Since ancient times, people have consulted holy men and women, astrology, and other divination tools to gain insight into life. The search to know what awaits us in the future, the consultation on situations of daily life and in areas that include relationships, finances, health and spirituality were the reasons to seek higher wisdom, not accessible through our own mental and intellectual capacities. The archetypal wheel pioneered by Caroline Myss is used for the same purpose. It is a tool applied for the purpose of self-empowerment and personal transformation.
The wheel has twelve houses as in the astrological model. A unique set of twelve archetypes is determined, four of which are common to all. These twelve archetypes define the core of the individual. They roll to match each house on the wheel. This is also known as the natal chart or the origin chart. You can gain insight into yourself using this wheel by yourself (see the ‘Interpreting your contracts and your archetypal wheel’ section in the book, ‘Sacred Contracts’) or with the help of a certified archetypal consultant.
The four archetypes common to all are known as ‘survival archetypes’. They are the Child, the Victim, the Prostitute and the Saboteur. Like archetypal gods, such as Mother Kali, who symbolizes destruction but is actually called to protect us from evil, “these archetypal energies are neutral, and I must reinforce that point here because of the connotations of their names. Although You Will Come to see how even the most common variant of the Child archetype, the Wounded Child, can be difficult to see how the Victim, Prostitute and Saboteur can provide us with powerful and supportive images, they do and you will deal with your life today”. (p. 111, Myss)
The boy
The Child is called as the ‘Guardian of Innocence’ and unlike the other three survival archetypes it has many variants such as:
the wounded child,
the abandoned child,
the orphan boy,
the dependent or needy child,
the child of nature,
the innocent child, and
the Divine Child.
I once had a session with a well-known intuitive, Sonia Choquette. I listened carefully to the insights she gave me about myself, which later turned out to be very helpful and empowering, to say the least. “You have been dominated by family for many, many lifetimes and in turn the agreement was that family would take care of you… But in this lifetime you really want to break the pattern,” she began reading. . From her knowledge and with more help, I recognized that I have the Eternal Child, which teaches me that if I do not work and take care of myself in the physical world, I would be depending on others.
We can work with the common Child archetype or delve into a specific one of the above. “…the central theme of all the Child archetypes is dependency and responsibility: when to take responsibility, when to have a healthy dependency, when to stand up to the group, and when to embrace community life” (Myss, p. 112) .
The victim
Assertiveness, not aggression, is a quality of the Victim Archetype and is also known as the ‘Guardian of Self Esteem’. This is an archetype commonly known as the Child archetype and could be used to warn us when we are in danger of giving in to self-pity or being trampled on by others.
Dr. Myss teaches that personal boundaries are important on the path to self-empowerment, and developing an awareness of ourselves through the Victim can help establish healthy boundaries.
the prostitute
In today’s world, we mainly work to survive in the world. While this is fundamental, we also miss the opportunity to nurture ourselves within the fundamental values that make up life. For example, we don’t know how the value of integrity can help us in the physical and spiritual world. We need to have faith in life and values. The Prostitute is the ‘Guardian of the Faith.’
“If you have faith, no one can buy you. You know that you can take care of yourself and also that the Divine is taking care of you. Without faith, however, you will eventually meet the price you cannot refuse” (Myss, p. 118).
the saboteur
Have you ever felt that there is more to your life than what you were currently experiencing? I’ve got. Feelings of dissatisfaction and loneliness are just messages for us to take charge of our life, which includes action. Calling on the company of the saboteur archetype will guide one to take the required action and then help one to overcome vices such as fear and procrastination.
“Fears of being without the basic necessities of life, from food to shelter to a social and personal network, often give this archetype the power to haunt you” (Myss, p. 122). Because he is called the Guardian of Choice, exercising the courage to act is the key to dealing with the shadow Saboteur.
conclusion
Because we all have these four archetypes in our origin chart, we can learn to use them in our daily lives, even without our archetypal wheel. We often refrain from living our lives fully because we tend to be unaware of our own thoughts and actions. Having the company of these four archetypes in our consciousness can connect us with those deep parts within ourselves. Connecting with the four archetypes within ourselves can give us protection that leads us to act correctly in the world.
Archetypes serve us best when we approach them through an attitude of reverence.
Reference:
‘Sacred Contracts: Awakening Your Divine Potential’, book by Caroline Myss
Recommendation:
A step-by-step guide to determining your 12 archetypes, casting the archetypal wheel, and interpreting it is available online at http://www.myss.com/library/contracts/
