Being The Hero Of Your Own Journey – Soul Empowerment
The most empowering thing we can do in our lifetime is become the hero of our own life.
The more empowered we become in a more soul aligned way, the more we lead by example.
Being The Hero Of Your Own Life
We know its not what happens to us that defines us but how we overcome or face these challenges.
In the hero’s journey the hero goes through a spiritual journey.
Different initiations and life lessons, some we keep repeating until we learn and grow from them.
We all have an opportunity to experience and face these initiations, these lessons;
these gifts show up in our life up everyday, everyday we get to choose the next path.
Too many times it is easy to choose the the easier path,
instead of the courageous one;
the road less travelled that leads us to greater spiritual strength and so many riches.
Leading By Example By Being The Hero
Humanity right now is facing these initiations, these lessons on a hugely massive scale.
But the problem is most of humanity is struggling to be the hero of their own life and lead by example.
They are so confused, distracted and overwhelmed, they cannot see what is the right path or the truth.
That is why its so important for us all to detach from the chaos, the distractions and propaganda, designed to mislead and confuse us.
And do what we can to be quiet and still; connect with our own inner guidance, our own inner compass to access deeper truth.
The Hero Of Our Own Soul
We all have an inner navigation system that can give us truth and strength when learn how to full develop and use it. God has given us so many inner gifts, the gift of spiritual discernment and intuition.
The main problem is we invest so much time and energy in things that are not that important. We are so easily distracted, seduced or hi-jacked by instant gratification or self-soothing. That most people’s discernment is very corroded. Their intuition is something that is extremely undeveloped and not always accurate.
That is why in November I have decided to do a deep dive into getting more Soul Connected and Soul Empowered through meditation and different energetic and spiritual practices.
In my program Unlock Your Soul Power- 4 Steps To Soul Empowerment
starts Saturday 2nd Nov 9.30 am GMT and runs for 4 weeks.
I will be teaching a few powerful strategies from some of the great spiritual teachers and spiritual healers I have studied with to help you achieve deeper stillness, increased soul alignment and greater soul power.
Limited paces available so booking is on a first come first serve basis. So if you are curious or would like to learn more check out the link below
The Wounded Healer Journey. The pain, gifts and learning that comes from the wounded healer archetype.
Exploring the Wounded Healer Journey from the healers perspective. How our own deepest conscious and unconscious wounding, birth’s the gift to help heal others.
Why the healers’ journey is a lifelong path of self-discovery and self-exploration into our own inner world as much as the clients or patients we are called to help.
What is The Wounded Healer?
The Wounded Healer is a term that comes from the view that the healers is born from the light that enters the wound, the compassion that comes from one’s own suffering. In turn wanting us to help others because of that wounding.
The Wounded Healer concept originated from Greek Mythology;
When Chiron the Centurion was deeply wounded by Hercules’s deadly poisoned arrows. And although he could not heal himself, he used his deepest core wounding to help save another.
And in relation to the story of Asclepius the god of medicine, a Greek doctor who began a sanctuary to help heal others because of his own wounds.
The Light and Shadow Traits Of The Wounded Healer
The wounded healer is generally more conscious that their desire to help others heal is because of what they personally suffered from. But the reality is every physician, health or wellbeing practitioner, therapist or healer has core wounding.
Every person has wounds that cause them pain, suffering, triggers some sort of emotional reaction. That is why a healer who believes they are healed, have very little awareness and self-awareness.
No matter how healed you think you are. We are all a work in progress, all healers, all humans are wounded at some level.
We all have both light and shadow traits that show up as archetypal patterns in everyday life. That is why the healers’ journey is a never ending path of self-discovery and healing of our shadow wounds.
We all have shadow traits that need to be healed and as healers we need to be more self aware about any internal wounding’s or projections we may put onto our clients. So as not to cause more harm, as they say “heal thyself”.
My Own Wounds On The Wounded Healer Journey
As a wounded healer myself who began my own journey into becoming a healer over 30 years ago after facing all sorts of mental, emotional, physical and spiritual wounding. Especially wounding around medical harm and injury, and further wounding from a broken medical and healthcare system, ill equipped healers and therapists.
My own wounds led me to down a long path, a very road less travelled path. Where I met and worked with so many wounded healers. Many compassionate and self aware healers but equally many healers who lacked compassion, awareness or even just proper training. Who were actually inflicting further wounding and harm to their clients, patients and students.
