Archetypes have profoundly changed me this year, and I think they can be a tool for you as well.
I have been working with Archetypes for years, but while I was creating the Masculine Archetype Deck, I underwent a deep-felt change.
I learned how to be a more dynamic person.
You see, a year ago, I thought I was a particular type of person. I was the brooding artist that was traveling and dedicated all his energy to his craft. There were so many things I never did because I was busy,
But you know what… I was lying to myself.
For instance, I never did solo backpacking because I could not picture myself doing it. I limited myself because of the story I told myself.
Working with Masculine Archetype Deck shattered a lot of these assumptions.
It made me realize there were many “selves” to me.
I remember a significant shift happened when I was drawing an Archetype a day. At this time, it was just words on paper (I didn’t make the artwork yet). The biggest change/revelation came when I drew the Adventurer.
I have been on a lot of adventures, but I always felt out of place. You see, I saw myself as a brooding artist. I just happened to be traveling. Often, this meant I was in my head and never craved the wild and unexpected.
But working with archetypes gave me a new of relating to my identity. When I drew that card, I decided I wanted to feel the way an adventurer felt. Within two weeks, I summited Mount Adams – going up a wall of ice.
You see, Archetypes can help you expand what you think is possible.
I saw myself as a flat, one-dimensional character. Working with Archetypes helped me know the range of possibilities. I could try them on, like method acting, and awaken parts of myself I didn’t even know I had.
This is why I became so driven to create the Masculine Archetype Deck. I wanted to help others increase what they thought was possible.
If you have the prelaunch Masculine Archetype Deck, try pulling a card a day and explore the part of your character that Archetype invokes. Take it on as an actor would. You might find new hobbies, ideas, and ways of relating to the world.
If you don’t have the deck yet (I am releasing a Kickstarter in January to launch the final deck), you can explore each of the HeroRise Archetypes with the online guidebook. Check out the 35 Masculine Archetypes, and read about each of them. I specifically put this up for free online to make it easier for people to explore this work.
I have learned so much from archetypes.
The greatest thing is they are something you can experience, and you don’t need to wait to take a class on it… or need a guru.
Just explore what they mean to you and how they show up in your life.
This is what inspired me to create HeroRise and my continual work with Archetypes.
