“Don’t give in to your fears. If you do, you won’t be able to talk to your heart.”
Grounding
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Direction
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Meaning
✳︎
Agency
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Courage
✳︎
Belief
✳︎
Embodiment
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Grounding ✳︎ Direction * Meaning ✳︎ Agency ✳︎ Courage ✳︎ Belief ✳︎ Embodiment ✳︎
The History of Archetypes
Although we attribute Carl Jung to the development of modern archetypal theory, archetypes are not a modern framework. They’ve been used across many cultures, religions, and philosophical traditions for centuries.
Jung studied these traditions along with anthropology, mythology, and Indigenous storytelling to develop his theory of archetypes. While he is the founder of analytical psychology, Jung’s work was often dismissed because it leaned toward mysticism. He concluded that recurring personas represented something deeper than culture. They represent patterns embedded in the human psyche, and with that, introduced the idea of the collective unconscious.
Since Jung, many have expanded the theory into different frameworks. Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey, Maureen Murdock’s The Heroine’s Journey, Carol Pearson, Margaret Mark, Jean Shinoda Bolen, Isabel Allende and Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés, to name a few, have used archetypal frameworks in storytelling, personal development, and branding.
“To be a soulful person means to go against all the pervasive, prove-yourself values of our culture and instead treasure what is unique and internal and valuable in yourself and your own personal evolution.”
~ Jean Shinoda BolenCompass and the Road
The archetypal framework I use in my work draws inspiration from this lineage. I’m fascinated by the ebbs and flows of life’s journey. We all have a story; each chapter may have us playing a different role or archetype to survive or thrive. It’s this fascination that brought me to my own personal evolution.
I integrate all the tools that helped me move past my resistance to guide clients through their own self-reflection. This is done by introducing a structure designed specifically for personal development, acceptance and transformation. Rather than assigning fixed identities, my approach views archetypes as living energies that evolve over time. Through my Embodied Vision Map (EVM) framework, we study twelve archetypes and learn what the embodiment of each not only signifies, but also assist us with throughout our lives. In doing so, EVM helps illuminate the personas we move through during different stages of life and helps answer questions such as:
Who am I becoming?
What patterns are shaping my choices?
What strengths are emerging in my life?
What shadow patterns need integration?
When used intentionally, archetypes become less about categories and more about a map of personal evolution. They reveal the deeper story unfolding beneath the surface of our lives. They are not meant to label people. Instead, they function as mirrors for understanding how we move through change. Understanding the energy behind each allows us to work with them, consciously turning unconscious patterns into intentional movement.
Archetypal Energy System
The twelve core energies in the EVM archetypal system represent different expressions of resistance, growth, leadership, and exploration. Each archetype represents a distinct orientation toward life. Together they form a map of personal development.
You’re a passionate thinker, a fierce protector, love doing and building with purpose and clarity.
Every stage of life carries a different archetypal energy. Which one is guiding you now?