From a therapist and healer’s perspective this made me question so much around the healers role and standardisation from an ethical perspective. Do healers today get enough training, go through a long enough and deep enough apprenticeship to prevent them from really harming others.
Every week I see so many over generalisations or comment by healers, therapist s or coaches that comes from deep lack of awareness, insight and experience. Ideologies that on so many levels can be deeply damaging to the psyche of the vulnerable and suffering client, the naive student.
Common Traits Of The Wounded Healer
Light Traits Of The Wounded Healer
Here are some gifts of the wounded healer.
Awareness and Self Awareness:
Wounded healers naturally have good self-awareness and awareness of others.This is what makes them natural healers as they are more aware of others needs, challenges and themself. They tend to know themself at a deeper level so are more aware of their own shadow which is extremely important in any sort of healing work.
Compassion and Empathy:
The wounded healer has great compassion for others, some have great empathy, that is why many empaths are natural healers and strong caregivers and nurturers who have to heal their own wounding around boundaries.
Deep Calling Or Purpose:
A deep sense of purpose, they just know in the heart and soul their calling is to help or help heal others.
Hero Traits:
Wounded healers can also have an element of the hero archetype where through courage, tenacity and determination through their own suffering they inspire, empower and motivate others. That is why the wounded healers journey is part of the hero’s journey.
Intuitive And Insightful:
The wounded healer is a natural healer, deeply intuitive and aware of things at a deeper level, they can sense beyond the surface of what is going on at the individual and collective level. That is why many wounded healers become energy healers and spiritual healers.
Helper Since Childhood:
Wounded healers tend to have always been life’s little helpers, starting from childhood.
Self Growth:
Have the ability to look at all pain, suffering and learning as an opportunity to grow and evolve.
Shadow Traits Of The Wounded Healer
Here are some dark traits that can show up in the unhealed wounded healer
End up suffering mental, emotional, physical and even spiritual burnout. Due to lack of healthy boundaries, psychic protection.
Destroyer Traits:
Destroys or disables others through their own wounding, their own pain, or egoic desires. Causing direct nor indirect pain to others or those they work with.
Co-dependency and Enabling:
When one constantly enables or rescues others. Provides strength, support and rescuing to others preventing the other take self-responsibility or co-dependent relationships. Or where therapists encourage clients to come to them for years or months and the client is not making huge progress.
Gaslighting:
Where one gaslights their clients, patients or students reality. This can come from narcissistic wounding, or even to control over power the client or patient such as from very biased, fixed ideology about what is going on with the client.
God or Saviour Tendencies:
Where the physician or healer projects on to the patient or person that they are the one doing the healing, the one saving them. Implying at some level they are their god or saviour.
Martyr Traits:
Will sacrifice their own wellbeing and life for others, for their work.
Illusion And Manipulation:
One of the strong archetypal traits in many healers is the alchemist and magician. The dark magician will often use illusion or trickery to manipulate, control or seduce the client or patient. For example making implications or promises they cannot guarantee, misrepresent information or knowledge for their own gain or from naivety.
Prostitute Traits:
Where one sells their soul, their spiritual integrity and gifts to the highest bidder for material or financial gain. This has become a big problem in world where spirituality and healing vocations has become inverted, over commercialised, seduced by glammer, populism and even celebrity status. Than what is at the heart of the true healers journey.
The Healers Journey
What I came to realise as a wounded healer on my own healing journey, was that as healers we need to constantly evolve and grow in our own healing, consciousness and awareness. What I believed 30 years ago as a healer is very different on what I believe know.
In a polarised world where we have so many light and shadow aspects to us and the collective. It is important to remind ourself that the healers path is painted with pain, gifts, especially of privilege and honour to the people we get to help and support. Because in that process we heal ourselves through the shadow aspects of another.
About Eileen Burns
Eileen is a highly compassionate and dedicated healer, therapist, soul empowerment coach and mentor. Who is passionate about helping awakened healers and lightworkers step more fully in their life and soul purpose with strength and ease. She provides a wide range of self study courses, meditations, one to one inner child, archetypal and spiritual business support sessions. More about Eileen’s Expertise and Qualifications Click Here.
