What is Your Archetype?

[StacyT]

In Deepak Chopra’s book “The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire”, he talks about adopting an archetype for yourself and living it out. He sees this as a method of achieving greatness and reaching your true potential. We can use archetypes because they are part of the collective consciousness of the universe and allow us to find the hero within ourselves.

After some research, I’ve decided that I most resonate with Artemis (Goddess of nature, fiercely independent, and protector of the underdog). So in the same way that people ask “What would Jesus do?” I will now ask myself “What would Artemis do?”. I find this a new and exciting way to journey through life, and I can feel a whole new strength opening up within myself because of it.

Do any of you have an archetype that you can relate to? Here are some that I found on Wikipedia:

* Angel
* Child Hero
* Cowboy
* Detective
* Devil
* Drunk Intellectual
* Jewel Thief
* Kindly Mentor
* Kingmaker
* Knight
* Mad Scientist
* Magic Negro
* Nerd
* Professor
* menace with a Heart Of Gold
* Psychiatrist
* Storyteller
* logic Guru
* warrior
* Herald

[Angela]

Those are fun -- we had a discussion about intuitive archetypes here awhile back....

[StacyT]

Originally Posted by Angela

Those are fun -- we had a discussion about intuitive archetypes here awhile back....

AH! I looked for a thread but couldn't find one. I thought I might be the first

[Philemon]

That's a fun idea to think about. My problem is that I pick too many. I'm a mad scientest, a storyteller, a professor (literally), a logic guru, a psychiatrist, and many others depending on the particular setting. It reminds me of my own internal conflict--dealing with a multiplicity of selves. Should I just be one, or continue being many and even adding more to the list?

My mad scientiest wants me to try "insane" actions and ideas. I work as a professor, although this is very unlike the true me. I am a logic guru, yet I despise logic and find that it often comes short of explaining complex ideas. I have been put in a position to help a lot of people (friends) with psychological problems.

I suppose my true archetype would be "utility player"--like in baseball. I can play any position pretty well, but I'm most fulfilled as the pitcher (artist) throwing balls for people to swing at, attempting to rarely throw a pitch that can be fully understood (homerun).

[aelle]

Can we combine them? I'd obviously be the drunk intellectual child hero!

It's interesting to see the world through archetypes sometimes, especially when you're unsure of the next course of action. But it's best not to define yourself as one, or you risk seeing your actions limited.

[nhaasch]

Originally Posted by StacyT

Do any of you have an archetype that you can relate to? Here are some that I found on Wikipedia:
* Angel
* Devil

Watch out! I'm the Devil disguised as an Angel.

[Brenton]

Anything I've read on the topic (mostly work by Carol S. Pearson) suggests that we all have every archetype within us, they are inner guides we can all access, but we tend to gravitate to a few (they are our core gifts and our main achilles heels) based on our life experiences.

We are not an archetype we express them, many of them. I agree with that comment 'But it's best not to define yourself as one, or you risk seeing your actions limited.'

We can become trapped by archetypes in a trance-like state where it's like that movie Being John Malcovich where we slip into the body of an archetype and can only see the world through that set of eyes.

Appreciate the gifts and stay alert to falling into the trance. I have a tendency to fall into the Sage's trance which takes me to the darkside of the archetype where I become obsessed with finding the truth, with being right, with needing information, lots of it before making a decision. I've found it helpful to lawaken the Jester and Hero archetypes within by laughing and goof around with my daughter or colleagues to break the spell and then setting some boundaries and timelines on how long I will work on something before I let it out into the world.