Archetypes are patterns embedded in the collective consciousness and serve as maps to the path and challenges, strengths and pitfalls, of your soul, and the journey it has ahead of itself!

The word 'archetype' derives from the Latin word 'archetypum' and means 'an original pattern from which copies are made'. While archetypes first emerged in the philosophy of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, it was 20th-century Swiss psychologist Carl Jung who developed the concept and brought it into contemporary consciousness.

Carl Jung saw archetypes as an ancient, universal set of motifs and patterns that are embedded in the collective unconscious. As a blueprint that influences your purpose, behaviour and therefore experiences, Jung saw archetypes like an instinct. How this behavioural instinct or blueprint plays out is defined by your culture, history, personal circumstances and context. The same archetype, therefore, can play out in more ways than one, varying from person to person, place to place, and situation to situation.

​Understanding Your Archetype

It is important to note that there are numerous archetypes and that at any given time a number of these may be active in you. You could be the artist, the explorer and the addict all at the same time. At any given moment, however, there is usually a dominant archetype at play- you could be the addict in relationships, the artist at work, and the explorer when making big life decisions for instance. Each archetype comes with its unique strengths and with its own challenges. Acknowledging your different archetypes is acknowledging different aspects of your personality.

Knowing which one is dominant allows you to work out the driving force behind your efforts and path- such as on the psychic journey.

Further, the balance of archetypes playing out within you can shift and change from situation to situation, from one phase of your life to another. You could be a wanderer in your younger days, a builder when you are ambitious and creating your empire, and a caretaker or a sage once you retire. Archetypes can return too- such as when you buy that motorcycle at 60 to feel young again, to feel carefree like at 20!

Essentially your life story could be mapped out as a progression of archetypes. Understanding which ones are at play in your life, helps you understand the context that your psychic journey is playing out in, as well as the subtle influences that may be shaping your psychic abilities.

Prominent Archetypes

Archetypes can be found everywhere in your daily life- from books to the big screen, from religious deities to ancients myths, zodiac signs to personality types. The soul's journey in the Tarot is a progression of archetypes, as is the pantheon of superheroes you may be passionately following. An archetype is not so much a label or adjective, as it is understanding the essence of a personality. From Jung's academic discourse to our everyday life, there are numerous archetypes- each embarking on its own journey.

Here are are a few prominent archetypes, each with their own relationship to the psychic realms. This list is far from exhaustive, but it does offer a starting point for you to reflect on your blueprint.

The Saviour : The Saviour is driven by an urge to bring balance (in the forms of justice, progress, freedom, equality, etc) to another person or people through his/her efforts. If you embody the Saviour archetype, you are inclined to measure your own growth and fulfilment through the fulfilment of those around you- often at a cost to yourself. Also termed the 'Messiah' archetype, self-sacrifice is a key theme with this blueprint. As a Saviour, your psychic journey may find meaning through how it touches the lives of others around you. You may, therefore, be inclined to 'save' those around you through your psychic abilities, the information you access and the insights it brings you.

The Wounded Healer : The Wounded Healer is drawn to the healing arts through his/her own trauma. This trauma or wound could manifest on any plane of human experience- for instance, physical (such as a disease or injury), mental (such as facing acute moral dilemma), emotional (such as depression) or spiritual (such as a crisis of faith). Having faced and experienced this trauma and crisis yourself, and having struggled with it or overcome it, as the Wounded Healer you are inclined to assist others in healing this wound. In many ways, the Wounded Healer heals him/herself through healing others. On your psychic journey, you are naturally inclined towards clairsentience- that enables you to connect with and feel another person's pain, but you may need to learn to detach to stay in balance

The Warrior : Protecting your Truth is central to your efforts if you embody the Warrior archetype. This Truth could be a moral or ideal you uphold, your sense of self and who you are, or your rights. As a Warrior integrity is a big theme, and you refuse to participate in or be a silent observer to any action, event or choice that undermines your Truth. Overcoming your fears is another big theme for the Warrior, learning to face fear without being impacted by it. On the psychic journey as well, challenge is, therefore, part and parcel of the learning curve. You may find yourself facing your deepest fears or having to speak up for your self- the permutations are endless, the key is always integrity.

The Priest : In everyday life and on the psychic journey, the Priest archetype is devoted to established higher ideals and realising these in others. This archetype stands as an embodiment of the ideals it upholds and offers a way to people- a path to these ideals. As a Priest archetype, therefore, your lifestyle is structured to serve as a personal example to others. Inspiration is the keyword for the Priest, choosing to lead by example first, and through teachings second. On the psychic journey, for the Priest accessing psychic information or realms is only half the work. Being able to stand as an ambassador for the impact and ideals of the path is the real task. It is the changes in your everyday lifestyle that set your journey apart as a Priest, serving as a living example for others.

The Sage : Where the Priest embodies accepted ideals, the Sage introduces new concepts, wisdom and ideas. A spiritual teacher bringing new understanding to people, the Sage's wisdom is forged by his/her first-hand experience. If you embody the Sage archetype, communication is central to your journey- you need an audience, a listener to teach, to illuminate. Sage archetypes often find expression thus as storytellers- from the bards of ancient traditions to the filmmakers of today. Clairaudience is bound to be quite developed with Sages, as is claircognizance. But it is the act of illuminating another mind that sets the Sage's journey apart- psychically or otherwise.

​The Shaman : The Shaman, as an archetype, confronts the adverse, the negative, the bad, the evil, and omits it. Unlike many of the archetypes who gain their strength by aligning with the positive, with goodness, the Shaman derives his/her strength by confronting the ugly and the grotesque and being untouched by it. In some ways the Shaman is an overlay of the Healer and the Warrior archetypes, facing personal fear to heal the self. As a Shaman, your psychic journey is going to take you into the deepest recesses of your inner psyche- mastering the shadow is part of a Shaman's initiation. Infact it is your ability to walk that line between light and shadow- unaffected and unattached to either- that your journey as a Shaman is about.