The Wounded Healer Podcast
Wounded Healer To Hero Podcast is a brand new video podcast with Eileen and healer friends as co-hosts.
The Hero’s Journey in your life, business, your life and soul purpose.
What is the Hero’s Journey
The hero’s journey is based on the classical archetypal template or storytelling structure where the hero goes on a quest or adventure.
An archetypal pattern in mythology that transcends time and culture, recognised in the collective.
The Hero’s Journey Inner Calling
In the hero’s journey the hero has an inner calling that takes them on a journey, a journey that brings up all sorts of tests, trials, and challenges, all part of the initiation process to test the hero’s motivations, strength of character, and soul power.
The hero has to move through different challenges; fears, distractions, temptations, illusions, and perceived limitations.
Despite the initial calling they actually have no idea of what they are going to experience or face on that path. Or what they are going to experience at the other end of that journey.
It many ways the hero’s journey is a deeply spiritual journey that pushes and expands them in ways they never imagined.
Your Hero’s Journey
No matter where you are in your life right now! Know your soul is seeking something so much deeper and powerful. When you begin exploring and following that inner path, you will start to uncover your own power, your own spiritual strength, courage, and integrity in ways that you never imagined.
Your hero’s journey, your soul’s journey, and your different stages of initiation are unique to you.
When we can get on that deeper spiritual journey, it no longer becomes why me, why this.
Because something more deeper helps you take each step even though you cannot see or don’t yet know the bigger picture. I talk about this more in my latest video link in the bottom of the page.
The heart and soul of a powerful soul-aligned healing, coaching, or therapy business are not your tools, qualifications, or certificates.
It is not following the latest marketing trends or how many Facebook Followers you have. Or how many tick tock or Instagram videos or selfies you can do.
A soul-aligned business is built on your biggest soul strengths. Your backbone, your integrity, your deepest motivations and drives in your spiritual business.
The Hero’s Journey And Soul’s Journey
Now more than ever people want transparency and accountability, they want to invest those who walk the talk, practice what they preach, don’t just talk the talk.
Running a soul-aligned business in many ways is one aspect of your hero’s journey especially if you are a healer, therapist or coach.
As it requires not just an inner calling for your souls desire to experience something deeper. As it involves a journey of personal transformation, of soul searching, and soul expansion.
The true soul-aligned path is built on spiritual trust, strength and courage. It is not for the faint heart
ed or for those just looking to be financially successful. It goes so much deeper and is so much more spiritually fulfilling.
Your Spiritual Business Journey
Your spiritual business journey, your spiritual growth, and spiritual transformation is a very personal journey unique to you. That’s why it is important that you are building your business on your hero’s journey, not someone else’s journey, not someone else’s calling or power.
It is one of the reasons we can struggle when we cannot find a business coach, or marketing strategy that feels right for us.
I know for years I struggled to find a spiritual business coach or spiritual business mentor that I felt aligned with. I invested in so many courses and programs that were supposed to be soul-aligned and spiritually aligned that seemed to lack true depth.
In many ways, they were just the same thing most business coaches and marketers were doing. The only difference was some of the words they used, and the titles they called their programs.
So much of it felt dishonest, very superficial, yukky, misaligned with everything I and business stood for.
Your soul-aligned business, is part of your calling it is an extension of you and an extension of so many other things that you stand for and believe in.
If your business is not fully aligned with your core values and traits, passion, purpose and greatest strengths. You are more likely to suffer from misalignment such as anxiety, lack of confidence and overwhelm or even imposter syndrome.
You Deserve To Be The Hero or Heroine Of Your Business
You deserve to do what you are here to do. You are here at this time on earth, to fully step into your life and soul mission with more power and strength, live the life and purpose your heart and soul desires.Here to besoul aligned and soul empowered. NOT to feel powerless or passionless, you are not here to feel disconnected or misaligned with what you are here to do.
ONE of the biggest things I see in the healing and spiritual sector every single day online. There are so too many practitioners giving their power over to their modalities, their tools, their guides and other people than actually building their own soul connection. They struggle bad with discernment, struggle to be in any way soul-guided, and struggle to feel deep passion and alignment.
The Hero’s Journey Archetype
In the work of Joseph Campbell, he believed there were the 3 main stages to the hero’s journey
3 Main Stages
Departure
Initiation
Return
The Hero’s Journey Steps
Campbell also believed there were 12 main steps though others would argue there were 17 steps to the hero’s journey.
