Spiritual Archetypes I Retailing Insight Magazine

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From the moment we are born, and throughout our lives, we are actors performing on a stage. As William Shakespeare said in his play As You Like It, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances. And one man in his time plays many parts.”

When we are born, we enter the world with a spiritual identity and spiritual nature that, for many people, is most innate in childhood. As people grow and experience life, the ideals and beliefs of others become prominent, and children inevitably put on their masks and become actors in their lives. As people move into adulthood, and through many people’s lives, they lose the spiritual essence and their true selves they once had, and what remains is the actor they have been playing since they stepped into the role.

Just as an actor receives awards, recognition, and respect for their performances and become titles such as “Academy Award-winning actor,” we, too, allow our accolades to become our persona. Many people desperately strive for these titles, achievements, and identities rather than seeking their spiritual selves. They generally no longer live in their spiritual identity or do what feeds their souls. Instead, they look for an approved personality that the world approves.

The word personality is derived from the Latin persona, defined as “a mask that an actor wears.” So much of the world strives to identify, display, and fight for their personality, yet do not realize that they are only fighting for a mask, not their true spiritual self. And while our masks may not be sinister or necessarily harmful, they are still not the truth of who we are.

Our spiritual selves are our authentic selves and the truth of who we are. The Spiritual Archetypes are a powerful tool for finding, exploring, and honoring our spiritual selves while removing worldly identities and masks. By seeing what parts of us are authentic and which roles we have played, we can stop being actors and embody our fullest potential as souls. But what exactly is an archetype, and how can the Spiritual Archetypes help us on our path?

 

The Spiritual Archetypes

The definition of archetype in Merriam-Webster’s dictionary states, “the original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are copied or on which they are based, a model or first form – prototype.” The word archetype first entered English in the 1540s, but psychologist Carl Jung created the classic psychological archetypes in 1919. Jung believed that twelve universal psychological archetypes symbolize human motivations, visions, and goals. He defined archetypes as “a collectively inherited unconscious idea, pattern of thought, image, etc., universally present in individual psyches.” Jung found that most, if not all, people exhibited multiple archetypes and characteristics of their archetypes in their personalities. Through studying and exploring archetypes, people have learned the importance and value of understanding ourselves on a conscious and subconscious level. The Spiritual Archetypes symbolize our motivations, visions, and personal and spiritual goals. People with a specific Spiritual Archetype may identify with that archetype’s intentions, blocks, and belief systems. One of the primary purposes of the Spiritual Archetypes is to identify those struggles and provide information, guidance, and healing resources that will resonate with that specific archetype to achieve the utmost success.

The quiz, What Is Your Spiritual Archetype? pinpoints these specific nuances for each of the paths and assists quiz takers in discovering their top Spiritual Archetypes. By seeing the main, and ascendant Spiritual Archetypes, people can see what their main influence is, as well as additional Spiritual Archetypes that may be impacting them and their path. The quiz has been taken over one million times worldwide and has been monumental in people’s lives, healing, businesses, relationships, and spiritual practices. The Spiritual Archetypes are similar to astrology in that they have a prominent sign (which is your sun sign), an ascendant sign, a moon sign, houses, etc. The Spiritual Archetypes have a main influence, followed by other secondary, Spiritual Archetypes. By taking the quiz, you will discover your Spiritual Archetypes and how they influence you.

The Spiritual Archetypes are personal identities with conscious and unconscious characteristics, behaviors, and beliefs, serving as doorways into our consciousness, which provide divine revelation when we walk through them. By knowing our Spiritual Archetypes, we better can understand ourselves, our path, patterns, beliefs, and reasoning. However, the Spiritual Archetypes are not just personal attributes; they also serve as aids in the quest for God and our spiritual path. Understanding our Spiritual Archetype gives us insight and clarity to bypass everyday hardships, recalibrate our quest when needed, and identify our masks, in order to create the most rewarding spiritual path.

 

The Characters in Our Subconscious

Sometimes, our masks appear as beliefs, unhealed traumas, and characters within our conscious and subconscious that keep us from progressing and transcending our spiritual path.

