Archetypes

We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the Light. —Plato, 427 BC – 347 BC

The Wikipedia definition of an archetype is “an original model of a person, ideal example, or a prototype after which others are copied, patterned or emulated; a symbol universally recognized by all”. In simple terms, an archetype is used to refer to stereotypes or patterns of behavior. Such things as the Mother, Child, or Hero archetype bring to mind certain characteristics. All archetypes have positive aspects as well as “shadow” behaviors. For example, the Mother archetype may be seen as a nurturing caring, or loving personality; but the shadow side might display as control or over-bearing. The shadow side of something has power over us simply because it remains “in the dark”. As mere humans, we tend to deny its presence because we consider it unacceptable for us to really have such behaviors or characteristics. Only when we face and acknowledge the shadow’s presence can we begin to see its negative impact on us. One way to face it is to just be witness to it – look for it when it occurs. From there we should be able to recognize when we feel it and make it work for us instead of against us. We all carry personality traits throughout our lives. We use them to learn about ourselves and recognize things in other people. Bear witness to what you feel and see what happens.