Many have different views on the stages of the hero’s journey but what I believe is more important is for us to recognise how sacred our own life journey is. How rich our spiritual life and our purpose can be when we have the courage to go on our own heroine or hero’s journey.
What is shadow work and why is shadow work such an important part of self healing, raising your vibration and consciousness.
What is Shadow Work?
Shadow work is about healing our shadow traits, our inner wounding, our fears, mental and emotional triggers, unhealthy beliefs, actions and programming. Every single one of us have positive traits and shadow traits, that impact how we show up in our life. The roles we play, even the circumstances we attract in our life.
Shadow work is an important part of raising our vibration and level of consciousness. It requires a certain amount of self-awareness, self-inquiry and self-responsibility and it is an ongoing process.
It is not something you just do over a period of time and all is healed, shadow work is a fundamental part of the spiritual journey.
As they say its’s a journey not a race.
There is all different types of shadow work and in many ways different layers to shadow work.
One common aspect of shadow work is healing the inner child and this is normally done along side other archetypal shadow work. Where one explores the most dominant archetypal patterns that are playing out in their personality and behaviours.
We just need to explore the Wounded Healer a strong archetype in healers, therapists and many medical professionals.
In its highest positive light traits, the wounded healer is able to support someone’s healing process through compassion and healing from their own wounding.
“In 1951, Jung first used the term wounded healer.11 Jung believed that disease of the soul could be the best possible form of training for a healer. In a book published days before his death,12 Jung wrote that only a wounded physician could heal effectively” National Library Of Medicine – The wounded healer
In its shadow traits the ego wants to heal others than working on their own healing. The Shadow traits can show up in all sorts of way in the wounded healer. Especially in healers who wants to fix others than constantly working on their own mental, emotional, physical and spiritual healing. Healing is an ongoing process.
A healers unhealed wounding can also show up in healers who move from training to training, certificate to certificate just for the title or to add something to their business., but don’t apply the tools and techniques to their own life. Or healers and coaches who only look at light work and positive mindset and use all sorts of avoidance techniques to avoid the shadow within and around them.
Healing Our Shadow Traits
Shadow work, healing our shadow traits is an ongoing process, in a 3d world we all carry different wounding that is keeping us stuck.
Anything that triggers a negative emotional reaction is a wounding; a persons words, actions, beliefs.
Any behaviour pattern that is not of the highest vibration is a shadow trait; from the things we do or don’t put in our body and mind, what we do and don’t do in our life.
That is why things like avoidance, procrastination are shadow traits. Even over attachment to materialistic things are shadow traits as it means your ego is running the show and putting more importance to material things than your soul.The need to be right, even certain expectations are shadow traits.
There is also so many different types of shadow selves like the naive shadow, superficial shadow, cowardly shadow, suspicious shadow, controlling shadow…
5 Ways To Heal Our Shadow Traits
5 different types of shadow work that helps heal our negative traits
The Art Of Stillness
The art of being still and being able to be in the moment is a powerful part of healing our shadow wounding as it all starts with self awareness. When we struggle to be still, struggle to stop or meditate, in many ways something else is running the show. Childhood trauma or conditioning can create all sorts of unhealthy beliefs or programming around busyness, or fear of facing the shadow within. That is why deep traditional meditation practices are extremely powerful at increasing self awareness and better soul connection.
Soul Connection
Building a deep heart and soul connection helps us naturally get more connected and guided with our soul’s essence. It helps us loosen our attachment to things outside ourselves that is not of the light our divine truth. Soul work naturally helps expand our vibration and helps heal our wounding and triggers, the biggest cause of unhappiness.
It also helps elevate our consciousness and awareness to such a degree that you are not as easily influenced or programmed by the illusion and deception of the 3rd world.Equally you also become less polarised, that is why so many lightworkers who have good soul connection and good soul power can see through the veil of illusion and chaos and still stay very positive and grounded.They can look at the dark and not be as touched by, while others want to hide, because they are hiding from their own shadow.
Inner Child Healing and Inner Child Therapy
There are so many different types of inner child work that can help us explore and heal hidden and deep seated emotional triggers and unhealthy shadow traits that are keeping is stuck in patterns. Inner child play is good for beginners, it is helps form a more calm and relaxed connection with the inner child. There are a variety of psychological and healing approaches to inner child and shadow work.
