Archetypes, in their purest form, aren’t supposed to be you—they’re supposed to act as frameworks for introspection and growth. They are in essence a landmark, something that you are to navigate around or with. They are a piece on the map of reality that helps guide you through reality. If it helps, you can think of archetypes as a compass or the stars, that help guide you, but-
They aren’t supposed to be you.
Just like how the word “water”, isn’t water itself and you can’t drink it. The Archetype is an idea, yet you’re not that thing itself.
Test, Test, Testing
Many people take personality tests or astrology tests and hear that they’re an Aquarius or an INJP or something, and then they follow the line of dialogue and thought that usually follows an app or book that tells you who you are. The words in each book start to hand you an identity as if you’re to install these beliefs deep inside yourself, and thus you see how you are when compared to that standard.
These texts tell you what to think, what to expect, how you might act, and you start a mimicry of that to expand your personality or being (Which is useful, but not the end goal).
I also have the same qualms about any IQ or EQ test, or rather any quotient test that tries to define a human being. Asking a Welder to solder or a Snowboarder to Kayak or even asking a physicist to do chemical titrations, there is a learned specialty and learned behavior, not indicative to your worth. Sure there is talent and aptitude, but the best swimmers don’t get that way by merely hearing and reading about swimming.
That’s one of the problems, people conflate test score with their worth. Imagine telling someone you’re only worth a C- throughout your life, because of a high school grade, rather silly isn’t it? Tests aren’t the whole picture, they’re a checkmark in the box. They are as only as good as the metrics that make them, and it’s hard to measure the complexity of one human being.
You’re supposed to use tests as a guide
Not let them define you
Don’t let the tests use you
As always, ‘The Metrics makes the means’, and ‘man is the measure of all things’, so when we enter into a unwritten contract within our subconscious to dance a duality between an archetype and ourselves, we find our identity expand or contract. It would serve you well to be cautious as to not conflate who you are and the archetype as one. You are you, the archetype is just a persona or embodiment of an ideal, even if flawed.
I think, in essence, Personality tests and astrology tests are that of a superficial IQ or EQ test, and ultimately are devoid of real practical experience. It’s all theoretical -and practice and embodiment are the real fruits. What that translates to is this;
you have to live your life and compare that to the map
But not mistake the map for your life
Let alone you.
IQ and EQ tests are just measurements, like blood tests measuring random levels, it changes based on you. Things change, and you change. These tests aren’t something that is set in stone. You can grow up to be a genius through tiny enlightenments, or become a little more dull through a few concussions. This can happen emotionally too (hopefully you have good medical care and shadow work practices).
Archetypes Implant Beliefs
Beliefs in essence are words that we affirm to be true or feel in our inner knowing, we embody it. Sometimes those beliefs conflict with deeper beliefs or inner knowings, so it’s best to sift those and integrate what should be. Not all beliefs are helpful at every moment, yet all beliefs are limiting. It’s up to us to use the beliefs properly as tools and let go of what no longer serves us.
One way beliefs get installed is through early education, or rather indoctrination;
Imagine this, if you grew up in an abusive household being told lies about how you’re not good enough and how the world is not your oyster. These words with repetition over time would beat into you and if you cave in, especially while your mind, ego, reality, and age are still settling in, then you have these limiting belief systems ingrained in you. Chained and fettered by words.
The idea of affirmations also applies to affirming lies. Tell a lie enough times and soon people will doubt the truth. A form of gaslighting. If all that remains are lies, that enchantment becomes the truth subjectively, until it’s written in our subconscious.
That’s an extreme case, but it can also work in the other direction to the extreme as well. Someone could tell you that you’re god descended and that you deserve and are owed everything, that the world is your oyster and everyone else is subpar. These beliefs can also install a sort of narcissistic tendency or god complex.
It would do well to use the tools of archetypes -and such- as tools. Not as a replacement for being. To find the tight rope to balance between that of identifying ‘ourselves with’ and ‘ourselves as’. Find the Golden balance in the duality of thinking too high or low of yourself. To use the archetype to live life.
Archetypes are like a map
They show you the potentiality and proclivities of where you are and where you could be.
Whether you’re interested in the Maiden, Mother, or Crone.
Or this sort of jazz;
The more you feed into a belief or direction, the more you manifest a self-fulfilling prophecy on becoming that thing you are seeking (and in some cases, avoiding).
The more we read into the map of archetypes, the more we cognitive bias ourselves into a placebo effect believing that the map is the reality. We conflate our own identity with ideas of being ‘alpha’ or ‘sigma’ or avoiding being ‘beta’ or what other pejorative labels they may sling at you like ‘clown’ or ‘useless’. Being ‘smart’ or a ‘nerd’ or a ‘loser’ etc.
Granted, name calling isn’t archetypes in a formal sense, but labels do share a perspective in alignment with archetypes seeing as archetypes are labels in a sense, they’re a little more built out in terms of a persona.
