Archetypes are patterns of behavior that have been locked into the collective unconscious. They represent the ways in which human beings express and manage power. Archetypes influence the many hats we wear and shape our personality at a very deep level. It is assumed that one’s unique personality gives rise to certain patterns of behavior, but it is rather the opposite. One’s archetypes shape and define one’s personality. We are surrounded by archetypal energies and expressions most easily recognized in movies, books and art. Our favorite characters in films usually grab our attentions because we see ourselves in the behaviors and motivations of the character. The books we read and reread are studied and loved because we find ourselves between the pages. The art we hang on our walls is only a mirror of our deeper and sometimes hidden selves. Archetypes are a major theme in the works of Carl Jung.
Twelve Archetypes
In her book Sacred Contracts, Carolyn Myss posits that each individual has twelve personal archetypes, four archetypes that are shared by all human beings and eight archetypes that are as unique in their combinations as a fingerprint or a snowflake. The number twelve has obvious significance astrologically, religiously, secularly and mystically and is an archetypal number. There are twelve signs in the zodiac, Jesus had twelve apostles, there are twelve months in a year and the mystical Mayan calendar predicts a powerful change in the year 2012.
Archetypes as Labels
The names of archetypes are the labels we have collectively agreed upon to describe and delineate individual power, albeit subconsciously. Obvious examples include the Princess, Hero, Martyr, Clown, Child, Geek, Healer, Mentor, Mother. and more. Less obvious examples include the Virgin, Hedonist, Destroyer, Slave, Detective, Trickster and many others.