I use some psychic approaches because of the amount of energetic and psychic interferences and attachments people are carrying, especially healers. For inner child work, make sure you choose a therapist who has a good understanding of trauma, the psyche and schisms.
Archetypal Therapy and Healing
Archetypes are a powerful way to highlight both positive and shadow traits in every area of our life. Technically inner child work is one aspect of archetypal work, though archetypal work outside just the realm of the inner child but all different archetypal patterns that are playing out.
I have been studying archetypal work for over 25 years and even though there is so many layers to archetypal work I find it extremely powerful to help healers, therapists and coaches and any sort of lightworkers, move through their self-sabotaging shadow traits.
Therapeutic Story Telling
Creative and therapeutic storytelling can be a powerful way to heal inner child trauma and wounding. It can be extremely healing and empowering. One of the most fun, creative and healing sessions I ever run many years ago was a Fairytale Inner Child Writing Course. Healing and changing our story our narrative about how we see ourselves is a powerful way to move out of the sabotaging survival archetypes we take on. That is why therapeutic storytelling can be used alongside other types of shadow work.
How To Nurture Your Inner Child, Comfort and Soothe Our Inner Child in a deeply healing and supportive way.
What is Your Inner Child?
Your inner child is part of you, part of your psyche that has been present from the time you have been conceived.
Our inner child forms different archetypal traits to adapt and survive our environment and family system.
It is where most of us form healthy and unhealthy archetypal traits, personality traits that shape our beliefs and behavioural patterns in adulthood.
The reason why we all have a wounded inner child that needs healing and healthy parenting.
No matter how healthy, caring, and nurturing our childhood was, we all have inner child wounds, we all have happy, self-sabotaging, and destructive patterns that impact our lives.
Nurturing Your Inner Child
Nurturing your inner child is an important part of helping to comfort, reassure, and soothe your inner child to become a more happy healthy adult.
But like everything in life, there is a healthy way to nurture and approach your inner child and a not-so-healthy way.
It is that fine balance of being able to listen and acknowledge the inner child while equally parenting the inner child in a nurturing way.
Like every child, your inner child can want and crave all sorts of unhealthy patterns in an attempt to self-soothe its trauma, neglect, abuse, and loss.
This is why it is so important to approach healing your inner child and nurturing your inner child in a healthy balanced and informed way.
10 Ways To Nurture Your Inner Child
Connect With Your Inner Child –
You cannot truly and effectively nurture your child within until you can make a healthy and deep soul connection with your inner child. This is a step that shouldn’t be rushed and it requires you to set times in your day, and week where you make that conscious connection.
Many children of certain generations were seen but not heard. And in many ways not seen.
The ability to listen to what our child archetypes and inner child are trying to tell us is of vital importance. If we don’t listen closely enough we can miss very important information, that is why listening to your inner child is so important and one of the most fundamental basics of inner child therapy.
Being Fully Present With Your Inner Child –
The ability to be fully present requires the ability to be still, be quiet, and be fully in the moment is so important. If you struggle to be still, struggle to connect within or to your soul’s essence. You are going to struggle to connect with the heart of your child’s archetypes that need your attention. That is why the right meditation techniques and soul connection skills can be extremely helpful.
Honour Your Inner Child –
it is so important for us all to respect, value, and honour our inner child and all our archetypal traits in a balanced and healthy way. Just like honouring, respecting, and valuing a child we love, we have to honour that child in a way without reinforcing unhealthy child wound patterns.
This is why honouring and valuing the child archetypes within us also involves parenting our inner child to recognise unhealthy stuck patterns. For example, the shadow traits of the eternal child who doesn’t want to grow up and chooses toto avoid growing up and taking self-responsibility. The victim child who chooses to be a victim of their circumstances, who doesn’t value, honour, or respect themself enough to create change.
Soothe Your Inner Child –
Healthy self-soothing is an important aspect of nurturing our inner child, the key is healthy soothing. Unhealthy patterns of self soothing is eating a full tub of ice cream or any other form of unhealthy comfort eating or relying on drugs or prescription medication to self-soothe.
Instead self soothe using relaxation techniques, havening, a relaxing bath, calming and grounding essential oils anything that will help calm down the nervous system in a healthy balanced way.