In 1961, voiceover superstar Mel Blanc, who voiced famous characters such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Elmer Fudd, as well as many others, was severely injured in a car accident while driving home in Los Angeles. In critical condition, Blanc fell into a coma and almost died. His son and wife were at the hospital for weeks, speaking to him and hoping for a sign he would recover, but he remained unresponsive. Doctors attempted everything, but the situation seemed hopeless. One day, about two weeks after his accident, his neurologist decided to try something unconventional. Upon entering Mel’s room in the morning, he loudly asked, “How are you feeling today, Bugs Bunny?” The other nurses and doctors were shocked by his unethical behavior until they heard a small voice respond from the hospital bed: “Myeeeeh… What’s up, Doc?” Although unable to speak or react as himself, Mel could hear and answer as characters he played. The doctor addressed Mel in his character names, including Tweety Bird, to which Mel responded as that character every time until he awoke from his coma and was once again personifying himself, Mel Blanc.

Our subconscious is a powerful fragment of our mind. Even things we do not believe are causing harm may hurt us emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Without realizing it, we may be letting one of our “character’s” triggers or fears answer for us instead of our inner self (soul) responding. Anyone who has endured an abusive relationship may have created characters as coping mechanisms while in survival mode. These characters embody the “fight, flight, or flee” qualities. If someone grew up in poverty, the character of “poverty consciousness” might emerge, regardless of how much money they are currently making. If someone has ever felt victimized, the essence of “victim mentality” may show itself, even in situations that are not relevant. Mel’s characters were distinct. They had names and personalities, were easily definable, and were created for fun and entertainment.

Motives are not always evident in our characters, and we may be expressing feelings created by hardship and strife. Often, our characters were created for self-preservation. At one time or another, they provided a sense of security, love, prosperity, or safety because they were born to aid us in struggle, trauma, or adversity. Unfortunately, as our life changes or progresses, these characters become out of place, even inappropriate. They are playing a role in a film that has ended. Alternatively, they continue their lines, keeping us stuck in a movie reel from the past, unable to move forward or let go. In acting, there is a process known as “typecasting,” when an actor becomes strongly associated with a specific character they play. The longer they play that character or the more intense the process of getting into character, the more difficult it is for the actor to “become” a different character.

Similarly, if we are typecast in a role that goes against our spiritual nature, the longer we cling to that identity or feed into the negative traits of that character, the more difficult it can be to shed. Finding the root of these characters and allowing God to heal our wounds releases them, thus freeing us to live in the present. The characters and stories in our subconscious determine the reel that projects and manifests into our lives. When we heal and let go of the pernicious feelings in our subconscious, we can create the story and life we desire.

 

Seeking Our Spiritual Identity

As they proceed with this work, many people ask, “If we have acted in a role for so long, how do we differentiate between the worldly mask and our soul?” We study artists to learn more about a piece of art. We look at the songwriter when we want to learn about a song and its lyrics. The creators of art pieces tell us more of a story than just the work of art ever could. Knowing more about the creator paints an entire picture and allows us to see beyond the spectrum of our thoughts and perceptions. Some people have spent their whole lives researching the Mona Lisa and the secrets of the piece itself. To do so, any reasonable researcher would additionally conclude that they would have to research the artist, Leonardo DaVinci, himself. By learning about Leonardo DaVinci, his beliefs, mindset, background, environment, interests, etc., they can learn more about his art and discover more about the pieces themselves. One of the greatest mysteries is who the Mona Lisa is. Her identity has remained a mystery for centuries. In studying the artist, people also hope to identify the mystery woman. Similarly, having God as our creator and knowing more about God helps us to learn more about ourselves. To truly discover our authentic identity, we must look to our artist, just as we would in trying to find the identity of the Mona Lisa.

We are, first and foremost, spiritual beings with a soul made in the image and likeness of God. Paramahansa Yogananda once said, “The universal everything is made of the singular consciousness of God. When a spark of that consciousness is individualized by God, it becomes a soul capable of ultimately expressing the God image in which it is made.

 

The soul is perfect and complete, reflecting God’s ever-existing, ever-conscious, ever-new bliss. But when incarnate, it takes on the dualistic nature of creation, outwardly expressing primarily masculine or feminine, positive or negative, half of its essence.” Our souls are the spark of God’s consciousness individualized. As such, we hold fragments of that spark within us. That spark, our soul, is the line that tethers us to our spiritual nature. With the Spiritual Archetypes, we tap into the sovereignty of our soul instead of focusing on the human self, which allows our true, authentic, spiritual self to shine through.

 

 

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