Dance of Archetypes
Archetypes jumbled on the page. Is this all the Archetypes there are? By no means. It is an interesting list however. I look at them. Some of them are familiar. I smile. Some of them are so familiar that I know their embarrassing childhood stories. Some of them know mine. Some of them are foreign. Some of them are threatening. Some of them are neutral. Which will I dance with?
Actor Addict Alchemist
Anarchist Artist Avenger
Bureaucrat Beggar Bully
Caregiver Child Clown
Companion Coward Craftsperson
Crone Crook Damsel
Detective Dictator Dilettante
Diplomat Disciple Diva
Dreamer Eternal Boy/Girl Evangelist
Fool Gaia Gambler
God Goddess Gossip
Healer Herald Hermit
Historian Innovator Judge
Knight Liberator Lover
Magician Martyr Masochist
Matriarch Midas Monk
Muse Mystic Nature Boy/Girl
Networker Nun Olympian
Patriarch Pilgrim Pioneer
Poet Politician Predator
Priest Prince Princess
Prophet Prostitute Provocateur
Puck Puppet Puritan
Rebel Redeemer Rescuer
Revolutionary Robot Saboteur
Sadist Sage Samaritan
Scholar Scout Scribe
Seductress Seeker Seer
Servant Settler Shaman
Sidekick Slave Spoiler
Storyteller Student Teacher
Thief Tramp Trickster
Tyrant Vampire Victim
Visionary Warrior Witch
Wizard Zombie
Some of them will speak to me, will seek me out. Some of them will know automatically that they belong to me. Others will take some thought. In a mutual dance of electing, my Archetypes and I will choose each other.
Caregiver Artist
Crone Child
Detective Eternal Boy/Girl
Dreamer Gaia
Fool Goddess
Healer Mystic
Historian Seeker
Knight Student
Magician Alchemist
Matriarch Lover
Muse Princess
Poet Scribe
Puck Seer
Rebel Teacher
Scholar Trickster Witch
Seductress Storyteller Wizard
Now. Just as an experiment, what if I had to give some of them up and keep others? It is an exercise that is only academic, of course, for I will surely keep them all, and add more if the time comes when they fit. Sometimes an archetype is outgrown and not active any more. Still I keep even those, for their history is wired into who I am now, through who I was then. But if I had to narrow it down, which ones fit best? Which could easily go and which ones could I just not stand to part with?
I begin to narrow, to cull, to examine each Archetype more closely to see which attributes pull me the most strongly, which ones I will wear most often.
Caregiver Crone Dreamer Seeker
Magician Matriarch Muse Poet
Scholar Seductress Wizard Storyteller Artist Child Mystic
Lover Teacher Goddess Rebel
And Again . . .
Caregiver Dreamer Poet
Scholar Storyteller Artist
child Mystic Goddess Seeker
And yet again . . . closer to the bone . . . closer to the mirror. . . closer to the dream . .
Dreamer Poet Child Artist Seeker
How can I let go of one of these? OK, it’s academic. Well then . . .
Dreamer Poet Child Artist
Dreamer Poet Artist
Poet Artist
Can I do it? Can it be done? Can I take it down to one?
Poet
Indeed. And with that . . . the word is said.
And something worth knowing is known.