Play With Your Inner Child –
As adults we forget to have fun, we forget to make some playtime in our day, in our week, our life. It is so important to have fun, and laughter, and to take time out. The entertainer, jester archetype can help remind us of these qualities.
Get Creative With Your Inner Child –
Creativity can be a powerful therapeutic tool in inner child work, the right type of creativity that feels aligned with your soul can be very soothing and nurturing. Tapping into the artist, creator archetype or creative child archetype or magical child archetype can help inspire that creativity.
Exploring different creative hobbies can be extremely healing and can help reignite more passion and creativity in our lives.
Send A Letter To And From Our Inner Child –
Sending a deeply caring and loving letter to and from our inner child can be extremely healing and cathartic. Sending a letter to your inner child to tell your child that you love and care for them can help open deeper doors to self-healing. Sending a letter from the wounded child to the adult you stating what you really need right now can really help you identify what your wounded child needs and wants at a deeper soul level.
Parent The Inner Child –
Parenting our inner child is a vital part of the healing process, if we cannot parent our inner child we cannot help the child grow up in a healthy and balanced way. A healthy parent helps teach our inner child healthy patterns that help us become healthy happy grown up.
Unhealthy parenting teaches unconsciously unhealthy patterns, self-sabotaging, and destructive patterns in our lives. So part of parenting your inner child is teaching your inner child a new way of being
Healing Our Inner Child –
The right Inner Child Healing can be extremely powerful at helping you make massive shifts in your life, your relationships, your business, and your career.
So it is important to choose the right type of inner child therapist, inner child healer, or inner child work that will best suit your inner child’s needs. Choose an inner child therapist that understands trauma, self-sabotaging patterns, and your most dominant archetypal traits that are running or ruining your life.
I have personally met and worked with so many clients through the years that have felt more damaged or traumatised by therapists or healers that don’t know what they are doing.
Listening to what our inner child needs is crucial. And don’t be shy about asking the therapist about their qualifications, level, and area of expertise in inner child work; years of experience, and how many clients they have worked with. It is important our inner child feels safe and is safe with a therapist, counsellor, coach, or healer.
If you are ready to soothe, nurture, and heal your inner child into that happy healthy child check out the meditation pod which has a variety of different types of meditations, including inner child meditations, traditional meditations, sleep meditations and other types of healing and empowering guided meditations.
Understanding The 12 Main Archetypes In Therapy, Healing and Business. What are Archetypes? And what benefits can come from understanding your main archetypal traits in your life, relationships, and work?
Understanding The Main 12 Archetypes IN LIFE AND BUSINESS
Understanding Archetypes is extremely useful in certain types of therapy and healing when approached in the right way. It is a great way to understand certain human behaviors and traits, as well as societal constructs.
I began studying Archetypes over 25 years ago from the psychological and psychotherapy perspective, the spiritual and healing perspective, and then Archetypal Branding and Marketing.
I found archetypal work is an important element of Inner Child Healing and can be extremely helpful in helping us identify more clearly our strengths and our weaknesses.
To understand Archetypes it is helpful to look at the work and views of Swiss Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst Carl Jung. Specifically his Jung Archetypes and the Jungian Concept of the Psyche.
Carl believed that we all have human inclinations and/or traits that we in many ways are born with. What he regarded as heritable psychic structures that play a part in how we experience and show up in life.
When he used the word the Psyche he viewed the Psyche as the all-encompassing aspects of one’s thoughts, emotions, feelings, and behaviour. While many today would describe the psyche as just the mind.
According to Jung, he viewed the psyche as 3 Major Realms
Consciousness – Awareness which he regarded as the ego; the memories, thoughts and emotions you are aware of.
Personal Consciousness – a layer where we hold events that we are not consciously aware of It is where we hold events we have perhaps ignored, denied or discarded.
Collective Consciousness – the realm that holds in many ways a whole collection of Universal Traits; shared attitudes, beliefs, ideas, and wisdom that relate to individuals and large groups of individuals.
Through clinical patient and historical research, Jung discovered that many individuals no matter their culture, society, religious status, or beliefs, held commonly shared unconscious traits. From this understanding and research, the concept of Archetypes was introduced.
