In many different cards that we’ve explored on the blog, we’ve taken a close look at the concept of Archetypes because there are so many archetypes present within the Tarot deck.
To dive deeper into this fascinating topic, I’m going to do a series of articles, and this is the first one, all about these different archetypes. To do that, we first need to take a closer look at the concept of Archetypes and how they relate to the images in the tarot deck.
Archetypes
Archetypes are a really interesting phenomenon. From Plato to Carl Jung, many people have explored the concept of Archetypes. Writers, psychiatrists, and psychologists have all admired and studied these ideas in different ways.
And whether you realize it or not, whether you believe in it or not, you and I are dealing with archetypes all the time — even as we live, breathe, talk, and write.
Definition of Archetype
There are so many different definitions of what an archetype is that it can get a bit confusing, but essentially, all these definitions are just using different words to explain the same basic idea.
For instance, Wikipedia defines an archetype as “a universally understood term or behavior pattern, a prototype from which others are copied, modeled, or emulated.” The same page tells us that in psychology, an archetype is “a model of a person, personality, or behavior.”
Jungian Archetypes
If we’re talking about archetypes, we have to talk about the famous psychiatrist Carl Jung, who not only popularized the concept but also developed and based much of his thinking on it. These ideas still have a strong influence on modern psychology and psychiatry today.
Because of archetypes, Jung became highly interested in tarot, as he saw the figures in the cards as embodying the same archetypes.
In Jung’s definition, and according to Wikipedia, archetypes are “innate, universal psychic dispositions that form the substrate from which the basic symbols or representations of unconscious experience emerge. The archetype is a tendency to form such representations of a motif, representations that can vary greatly in detail without losing their basic pattern… indeed, they are instinctive tendencies.”
Understanding the Concept of Archetypes
From the definitions mentioned earlier, we can see a concept begin to emerge. In short, we could say that an archetype essentially is:
►Universally known and understood
►A kind of template that can be copied, emulated, or developed further
►A pattern of behavior and psychic disposition
►A basic representation of unconscious experience
In short, an archetype is a very basic and instinctive understanding of a concept or idea of a personality or character that gives a framework for further development and growth.
This template or framework is also something that’s embedded in our instinctive understanding of the world, and it becomes more focused when humans go through various transitions and phases in life.
Historical Development of Archetypes
From Plato to Jung
As we mentioned earlier, the concept of Archetypes dates back to Plato. According to the philosopher, archetypes (or “Ideas,” as he called them) are pure mental forms that are imprinted on the soul even before birth. Moreover, archetypes were collective because they represented basic traits of character.
It’s said that Carl Jung based much of his ideas for archetypes on these thoughts from Plato.
Both believed that archetypal concepts arose from the collective unconscious, meaning that a person is born with instinctual knowledge of these archetypes.
This might explain why we can easily relate to certain concepts without anyone telling or explaining them to us. For example, no one explains to you the concepts of Mother, Father, and God as you grow up — you just instinctively know what they are. The mental conceptualization and intellectualization comes much later.
Main Archetypes and Their Relationship to Tarot
According to Carl Jung, there are five main archetypes, and he found a perfect correlation between what’s depicted and explained in the tarot cards, both in the figures and their essential meanings. This is what I’ll be developing in future articles.
For now, it’s important to know what these 5 fundamental archetypes are, so you can apply them in your readings.
Jung’s 5 Main Archetypes
- ►The Self: This is the center of the psyche. It’s the true, real self. It’s who you really are (regardless of the ‘good’ or ‘bad’ parts).
- ►The Shadow: This is the opposite, the part of you that is the opposite of who you believe yourself to be. It’s the aspect of your personality you don’t want to accept or face, but it’s still inside you.
- ►The Persona: This is how we present ourselves to the world. It’s how you choose to portray yourself to the general public.
- And within the persona, or the self, is your self-image and anti-image, where you have two aspects: the man and the woman, or Animus and Anima, respectively:
- ►The Animus: This is the masculine aspect within a female psyche.
