Conscious Archetypes

Archetypes are patterns of energy that are easily recognizable and resonant to human beings, and become the unconscious frameworks that determine how/why people think and react. The name comes from Greek archetypos, "original pattern." Archetypes are universally familiar characters or situations that transcend time, place, culture, gender, and age. They represent eternal truths.

We identify and relate to archetypes as primary characters or personalities of the human condition. They are the "givens" in our psychological makeup, the patterns that shape our perceptions of the world—an unlearned tendency to experience things in a certain way. Some archetypes include the Mother, the Father, and the Child. Many archetypes are story characters. Probably best known is the Hero, usually engaged in fighting the "shadow" in the form of dragons and other monsters. Then there is the Witch who controls, manipulates, and casts spells—destroying connection with other people and with oneself. Or there is the Trickster, often represented by a clown or a magician, whose role is to hamper progress and generally make trouble.

To quote Jung:

"All the most powerful ideas in history go back to archetypes. This is particularly true of religious ideas, but the central concepts of science, philosophy, and ethics are no exception to this rule. In their present form they are variants of archetypal ideas, created by consciously applying and adapting these ideas to reality. For it is the function of consciousness not only to recognize and assimilate the external world through the gateway of the senses, but to translate into visible reality the world within us."

—"The Structure of the Psyche" (1927), in Collected Works Vol. 8.

Thus, self-realization (sometimes called individuation) is partly instinctual. When you intersect with an archetype, you connect with an energy that mirrors your own energy. People contact their archetypes without even knowing they have. When we talk about someone "pushing our buttons" or "love at first sight," we enter the realm of archetype. When we hear inner voices, or our friends say, "that isn't like you," we are displaying an archetype. When we are beside ourselves with rage, or when we notice ourselves looking exactly like mom or dad, when we speak words we do not intend to say, or goof ourselves up in any number of ways, we are exhibiting an archetype. Jung says that when you are in the grips of the archetype, you don't have it—it has you. Jung further believed that “archetypes were, and still are, psychic forces that demand to be taken seriously, and they have a strange way of making sure of their effect.”

By exploring the archetypal figures you manifest, you can develop a more complete, whole sense of self. Archetypes are powerful for helping you notice what you are doing with your energy—or even to make your life a bit more exciting or relaxing, once you choose to manifest them consciously.

The Archetypes

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