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ENERGIZING WITH ARCHETYPES & GUIDES
by Renee Bledsoe

Archetypes are impersonal patterns of behavior and influence that are both ancient and universal. They become personalized when they are a part of our individual psyche. Archetypes provide us with the means to interpret our reality without the influence of our sensory stimulation. Therefore they are very powerful to our psyche, because they are a pure energy download which can directly interpret our belief system bypassing subjective processes of thought, logic and reasoning.

Archetypes can bring us to a state of pure feeling and can affect our state, as well as reveal it. As we become aware of their influence in our life we can actively work with these holographic energies and multi-dimensional patterns to help bring us to the heights of our human potential. Who knows, maybe one day you'll emerge as an archetype... maybe you already are.

We know that awareness of archetypes dates back to the time of Plato, who identified them as Forms. Plato believed that these eternal Forms were reflected in material objects. The Form of Beauty, for example, is abstract and applies to all beautiful things; as vastly different as the individual manifestations of Beauty may be--a beautiful person, sunset, or flower--the Form itself does not change.

The Swiss psychologist Carl Jung developed this idea even further. For Jung, archetypes comprised psychological patterns derived from historical roles in life, such as the Mother, Child, Trickster, and Servant, as well as universal events or situations, including Initiation or Death and Rebirth. Along with our individual personal unconscious, which is unique to each of us, Jung asserted, "there exists a second psychic system of a collective, universal, and impersonal nature that is identical in all individuals." This collective unconscious, he believed, was inherited rather than developed, and was composed mainly of archetypes.

Associating yourself with gods, goddesses, angels, icons, mystical creatures, animal guides, symbols and hero’s both living and dead, imagined or real can be one of the most powerful mechanisms for healing and enlightenment that you can employ. On a spiritual level, people have been attempting to follow the life of such role models as Jesus Christ, Buddha, Dali Lami and Mother Teresa for ages. This type of identification is obvious. However, there are many other archetypal energies out there to help you discover yourself. I would encourage you to investigate the full spectrum.

Everyone is different. That which would resonate with me, would be meaningless to you…and vice versa. I may need a host of archetypes, you may be happy with 1 or 2 at a time. They may even shift and change as the times of your life unfold and you personally develop. Some you may outgrow, others you may find you were under utilizing and you come back to them when you are ready. Therefore, the trick is to choose the ones that are right for you. No matter what, whether they choose you or you choose them the archetypes you identify with reveal a great deal about you.

Archetypes have the power to act as virtual guides to self-discovery, which leads to healing and wholeness. Although some archetypes, if you really think about what they represent to you, do not help you associate with what you want to become. Rather, they may be a clue to your subconscious issues which are holding you back. You identify with them because you perceive that you share their pain, problem or situation. In my opinion there is no such thing as a “good” or “bad” archetype. So don’t feel like there is something wrong with you, if you identify with something potentially regarded as evil or negative. The thing to do is to investigate that….not hide from it or deny it. In either case, whether they are helping you hone higher skills within yourself or helping you to uncover blocks to healing, they are serving a need within you.

If this resonates with you, I would encourage you to think about the power of using archetypes mindfully to receive the most blessings from their gifts. To receive the deepest understanding you will need to reflect and research the ones that “speak” to you. I use books and the internet to research my guides and archetypes. And I never come up empty handed. I am always rewarded with some nugget of information or deeper understanding of myself and my loved ones. The mosaic that it creates is always very personal and pertinent to me and reveals to me profound wisdom. Anyone can do this. It can actually be fun, detective work.

When I think about some of the archetypes I have identified with in the past, I get a very clear sense of where I was mentally at the time. For example, both my husband and I used to have something of an obsession with a couple of Disney characters, that at the time we thought were cute. Now as I look back, I see that those icons were not positive ones, but rather ones that we each identified with out of our own repressed pain. Grumpy and Eeyore we were. What a couple! Grumpy: mad, mean and angry. Eeyore: miserable, sad and depressed. Yep, that about summed it up. My only problem now, is how to tell my little daughter that I don’t like Eeyore anymore!

It didn’t occur to me at the time that I was identifying with the negative emotions of my favorite Disney character, as well as his cute sad eyes. But I do have to admit, it did occur to me that my husband loved grumpy so much….well, because he was grumpy, too. But now that I have reflected on it the piece I missed was this: We all know that Grumpy really isn’t that grumpy, so maybe, he really identified with him because all it took was a kiss of pure love from Snow White to soften his angry brow or so he thought. So what does all that mean? How can it help me now?

Well, what it tells me is to pay attention to hero’s, icons, symbols and people that really touch me. Think back even to my childhood. What characters and people did I gravitate toward. Notice who and what my children, my partner and anyone else that is close to me hold in high esteem. There is a clear message within each and every one.

I now mindfully choose the archetypes that I identify with, not by force nor arbitrary selection, but through intuition and awareness. For example, as I sought a Goddess energy to align with, I did it by intuitively picking cards from a deck. I happened to get the same Goddess 5 times in a row on 5 separate occasions, which makes the message pretty difficult to ignore. Often, however, it isn’t quite that simple. Sometimes more information is needed before you know if you identify totally or not. Even if you do get lucky on your draw, it is still necessary to keep receiving information. It only enriches the experience and will help you develop the power of the archetype within yourself.

Sometimes the information you receive will be so powerfully meaningful to you that you will get an “aha”, other times you may get seemingly arcane information that doesn’t quite gel with you at the time. It is important to keep your mind open when this happens, because if you have received this guide through intuition most likely the whole picture hasn’t opened up to you yet.

One way I develop my archetypes is by using the internet as an oracle. As I research my guides, I find that I am “led” from one link to the next as if by serendipity. Always I am led to information that is so utterly pertinent to the situation that I have an inner knowing that this archetype is right for me. Then as I continue to research, at my leisure, the puzzle continues to get pieced together of exactly how this archetypal energy can be applied to my life or what message it has for me.

Anyone can do this. Archetypes are already emblazoned in our everyday lives. We just need to be come aware of them. Think about how many companies, sports teams, military, educational and other organizations utilize archetypes, in the form of mascots and logos. If you are completely stumped, think about the logo of the company you work for…or your favorite football team…or your high school mascot. Chances are you already identify with or have identified with at least one archetype. I encourage you to explore your past archetypes, as well to cultivate new and positive ones. This will help you to hone your awareness. Aligning yourself with the powerful energy of an archetype can not only help you heal and become whole, it can lead you to the fulfillment of your destiny!

JUMP TO:
70 Main Archetypal Energy Patterns from Carline Myss, Ph.D.
More on Archetypes from Carline Myss, Ph.D.
Plato's Theory of Forms
Jungian Archetypes
Joseph Campbell Myth