Don’t let the labels rule you like chains, you are the observer that is more than that. Don’t let other people’s words and their maps guide you down the wrong path, use your own map, find your own reality in life. If I was your doctor, that would be a prescription, but I am not, so mull over it a few more times instead.
Uncover your own Archetypes
If we refer to other people’s maps, we may fail to make up our own.
“Why reinvent the wheel?” as they say.
Well, our language is unique to ourselves as an individual, it’s the idiolect, our own definitions for words and ways that we see things are unique based on our own personal language.
As such, when we rely on lessons and learnings of other tests or modern exams to uncover the archetype. We are diluting the concept of the archetype for our own personal understanding with the social contracts superimposed by societal understanding of the archetypes.
What I mean is, If I read seventy books on how to be a Warrior-Priest-King-Giga-Chad-Supreme, and I do so accepting all that I read without consciously making an effort to discern if it feels right or true to my being or inner knowing. Then I outsourced my chance to discover what these archetypes mean for me, to me.
The map is useful when you’re walking the road of reality,
and not merely only cross referencing a table full of maps.
It’s okay to be a silent cartographer (for a while), but plagiarizing the wrong map to your reality, is ill advised. Why pull up a map of Japan if you’re trying to find directions locally in Egypt?
You have to live life silly, see where you are, check with the map as often as you’d like, and make your own map. Check in with yourself too. Your reality is different from others, and their map isn’t tailored for you.
Unless you have an inheritance from the book of the dead “family will” or a Sifu or some Master-Disciple relationship, then you can choose to ignore me
Of course, you should study some of the maps especially if you have no clue or basis of what you’re looking at. But if you’re trying to map out the blades of grass, then you’re probably too far deep into the map and lost in a world of theories and thoughts rather than living in reality.
Side note
People who are really into astrology or personality tests identify themselves in these boxes. But the other issue is that they also identify other people in these boxes. “Oh they’re a Scorpio, typical Scorpio”. Thus putting other people to be judged by an imaginary scale that they’re not even aware of.
Everyone has their flaws, and if you focus enough on one axiomatic spectrum like anger issues or oddities, they’ll stick out giving you a sense of ‘experientially real information’ to confirm your bias masked as suspicion or curiosity. In a long enough timeline, you’ll get your evidence.
Focusing on self-fulfilling their prophecy through desire and attention is such a grand expenditure in energy. Of course we should use discernment to gauge people, but trying to fit complex beings into our boxes for our own convenience, is a bit. . . much.
What I’m trying to say is, Astrology people tend to get really Tribalist with their symbols. It’s like racism, Astrologism? I’m not sure how to neologistically coin it, but people will think more or less of people based on their Sun signs, Moon Signs, etc. etc. Until we’re all in retrograde.
I’m not saying that astrology isn’t a useful tool. Ancient cultures throughout the world have studied the stars. The Septivium in Medieval liberal arts colleges focused on liberating the mind and one of the chief parts of the seven was cosmology. Astrology has it’s uses, especially if you’re interested in signs or symbols or the logos.
My views are more aligned with Saint Germaine’s interpretation of the use of stars, celestials, and the cosmos. Which is quite evident in reading this article, if I say so myself. TLDR on Saint Germaine: Cosmos and the interconnectedness of everything is important to the self and the stars are tools/maps but don’t outsource your own divinity.
Epilogue
This article doesn’t sit well with some Universalists (panpsychism types) or people who practice deep esoteric magic relating to Astrology as the fundamental belief systems for their power. That’s okay, not every word in the universe is meant for everyone at anytime. It’ll reach them and they’ll either be upset, understand, agree or disagree. Hopefully you get it though, and you move on with your life as we all must.
Take what is useful, leave what is not. Knowledge is like a buffet, you can pick and choose which truths sound appealing or appetizing and leave the old stuff you’ve tried behind. Or you might remix some of the appetizers to make a new meal that you find the recipe in. Ultimately you have to navigate your own reality with your own truths.
Archetypes are words, they are embodiments of personalities or beings, that are useful to use as a tool or map. Like all words, they are tools. When we use the tool, a part of the tool uses us, it’s best not to become used by the tool and devastated. A good craftsmen will take care of the tool and themselves.
If you decide to become one with the tool, to mind-body meld with the archetype or any tool (the good old ‘wu wei’, at least try not to forget your agency and ability to not be lead down a path that doesn’t serve your best interests. Sometimes It’s okay to say goodbye and let go of a tool, especially when it becomes baggage and no longer serves us. Why carry a paddle on top of a mountain, sort of thing.
Words words words, tools tools tools, maps and archetypes, beliefs and labels. Words again. Let this article be a little map, a short guide, a tool, but remember to live your life, instead of arguing over-or-with maps of meaning. Because I only want to say one thing;
Words Mean Things
Words Mean Things 
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