The 4 Major Jungian Archetypes
The Anima/Animus,
The Persona,
The Self
The Shadow
This would eventually lead to Jung suggesting there were a variety of different archetypes, which included the Child, Mother, Father, Hero, Trickster, and Wise Old Man…
He explained that different archetypes were not fixed but interchangeable with other archetypes. That is why what is regarded as the 12 Main Archetypes can look very different in certain types of work.
What Are The 12 Main Archetypes?
Today the work of the 12 main Archetypes has evolved from Jung’s Main Archetypes.
For example, Psychometric and Archetype analysis is used to assess certain traits; attitudes, behaviour, strengths, and weaknesses in therapy, healing, job placement, education, branding, and marketing.
The 12 main archetypes help us recognise and understand the most common dominant traits in the collective.
The 12 Main Archetypes
The use of Archetypes has become a bit of a trend. So Jung’s 12 Main Archetypes in many ways have been adapted and modernised to suit modern times but for this blog concerning therapy and healing I have chosen the 12 main archetypes below
The light aspect of the Caregiver, the Nurturer Archetype is an individual whose traits are mainly selfless, their strongest traits in life are empathy, compassion, and giving. They naturally want to nurture and protect those they meet. They are often very strong empaths and lightworkers.
Common shadow traits of the Caregiver is their tendency to protect and give unconditionally without thinking. Victim, Martyrdom, Rescuer Traits. This often leads to over-giving, lack of boundaries, and difficulties saying no. Which can lead to being undervalued, taken advantage of, exhaustion, burnout, frustration, and resentment.
The Creative Archetype’s most positive traits include the natural flair and ability to dream, create, and be original. They have a tremendous gift of imagination, innovation and self-expression
The Artist or Creative Archetype’s shadow traits include perfectionism, strong traits of neuroticism, or a tendency to put creativity over positive solutions. Overthinking and emotional instability can lead to relationship difficulties and introversion.
The light aspects of the Innocent are their optimism, positivity, their ability to see good in everyone, and their desire for everyone to like them. They tend to believe the world is a great place to live. They long for innocence, rebirth, and in many ways salvation.
The shadow aspect of the innocent is their naivety, innocence, and dreamlike view of the world and others means they can lack judgment and discernment. They are one of the easiest archetypes to impress but are fearful of being punished for doing wrong.
The light aspect of the Explorer Archetype is their sense of adventure and freedom-seeking. They enjoy seeking and exploring new places, and new experiences, they have a strong tendency towards personal freedom and space.
The shadow aspects of the Explorer Archetype include the restlessness or disease
that comes with being bored or feeling you are in one place or doing the same thing for too long. Their lack of fear or lack of boundaries for new adventures, and new places can lead to challenges around commitment, focus, persistence, rules, and boundaries. It can also be a major cause of unhealthy forms of escapism like drugs, alcohol, adrenaline junkie.
Hero Archetype is also known as Champion, Defender, Rescuer, Warrior
Positive aspects of the Hero Archetype include the depth of courage, energy, and power they have to achieve something they believe is the honourable thing to do. They are about making the world a better place, defending the rights of others. They can often see the bigger picture concerning governments, organisations and society.
Shadow aspects of the Hero Archetype can be a strong need for power and limelight. Their tremendous level of ambition can get work against them or others. Doing almost anything including stepping over others or sacrificing themself to achieve that goal. Can be viewed negatively as Conspiracy Theorists although they tend to have a wider view than others on what is going on.
The Magician and Alchemist Archetype’s most positive and light traits include the ability to be a catalyst for transformation and growth. They tend to have a much stronger and deeper connection to the universe and unseen than many other archetypes do.
So tend to have strong intuitive and or psychic traits. I tend to attract a lot of Alchemists in my work as many are natural healers, spiritual teachers, and transformational coaches.
The Magician’s shadow traits include being easily seduced by magic, money, and illusion. They don’t always have patience and like the Magician Apprentice want to get the results without always doing the work or practice.
This alongside having very strong opinions can make them sometimes the challenging student. Or cause them to not reach their full potential or fall for their own illusions. They can as quickly destruct or self-destruct as transform and make great change.
The Lover or Romantic Archetype’s main light traits are feminine, love, emotions, passion, sensitivity, devotion, and commitment. This archetype is easily suppressed by strict or rigid parenting.
