The Power of Archetypes is a Secret Worth Sharing

I never tire of working with archetypes. They’ve been at the heart of my personal and spiritual growth since 1996, and I expect they always will be. I was fortunate to spend eight years learning directly from Caroline Myss, both as a student and in promoting her work. That foundation gave me firsthand insight into the depth and power of these universal patterns.

Even though I speak and write about archetypes often, many people still haven’t encountered the term—let alone the transformation it invites. Archetypes might be one of the personal development world’s best-kept secrets. But perhaps not for long.

Archetypes are universally recognised patterns of behavior: roles we play consciously, subconsciously, or unconsciously. The degree of our awareness influences the quality of our actions and outcomes. That’s what makes archetypal work so powerful: it helps us see how deeply these patterns shape our relationships, health, business, career, and finances. Our preferences, experiences, and conditioning shape the roles we gravitate toward, but once we become conscious of them, we gain real power.

Archetypes influence both harmony and conflict. They reveal how we sabotage ourselves—or allow others to sabotage us. They illuminate boundaries that are either too rigid or too porous. They can expose double standards, highlight hidden motives, and generate chaos—or restore order. Archetypes themselves are neutral. What matters is how we direct their energy.

They also activate the life-death-life cycle. They usher in necessary endings, midwives of transformation. They refine our personality and guide our evolution: physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. But to do this, they confront the gaps within us, the contradictions, the unresolved tension, so that balance can be restored. Until, of course, the next cycle of growth calls us forward.

And here’s the thing: most people resist change. Change is inconvenient. It’s uncomfortable, messy, unpredictable, and sometimes downright painful. If rejection, shame, or loss loom large, the instinct is to cling tightly to what is, even when it’s no longer serving us. But growth demands that the old order dissolve. And archetypes help us through the disorder that precedes renewal.

They ask: why wait until crisis forces your hand?

Waiting only compounds the chaos. Most of us don’t realize how reflexively we resist growth, how unconsciously we self-sabotage when change feels threatening. We say things we don’t mean. We act in ways we later regret. It’s as if something else was steering the ship—and in a way, it was. An unexamined archetype. Without awareness, the pattern drives us. But with awareness, we can choose to shift course.

Archetypes help me do just that. They remind me that I am not the roles I play, I simply inhabit them. I’m a parent at home, a counselor, teacher, and author in my work. A carer when needed. A companion in friendship. Each role has its own energy, its own set of strengths and shadows. Each contributes to the fulfillment of my vision. But none defines me. I can step into a role when it serves. And I can step out.

That awareness makes navigating life easier, especially change and conflict. Archetypes are patterns, and patterns are readable, predictable, trackable, and ultimately, changeable. They help me anticipate turbulence, make sense of chaos, and find my footing when everything feels like it’s shifting beneath me. They are practical tools for soul-level growth.

If a familiar role is no longer working, I have the option to choose another. Archetypes offer flexibility. Wisdom. Perspective. They influence my thoughts and feelings, which in turn shape my actions. And the stories they tell through characters, scripts, and plots reflect the arc of my own life. I’m not just acting in this story. I’m writing it. Directing it. Producing it.

And when I get off track, as we all do, archetypes help me find my way back. They don’t just illuminate my challenges; they point toward what’s next. They help me move in the direction of what truly matters. Again and again.