"A healer's power stems not from any special ability, but from maintaining the courage and awareness to embody and express the universal healing power that every human being naturally possesses.”
- Eric Micha'el Leventhal
Regardless of your unique personality or stage of life, studying archetypes can give valuable insight into your own strengths, challenges, and subconscious beliefs. Archetypes can hold up a mirror to our inner workings, allowing us to understand things on a deeper level, and finally take charge of our own destiny. You may notice that you naturally hold up the pattern of a particular archetype in your work life, or in your romantic life. You may also notice that you have an archetype or two that only become dominant in certain situations. You likely also have preconceived ideas or judgments about some of these archetypes, and these learned biases may also influence your behaviors. Working with this psychological philosophy can be very eye-opening!
As an overarching theme of the human psyche, the healer represents our overcoming of darkness. She embodies our awakening process, our letting go of what no longer serves, and our ascension into the highest manifestations of ourselves. This healing happens on all four levels- mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual. The healer is the symbol of what many people consider the greatest task of humanity- remembering our innate spiritual truths and living a life that is in alignment with those truths. In this, the healer archetype is one of the most complex!
If your archetype is the Healer, the following characteristics apply to you:
Blending the seen and unseen worlds, the healer archetype is completely unafraid of darkness, death, or vision quests. She is well-versed in the dreamworld, as well as the waking life. She is at one with the energies of the planet, and works closely with mother earth for healing tools such as herbs, crystals, and other elementals. She’s familiar with ancestral karma, animal spirit guides, and astral traveling. There are few realms that the healer will not explore, especially in service to the healing of those she loves. This archetype is both mystical and grounded- she combines wisdom from all areas into practical advice for our wellbeing.
Deep within our collective subconscious lie certain patterns of belief and behavior. These patterns, or archetypes, are the universal symbols of our innate, unlearned human experience. Most of us carry a bit of all of them, and these archetypes may ebb and flow throughout our lives, offering unique wisdom that is useful for situations we find ourselves in. We also tend to advance through some of these archetypes as we age. It was Carl Jung who brought the concept of archetypes into the practice of psychology, offering that all of us travel through archetypal experiences in life, echoing the rhythm of the collective unconscious.
As women, we often find ourselves put into boxes by our culture. Other people may try to stuff us into certain stereotypes, more so than they might for a man.
One example of this is the classic “Madonna-whore complex,” which pits women into either being saintly and respectable, or sensual and fun. Many women find themselves caught in this false dichotomy, which can be disempowering, and fails to recognise the value and presence of all archetypes within each woman.
None of the feminine archetypes are “better” or “worse” than the others; each has their own power and their own strengths, which we can fully embody as we study them.
All women have a complex inner world, while also operating as a part of the overall feminine consciousness.
In Jungian psychology, there are 12 archetypes, and you can find many variations of these in other philosophies, including goddess mythology, ancient spirituality, and other practices.
In the Soulwoman Circles we study 12 archetypes as they pertain to the feminine experience. You will likely resonate with many of them, and be able to see them in other women too. We explore the following archetypes, get to understand what they have to teach us, and how to embody their energies in an empowering way:
Maiden
Lover
Queen
Muse
Warrior
Earth Mother
Wild Woman
Sage
Huntress
Healer
Priestess
Temptress
Each of these archetypes represents a certain aspect of the collective personality, and each archetype carries its own basic human motivations, its own set of values and desires, and its own weaknesses. When we can truly understand the inner workings of each archetype, we can finally come in tune with our own behaviors, and the underlying drives that we feel. When we can see each archetype for what it is, and identify their motivations, we can get some space from our own thoughts and anxieties. This offers clarity and peace, and a roadmap of sorts, showing us the way through our current situation.
It can be fun to play with archetypes too; you’ll notice them show up as characters on your favorite show, or in a book you’re reading. You’ll notice them in your friends and loved ones. And of course, you’ll notice them in yourself, as you explore your subconscious workings and find your unique path to personal power.
We all have a healer or shaman within us, who guides our own awakening and healing process, but we can always invite that energy to step forward when we need it. Studying things like botany, crystal healing, Reiki/energy medicine, native spirituality, and similar things can help you tap into your shaman. Doing dreamwork, journeying, and working with herbs can also get you in tune with this archetype. In the end, the shaman/healer is the personification of our evolution, and we have much to learn from her.
For more information on your Archetype, remember to download the eBook!
Dr. Mia Rose is a registered psychologist in Australia and author of the prize-winning book, Awaken to Love. She is the founder of the Soulwoman Circles, and holds the Space of Transformation for women who yearn for connection in the warm embrace of a supportive sisterhood.
Karen, Mia's biological sister, is the Creative Muse and Chief Cheerleader in the Soulwoman Circles. Her commitment is to support women to create a blissful, purposeful life for themselves by aligning with Self, Spirit and Mama Earth.
Mia and Karen lead women in Circles and on sacred retreats worldwide to help them step into their own power and say YES to life.
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