The Romantic or Lover Archetype’s shadow traits include their deep fear of rejection, their need for someone else, and their need to please. Lack of Self-Love and Self-Care. Can have a strong tendency towards co-dependency issues, over-attachment, and neuroticism. Suppression of the Lover Archetype can lead to all sorts of addictions and promiscuity.
Jester Archetype is also known as the Clown, Fool, Trickster, Party Host,
Jester Archetype’s main positive traits are their strong ability to have fun, and be the life and soul of the party. They have a natural ability to uplift others and get others to join in and engage in activities or communication. Tend to be entertaining and or a natural comedian. Their main motto tends to be you only live once.
Common Jester Archetype shadow traits include not always taking things seriously, because they fear being judged as boring. They often have challenges with being mature, sensible, and taking responsibility. Their darkest shadow elements include deception, lies, and manipulation.
The main reason the Jester is viewed as both positive fun and as the Trickster devious and deceptive is because of their polar opposite tendencies. The Jester can therefore be fooled by their mind, believe anything is possible, and not see their weaknesses or limits within a situation.
Orphan Archetype also known as the Communitarian, Realist, Everyday Girl Or Everyday Man
Realist Archetype’s main positive traits include their strong abilities of equality, they are normally highly sociable, and are particularly relatable to the man on the street. Think of the boy or girl next door.
Realist’s shadow traits include their fear of being the odd person out, excluded, so they can easily themself and their values just to be part of the group, the community.
Rebel Archetype also known as the Outlaw Archetype
Rebel Archetype’s main light traits are their Free Spirit, their ability to expand and break perceived limitations, and their level of independence.
Rebel’s main shadow traits include their fear, frustration with rules and boundaries, thinking of the Rebel without a clue, or Rebel without a cause. In the negative state, they can have a tendency to go against the grain or rules just for the sake of it. This can lead to a lot of self-destructive or self-sabotaging patterns in life, relationships, work, and business.
Ruler Archetype is also known as the Leader, Father, King, Royalty, or Sovereign Archetype
Ruler Archetype’s main positive attributes include their natural ability to be a leader, to lead than to be led as a Benevolent King. They tend to be authoritarian figures, that have courage, strength, and a broad view of a situation.
Shadow traits of the Ruler Archetype include repressed anger, and the need to dominate some sort of control or power over others. And their inability to see what they are suppressing rather than leading or motivating. They struggle to trust others and to delegate. And insatiable thirst for material success or status, difficulty asking for help or admitting when wrong.
Sage Archetype is also known as the Philosopher, Teacher
A Sage’s positive attributes include a strong thirst for deep wisdom, truth, and knowledge. They tend to live a life full of introspection and introversion. They tend to philosophize their life’s journey as a series of lessons and insights.
The sage in some ways is the more mature, knowledgeable, and wiser Magician.
Common Sage shadow traits include they can be the never-ending student, always learning, but never taking any action or using their knowledge for any common good. Often a life that is analyzed than lived. Can struggle to be fully in the moment.
Introduction To The 12 Main Archetypes
Now this is just an introduction to understanding the 12 Main Archetypes. Archetypal healing goes a lot wider and deeper. When applied in the right way it can be a powerful tool in Inner Child Therapy, in Healing, and in certain types of Spiritual Coaching and Mentoring.
The reality is there are so many different recognised archetypes in the collective unconscious. So many that can be used and explored to support us in different ways.
But the most important one for you to explore your strengths and vulnerabilities- is identifying your strongest main archetype. That main archetype that shows up in you in the way you live your life every single day.
Understanding Yourself Through The 12 Main Archetypes
I believe the more we understand our main archetypes, the more we can understand ourselves. It can also be extremely helpful in identifying your strengths and those things you need to work on. I also use Archetypes as a tool to help healers, coaches, and Spiritual Teachers build a business around their strengths rather than their weaknesses. Archetypal Branding to help capture the energy and emotion of their business and them in their marketing.
Understanding Your Business Through The 12 Main Archetypes
Understanding the most dominant archetypal traits of your business can give you a great edge in business and marketing. It can help you understand the energetic traits and values of your business and the soul clients and customers your business is more aligned with.
What Archetypes Can Teach Us About Our Purpose
Taking Back Your Sovereignty
Moving out of the slave into the leader, king, and queen archetype energy.
