Archetypes: A Glimpse Into Our Collective Psyche.
Understanding the men around you via archetypes
If you want to be part of a community of women that want to live, love, and earn on their terms, subscribe below.
Archetypes are universal patterns, behavior, and personalities found across multiple cultures and communities. They allows us to have a better understanding of the world around us. We were introduced to them by the infamous Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung. He suggested that archetypes are innate human knowledge that were passed down from our ancestors. He theorises that archetypes originate from our societal “collective unconscious”.
All the powerful ideas in advertising can be traced back to archetypes.
It is easier to spot male archetypes because we live in a culture that hyper focuses on male protagonists, from different dispositions of life. Male archetypes were chronicled in the book King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine, by Jungian psychologist Robert Moore and mythologist Douglas Gillette. Here is a brief overview of the male archetypes.
The King Archetype
The King archetype is a man that possesses dominion over his family and community. Men with in the king archetype create order, prosperity, and peace in their community. These are men that command respect and admiration from the people around them. In popular media, the king archetype is illustrated in Mufasa from The Lion King, Ned Stark from Game of Thrones, and T’Challa from Black Panther. In Greek mythology, Zeus is the archetypical king. In the modern-day, the king archetype can be found in Jay-Z, Joe Rogan, and Dywane Johnson.
The archetypal king lives and earns on his own terms.
The Warrior
An archetypical warrior is a man that enjoys the conquest and trill of dominating and defeating other men. These are men that channel their aggression into purpose and accomplishment. These men are highly disciplined and have an unrelenting thirst for victory. In Greek mythology, Ares, the god of war, exemplifies this archetype. In the present day, think of Mohammed Ali, Kobe Bryant, and David Goggins. In history, warriors can be found in the Spartans, the fearless samurai warriors of Japan, and the gladiators that enraptured collisions. In non-war times, these are the men that enjoy winning in other aspects of life.
Warrior men have a zest for victory. These men know how to captivate our hearts and screens.
The Magician
These men possess immense knowledge and use that knowledge to forge new ideas into the world. This is the archetype of individuality and self-creation. In Greek mythology, think of Hephaestus, the god of fire, metalworking, stonemasonry, and the art of sculpture. They are intellectually curious and are masters of the prevailing technology. In real life, think of Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Bill Gates. In history, think of Nikola Tesla.
While the warrior uses his physical prowess to win, the magician uses his mental acumen to generate new ideas in the world. These men are our modern-day alchemists.
The Lover
These are men that enjoy romance and art. They are driven by their idealism, emotions, and senses. These men remain eternally young. In Greek mythology, think of Dionysus, the god of wine, vegetation, festivity, theatre, pleasure, resurrection, ritual madness, and religious ecstasy. In the modern-day, think of the artists and romantics which include men like Drake, Kanye West, and David Choe. Drake has an album literally called Certified Lover Boy.
Lover men have an unabashed enjoyment for all things sensual.
The Female Archetypes
I first learned about archetypes from the work of Ayesha K. Faines. She was a fabulous woman that recently passed away. However, she ushered me into the world of ancient archetypical wisdom.
From there, I discovered that Carl Jung focused primarily on the male archetypes. Jean Shinoda Bolen wrote about female archetypes in her book titled Goddesses in Everywoman: Thirtieth Anniversary Edition: Powerful Archetypes.
There are 7 female archetypes compiled for the numerous resources and their mythological examples.
The Sage: Athena, the goddess of Wisdom and Crafts.
The Lover: Aphrodite, the goddess of Love and Beauty.
The Mother: Demeter, the goddess of the Grain.
The Mystic: Hestia, the goddess of the Hearth and Temple.
The Wild Woman: Artemis, the goddess of the Hunt and Moon.
The Maiden: The mine and queen of the underworld.
The Queen: Hera, the goddess of Marriage
I will do a deep dive into every female archetype in the upcoming newsletter. However, if you are interested in discovering your archetype, take the quiz on the late Ayesha Faines Website, womenlovepower.com
In my next newsletter, we will be doing a deep dive into my archetype, the Sage.
If you loved this newsletter, you will also love other writings on: