time or separately in any given hour of our day. All archetypes have shadow manifestations as well as positive aspects.
The more conscious you can remain about the archetypes patterns influencing your behavior, the more likely it is that your choices and lessons will serve your spiritual empowerment. The goal is to learn how to recognize these attitudes in ourselves and others and to respond accordingly.
The Four Archetypes of Survival
Child
There are several variations of the Child and you may feel more than one variant active in you, yet only one is dominant. This archetype nurtures that part of us that yearns to be lighthearted, playful and innocent and contributes greatly to balancing the seriousness of adult responsibilities. The Child may also show up negatively such as the Wounded, Dependent or Orphan Child.
Victim
The Victim often blames others for the circumstances of their life, sometimes in order to gain sympathy or pity. Recognizing when your Victim archetype surfaces allows you can to take responsibility for your actions and choices, thus allowing you to face your challenges.
Saboteur
It is important to recognize that we often end up standing in our own way because of our fears. This can also show itself in self-destructive behavior and as a deliberate choice but sometimes these behaviors are also unconscious. The lack of awareness of this archetype can cause us to make choices that hinder our own empowerment and success.
Prostitute
This archetype engages lessons in the sale or negotiation of one’s integrity or spirit due to physical survival or financial gain. We prostitute ourselves when we comprise our morals and ethics. Under this archetype our choices may make us compromise instead of being strong enough to say no.
It is not always easy to identify these behaviors within us or to see when they are active in our psyche however when you do, they can lead you to achieve greater insights into your life.
As you walk through your day, step into mindfulness identifying how it manifests in the energy surrounding you as these archetypes appear. This will enable you to embrace them from a point of power.