- ►The Anima: This is the feminine aspect within a male psyche.
So, we see that these 5 main archetypes are just different parts of our composite personality.
Archetypes in Tarot
The Tarot cards are images that represent the different stages of existence on the temporal, physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual planes.
Sometimes these images combine all these aspects, and other times they focus on just one or two, but either way, these images (and the combination of these images in a spread) give us a symbolic, pictorial representation of life itself, like a series of snapshots over time.
It’s only natural, then, that these images and symbols represent different archetypes in all areas. These archetypes can appear in several cards, or they may show up in just one, but either way, they’re there.
Jung’s 5 main archetypes are undeniably present, but there are many more archetypes in the world around us, and they’re certainly present in the tarot cards, in all their different scenes and representations.
Archetypes like The Mother, The Father, and The Wise Old Man, for example, are all around us and are represented in the tarot. But to keep things simple, we’ll start by focusing only on the 5 main archetypes and their correspondences in the cards.
Why Archetypes Are Important in Tarot
Well, if you enjoy reading tarot, it might be important for you to incorporate new things, more knowledge, better ways of seeing and connecting the cards, and relating them to whoever you’re reading for. Even when you’re reading for yourself, it can be really helpful to recognize these archetypes and know how to interpret them.
Knowing about archetypes helps us see our own lives in a very different way: we can see which archetypes have strongly affected us (both positively and negatively) and see how everything turned out. And if something needs to be fixed, we now know where to focus our healing efforts.
In the same way, you can use this to get a broader view of someone — whoever is consulting with you — or to get insight about those the cards are referring to.
You can see an archetype dominating in a spread, recognize if someone is more influenced by “The Shadow” or “The Self,” and this can help you interpret and provide guidance, support, or a solution to the person’s questions, doubts, and concerns. You’ll be able to see what’s at the heart of the issue, their strengths and weaknesses, what they need to change and why, and so much more. Having these extra tools really opens up a lot of possibilities for deeper understanding.
Some Examples of Using Archetypes
Let’s say someone comes to you, let’s say a man, with a problem they just can’t seem to solve.
You notice in the reading that this person is dominated by their anima, with a strong, developed feminine sense, but they’re trying to solve everything as the man they are. Perhaps they’re leaning toward intellectual, rational, mental solutions (let’s say a lot of swords show up in the reading) when in fact, given their strong feminine anima presence, it might be better to approach things in more of a “cups way” than a “swords way.”
Their dilemma is that they’re trying to solve something in a way that just isn’t working for them, something they don’t feel or have mastery over, and that’s why they keep making mistakes and can’t find solutions. Maybe if they lean into more emotions and less intellectualizing, they’ll get much better results, and it’s up to the cards and you to point this out to them.
A Shadow Archetype
Now imagine a woman comes to you, and she is clearly dominated by “The Shadow,” and she can’t find solutions or a way out because she refuses to see, accept, or transcend her shadow.
The issue is that she “believes she’s one way” when in fact, she’s another, and until she sees and accepts this, it’s going to be hard for her to solve things. More often than not, she’ll blame everyone else instead of taking responsibility for something.
There’s a lot of psychology in tarot, and it’s no surprise that Carl Jung was so interested in the cards. There’s a deep connection there, and understanding it will help you on many occasions.
This doesn’t mean you have to use archetypes, or that if you don’t know about them you can’t read the cards. Ultimately, it’s about gathering more knowledge and tools, because the more you have, the better tarot reader you’ll be, the deeper and more truthful your readings will become, the more you’ll be able to help and “see.” And like with anything in this world, the more professional you can be, the better your contributions, the better your readings, and the better the results.
In the next articles, we’ll take a closer look at each of these archetypes individually, and by the time we get to the last article, you’ll find that understanding archetypes has subtly but powerfully changed your perspective… See you next time!
