by Tanya Carroll Richardson
Just like your physical body has an individualized DNA makeup (maybe you’re part Spanish, part German and a bunch of other parts you’re not even totally sure about), your soul is a unique combination of archetypes. Each soul consists of many archetypes, and there are hundreds to choose from.
However, after doing intuitive readings on hundreds of people, I have noticed that some archetypes consistently show up in clients. Read through the descriptions below and see if one or two of them is dominant in you. Familiarizing yourself with the main archetypes in your soul will help you find greater happiness, stay on purpose and be more alert to the shadow or challenging aspects of your higher self.
1. The Warrior
“The warrior is strong in this one.” Isn’t that something you could imagine Yoda saying about Princess Leia? Warriors can be risk-takers, although as warriors age, they’re slower to draw their swords and charge into battle without a good reason or a solid plan. Warriors might find themselves sticking up for the underdog in their culture or family, reinventing their careers from scratch, or walking through some particularly challenging life obstacles.Warriors do have a code: Fight for what is right and never surrender. This can be a problem when it’s appropriate to surrender, like accepting a chronic diagnosis or the end of a relationship. Warriors also tend to be autonomous to a fault, hiding their wounds and being dishonest about the help they need from others.
I often tell clients with strong warrior archetypes to take off the armor and get in touch with their soft sides. Stand proud if you have this archetype, but remember to show vulnerability too.
2. The Free Spirit
This is a lovely archetype with a bad rap. Are friends and family always on you to settle down, straighten up, and start leading a “normal” life? I tell clients with a predominant free spirit archetype to get comfortable with the fact that they might not fit into the 9-to-5 grind, that they have lots of interests and passions, and that they love to travel or move around. If you are a free spirit, celebrate and own your unconventionality! Free spirits know that happiness is more important than coloring inside the lines, and we need more unconventional people to challenge society’s norms.The shadow side of this archetype is a tendency to become a little ungrounded. Like a balloon dancing in the sky delighting those below, free spirits will literally fly away unless they tie their strings to the earth. My other advice to free spirits is: Be yourself. Value responsibility but don’t let anyone box you in or dull your sparkle.
3. The Healer
This is an interesting archetype because you do not have to be a professional healer to possess it. Do people come to you, either professionally or personally, during times of crisis? Are you a good problem-solver? Are you excellent at making people feel calmer, stronger, inspired, or more grounded? Do you enjoy assisting those in need? Healers are generally highly competent, responsible people with a strong work ethic and a deep sense of purpose.
It is this feeling of being called to their work that gives healers great job satisfaction, but it can also lead to burnout. Healers need to know when to focus on taking care of themselves. True healers are not frightened by going into dark places with someone under their care, whether this means walking through a terminal diagnosis with a patient, helping a client clear ghosts or other unwanted energy from their home, or counseling someone through the grieving process. But for this reason healers must maintain very healthy emotional, energetic, and physical boundaries.
4. The Teacher/Student
Often these are listed as two separate archetypes, but as a fellow psychic once pointed out to me, “All the best teachers are lifelong students.” Teacher/students are usually the folks who are always taking workshops, getting extra training for their jobs, or learning a new foreign language just for the fun of it. Teacher/students love to read and hold knowledge as sacred. Souls with the teacher/student archetype can get very bored and even depressed if they are not intellectually stimulated enough. Those who do become teachers can lose their love of teaching if the material or the way they present it has become rote to them.
These folks are often high achievers, and though they can be intellectually brilliant, they need to be wary of living too much in their heads. If your soul has a strong inclination toward this archetype, get into your heart energy and explore your emotions or start a spiritual practice that is based more around feeling than knowing. Colleagues or peers who share the same interests can become treasured friends to student/teachers, so it’s a good idea to attend regular conferences or other events where like-minded, curious souls gather.
5. The Artist
Within the artist archetype, there is also a separate performer archetype. After all, not all artists like to be onstage or even in the public eye, and not all performers are in the arts (think of CEOs or politicians). Likewise, not all artists will or even wish to make a living from their art. Artists don’t need anyone’s permission to begin creating—it is in their soul’s DNA to do so. Some of my clients have strong artist archetypes but will never make that commercial jump. They are housewives or businesspeople who are extremely creative and simply need to honor that side of themselves.
If you constantly feel a need to create, carve some time out of your schedule and designate a space in your home for creative pursuits. Go into your garage to paint undisturbed on a Saturday afternoon, or get up early in the mornings to spend an hour at your bedroom desk typing away on your novel. Artists are very sensitive to beauty and can also be sensitive about their work. Watch out for taking criticism too hard or judging yourself too harshly.
6. The Activist/Instigator
In this time of change and cultural revolution, lots of activists and instigators are entering the global playing field. That’s why I want to discuss these two archetypes together. You’ll know you are an instigator if you tend to say and do things that get people talking or illicit a strong reaction in others. Instigators can have no filter and even relish making comments that are deliberately provoking. Activists will also say things that might step on someone’s toes or speak inconvenient truths if it’s to further a cause they care about.
Activists can appear very tough, but underneath it all they have huge hearts fueling their work. Activists and instigators can face their own version of burnout, becoming so disenchanted that their message is not being heard that they give up or give way to bitter pessimism. Like healers, activists and instigators often feel a calling, whether they volunteer part-time at an animal shelter or serve on the board of a large organization like Greenpeace. If you have a dominant activist archetype, remember that any effort designed to enlighten society, no matter how small, counts big time.
7. The Priest/Priestess or Nun/Monk
Slightly different from the mystic archetype or seeker archetype, nuns/monks and priest/priestesses are folks who usually took holy orders in previous lifetimes.Whether they were part of a formal Pagan, Buddhist, or Christian religion (or any other organized faith with certain tenets and “rules”), these souls had dedicated a past life to this particular spiritual path, and usually made great sacrifices for it. Many people with this archetype in their soul do not take formal holy orders this lifetime, yet they might yearn to be part of a spiritual community or engage in spiritual pursuits. In some cases their past life of holy orders was too constricting, so these folks may not belong to any one particular faith in this lifetime, instead activating their seeker archetype and exploring many faiths.
Folks with the nun/monk archetype can have very sensitive nervous systems and find quiet, order, and routine quite soothing and stimulating. They can also be very humble and concerned with the needs of those less fortunate. Souls with the priest/priestess archetype are used to being leaders and assuming a certain amount of power. However, in this lifetime they might choose to lead and create community by opening a bookstore that specializes in the mystical arts instead of running a large Pagan circle. Advice for nuns/monks: Don’t hide away. Ask for what you want. Priests/priestesses: Make sure the role you assume gives you enough power to satisfy this archetype.
About the Author: Tanya Carroll Richardson is a professional intuitive and spiritual author who is passionate about angels, beauty, and nature. Her books include Angel Insights, Forever in My Heart: A Grief Journal, and Heaven on Earth. Set up a private angel reading with Tanya to meet your spiritual guidance squad, make sense…
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2 comments
What if you feel strongly that you have equaly manifestation of all of these? What does it mean?
I would like to know the answer to that as well. I find that I am plagued by all of those types and it is difficult to make time for all of the parts.