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- When you are setting up something new, quite often you will start out using a template. Something that has been made before, which is similar. You can use this principle when you experience a shift in awareness. Much like modeling yourself on a hero, you can use archetypes as a template. What’s an archetype you ask? Much of the popularity of archetypes comes from the work of Carl Jung, a psychologist. His work was popularized by Joseph Campbell, whose work influenced the Star Wars story. For my purposes here, think of archetypes as a classic role. Think about most epic stories. You have the wise old advisor, you have the brash warrior, the soft-hearted healer, and the knowledge-giving priest/scientist/scholar. That’s just a few examples for now as we will come back to them later. I mentioned in an earlier post how viewing your own life as an epic story can help you make sense of life events. What good is a story if it doesn’t get interesting? Well, each great story will have characters representing various archetypes. According to Jungian theory, we have multiple archetypes active at any given time. That’s not really what I’m getting into as such. Remember that the purpose of using an archetype as a template is to establish a reference point to be better able to handle a shift in awareness. This site has a good listing of archetypes that may fit your new perspective. Here are a few that you may find applicable:
- Pioneer
- Mystic
- Knight
- Scholar
- Diplomat
- Sage
- Revolutionary
This is just a selection from the rather extensive list on that site. Again, don’t try to figure out which one is “right” and don’t try to pick one that matches perfectly. We’re not trying for a perfect match, just close enough for you to use as a reference point. Your own life is the most interesting story anyway.
One thing that you can do (suggested on the same site that had the list) is to imagine a conversation or correspondence with the archetype you are exploring. What do they have to tell you? What do they symbolize? Another way to use the archetype as a tool is to assume the identity of that archetype in the same way as the modeling post I mentioned earlier. Let yourself become the archetype for a bit and see how it feels. You’re still you underneath, a fact that will be brought out when you try it. In the last couple posts I referred to the process of achieving a new level of awareness as an operating system upgrade. How you will want to “take it for a spin” and see what the new features are. Acting out the archetype that calls to you will let you do just that. You may find yourself doing something that you might otherwise not, such as charity work, or networking, or spending lots of time in nature. Maybe you’ll be more introspective and feel the need to spend more time inside. Whatever you feel drawn towards, be open and explore it. One thing that may happen is you will find a less-than-pleasant aspect to the archetype you are partnered with. This is completely normal and not cause for alarm. Just note that there is an upside and a downside, and keep looking at the patterns. Eventually, you will have “filled in the blanks” in your template enough that you don’t need to keep remembering the template as much. Don’t worry, you are better set now than ever before: You have greater awareness than ever before (with the better life that goes along with it), and you are now in the groove, so to speak. You are building up for another adventure and what you have learned will serve you for the rest of your life.
Is using archetypes for you? Maybe, maybe not. That’s just one tool to use. You can also not even concern yourself with using the archetypes and “fill in all the blanks” yourself. The choice is always yours.
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Next time: Hard work is a prerequisite for a lot of useful techs. Does that make you nervous in the slightest? If so, stay tuned!
