Using the Archetypes — The Seeker
Ask students, ask my partner, ask my therapist, ask my team — I love seeing the world in archetypes.
The obsession began young. My middle school Latin teacher broke up the monotony of declension exercises with lessons on Roman mythology. It's where I got introduced to the fickle gods and humans of the classics. My Greco-Roman education would help me over and over again as I tried to learn the basics of astrology.
Mythology, Astrology, Story and Archetypes
Oh, yes, Mercury/Hermes is a witty, worldly, intelligent trickster who tells secrets. He's androgynous. He's multi-dimensional. He loves traveling and learning about the world. Humans fascinate him. He zooms between the human world and Mt. Olympus, never fully belonging in either. He's changeable — mercurial.
I was obsessed with these stories, the same way I was obsessed with parables and stories from the Bible. Because the characters were simple. They were easy to understand, painted with broad strokes and unfussy motivations. Sometimes, these characters didn't even get real names, just the King, or the Farmer, or the Shepherd, or the Temptress, or the Good Samaritan.
The cool thing about archetypes is that you learn about them without even realizing it, thanks to books and movies and culture, generally.
What’s an archetype?
An archetype is an original model after which other similar things are patterned. The term "archetype" is used in psychology to describe the images, patterns, and symbols (see also symbol) that rise out of the collective unconscious and appear in dreams, mythology, and fairy tales. In literature, we use tools like The Hero's Journey to help shape stories and the characters in those stories.
And archetypes are universal patterns seen across time and space.
Whether you realize it or not, you use archetypes to identify and relate to people on a daily basis. We categorize people into archetypical roles as a way of understanding who they are.
That woman is a Mother.
She's a Hustler.
They are a Queen.
He's a modern Mystic.
She is such a Teacher.
He's a Bully.
Humans embody archetypes within our personalities. But we're not just one archetype — we contain multitudes. We're multi-hyphenate and complex!
The archetype landscape is VAST. There are infinite archetypes because they continue to be created as we exist in the world and forge new paths! But, there are a few dozen primary archetypes that many of us see with distinct clarity in our lives.
Seeing our archetypal patterns
So what do we do with this knowledge? We learn more about ourselves. We use archetypal patterns to examine our personal myths, beliefs, drives, motivations, actions. Our relationships are organized and energized by their archetypal patterns. So are all our choices — for better or worse.
We cycle through different archetypes and archetypal experiences our entire lives. Often, one archetype is at the forefront of our focus and personality. Understanding how to navigate that experience can help us ease our own suffering.
When I know that my Shapeshifter archetype is hot and heavy, I can resource myself accordingly. When my Victim archetype takes the driver's seat, time to pay attention. When my CEO archetype comes forward, I know that energy is temporary, and I want to work with it.
From where I sit, people who blend intuition and business — the magical and the practical — experience an archetype lifecycle of an Intuitive Leader. Intuitive leaders work through five archetypes as they grow, evolve, and become more powerfully authentic.
The Seeker Archetype
With that said, let's dive into the first archetype on our journey, one that many of you reading this might resonate with: The Seeker.
Before we get started, do an audit for yourself — what do you associate with the term, "Seeker?"
*jeopardy music plays*
I think of a traveler, a wanderer. The main character from Paolo Coehlo's book, The Alchemist. Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. Marie Curie studying radium. Hilma at Klimt muddling through mystical art. Einstein searching for the answer to the theory of relativity. Ram Dass being Ram Dass.
As defined by my teacher, Carolyn Myss, the Seeker is:
"The Seeker archetype is on a lifelong journey in pursuit of wisdom, knowledge, and truth because it is what their soul requires. The Seeker archetype also refers to one who searches on a path that may begin with earthly curiosity but has at its core the search for God and/or enlightenment. Unlike the Mystic, which has the Divine as its sole focus, the Seeker is in search of wisdom and truth wherever it is to be found."
The Seeker is ready to turn over any rock if it might provide an answer. As a result, they often find themselves blindsided in surprising situations that they've landed in. It's not unusual for a Seeker to follow a lead down a rabbit hole, only to realize that they've accidentally joined a cult. #seekerlife
At their best, Seekers look for the truth ... and find it. At their darkest and most desperate, they fall into an infinite loop of answer-seeking but fail to apply what they've learned to their own lives. The deepest fear of a Seeker is that the right answer isn't out there.
How to tell if you’re living the Seeker archetype
Often, the Seeker experiences an initiation, which brings this archetype to the surface of their personality. If you identify with the Seeker archetype, you might've had an "awakening." Maybe you feel like you got hit over the head with something and you now see the world in a completely different way.
This awakening can be something like a Saturn Return, a physical illness, or a traumatic experience. But it could also be as small as stumbling across a book or idea that sparked something inside of you that you can't stop thinking about.
If you're working through the Seeker archetype right now, you might:
be voracious for knowledge and wisdom
be very intuitive, and feel "guided" to study certain ideas or topics
attend workshops, seminars, and readings whenever you can on your quest to understand more
feel like you're looking for the single key or clue that will unravel the whole mystery
feel the urge to leave your life, work, relationships to find the true version of yourself
crave travel experiences
look from guru to guru to find someone who knows the answer
have the desire to study and become certified in every practice you come into contact with
feel connected to the Divine, but like you're missing something
resist looking at yourself by looking outside of yourself for the answers
easily become completely obsessed, but ultimately disenchanted by a belief, teacher, or practice
feel that you're not ready to know the answers, but excited by the idea that you could!
Conclusion
Can I let you in on something, though, dear Seeker? There is no penultimate "right" answer. The secret is that there is no secret. But don't take my word for it! You've gotta find that out for yourself.
If you resonate with the Seeker archetype, the next step is to explore and look for the answers you're craving. Stay honest with yourself — and prepare for the inevitable next step!