Archetypes are transformative by nature. Similar to the process of transmutation sought by alchemists, archetypes as universal stories serve as catalysts for deep, personal change.

The story of the alchemist is about transforming base metals into gold. In the same way, Archetypes can guide you through a process of inner alchemy by turning your raw experiences and emotions into refined insights, unconscious learning and self awareness. In this way, you can use archetypes to assist you to build and enhance the power of your intuition. (More on that another day.)

The impact of archetypes is in their ability to facilitate individuation. Coined by Carl Jung, individuation is the process of becoming a more authentic version of you, by incorporating the good, bad and ugly aspects of your character into one cohesive whole.

Think of it like you’re an alchemist thrown onto the path of a mystic.

Archetypes act as the prima materia, the raw material of your psyche. Their manifestation in stories, myths, and your dreams represents the albedo, that is, the purification stage. By identifying and integrating your archetypes, you undergo an emotional and mental distillation that separates the essential in your life from the irrelevant.

The nigredo, or the dark night of the soul, parallels the struggle of facing difficult archetypal themes such as addiction, betrayal, humiliation, failure and sabotage.

But. This process leads to the rubedo, where you emerge more integrated and self-aware. The alchemical impact of archetypes lies in their ability to act as transformative agents. Archetypes are like sign posts that can guide you toward a more refined, enlightened state of being.

Here’s what I mean. I wrote a version of the following in 2007 to illustrate the framework I’ve described above, titled Flight Plan.

Breakthrough

Dawn breaks just like it does every morning. But this one is different. This is a dawn that shines a light on the inner promptings of your soul. It’s your ‘ah ha’ experience. You feel a sense of real connection. You realise you’re primarily a spiritual being having a physical experience. You sense that you’re part of the fabric of life itself and that you’re also a part of the puzzle. You discover that life holds more than you are now experiencing.

You may have asked yourself:

• Is there more to life than this? 
• What is my purpose? 

These questions tend to invoke the beginning of the next stage in your life.

Purification

This is where you think you’ve sabotaged yourself, but actually the reverse is true.  You remove everything from your life that you feel stands between you and your relationship with the sacred.  You might even be accused of being selfish, but you’re actually searching for yourself.  Your career, where you live, friendships and even relationships might lose their meaning for you, or their power over you.  

Feeling inspired by the first stage, you’re still on a high as you begin to develop a sense of personal authority. You want to take responsibility for the changes and transformation you desire. You need your energy to be fully present if you’re to continue in one piece on this journey. You need to be empowered, so you may start receiving counselling, or begin a personal or spiritual development program in order to start the process of genuine healing.

Discovery

With renewed energy and insight you’re able to perceive all of life and your circumstances through a spiritual lens. A light is thrown on the true nature of life. You realise you have the ability to take control of your personal power. You find you can send this energy on negative missions – such as anger, bitterness and resentment that deplete your personal power and your health. You also discover the positive missions – compassion, mutual respect and honour that enhance your personal power, wellbeing and that of humanity. You begin to experience a heightened sense of choice, consequence and connection with all creation. You’re starting to feel in charge of your life. But then…

Soul Searching

You think you’ve created the life you always wanted.  Then the universe steps in and takes away the things you thought were good in your life.  Why?  You’ve now entered what ancient mystics have called ‘the dark night of the soul’.

It’s a place of mystery designed for you to experience the sacredness of your soul and a connection to the divine experience. Out of necessity and for your growth and learning, you now need to experience something even better, but you don’t always realise this at the time. The universe requires well-rounded beings. This means you will be pushed, if necessary, into bringing out the best in yourself by integrating the worst. This is so that you reach for your highest potential in a state of greater wholeness. Rather than deny it, you have to develop an even greater awareness of your ego and its influence in your life.

You have to understand what motivates you to do what you do. What values are driving you? Do they fall into the category of fear or faith? You need to use your ego and all its foibles as stepping stones into yourself.

This stage of the journey asks you to surrender your ego to sacred Grace. Step into it. You’ll find life improves when you stop boxing or fencing with it. This stage is easier to endure if you focus on the things you already have. Is your glass half full or is it half empty?

Being grateful for all you have makes life’s challenges easier to manage in the long term. This is a time to find your balance between being and doing. To be effective here, you need to set aside time for going within using meditation, mindfulness, reflection, visualisation or contemplation to enable the integration of the pieces of your spirit into one cohesive and working whole.

Revelation

With gratitude and true acceptance of yourself and others, you finally experience a willingness to be at one with the whole of life. You recognise that All is One, without a second. Who you are and what you do impacts you as much as others.

A conscious decision to align your head with your heart means you have aligned your will with the unlimited power of Grace. Your soul searching and dark-night experiences will bring about a never-ending experience of transformation. You are meant to live a life that is congruent with your values and your truth.

As your soul takes flight, you enter a higher perspective. You see your life’s grand plan instead of getting bogged down by all the details. You can dwell in a state of grace and gratitude because you’ve realised that when you align your will with that of Grace, being on track with your true self means that all things important are possible.

Goodwin, G P (April 2007). Flight Plan. Wellbeing Aware Self Guide 2007, 108, 4-6.