Cultivating Wisdom: Exploring the Sage Archetype
An expression of the deepest part of us.
The significance of the universal archetypes is more than we might realize, it’s part of our lives and most of the stories that we love.
Archetypes play a vital role for anyone when it comes to storytelling. This is how we develop and evolve in life. Starting with how we raise our children to how we impact our business environment.
But more importantly, our way to storytelling it’s essential for your own psychological and spiritual development.
What inspires me these days is the archetype of The Sage – Knower of Wisdom and Seer of Truth.
When you think that you are anything but wise, please remember that the sage archetype is an expression of the deepest part of us.
The sage archetype represents an intuitive knowing within us that transcends our conscious minds (ego). It’s associated with wisdom, knowledge, morality, and great power.
There are more than 20 expressions of a Sage, what I like the most is “the Magician’.
In our childhood stories and today’s movies, when someone faces a difficult challenge and is unable to solve the problem on his own, a wise figure presents itself to provide aid. And this is when we can show our wisdom or magic.
While Magicians can play a variety of roles in any story, they usually step in to do one or more of the following:
- Prompt the hero into action. This is typical of the Hero’s Journey, where the Magician will be the one to tell the hero about the new quest and push them to leave their normal life for that journey ahead.
- Mentor the hero. Like the previous role, a Magician can also act as a mentor to the protagonist. Like the previous role, this is another staple in the Hero’s Journey. Since they are likely the most knowledgeable and powerful characters in your story, it is fitting for them to be the one who mentors the hero. Keep in mind that a Magician mentor would act very differently than a Sage mentor, another archetype.
- Be the villain. Because Magicians are all about power, their thirst for more can drive them to become worthy villains and antagonists.
In Harry Potter, we have Dumbledore, in The Lord of the Rings we have Gandalf, in Star Wars we have Yoda, and in Matrix, we have Morpheus.
I am wondering who you have as your Magician. And what kind of movies do you like?
And just between you and me – the movies that we like are saying a lot about who we are.
There are many magicians around you! There is also magic inside you. I can guide you and help you find the support you need to become the hero that you know you are. Schedule a meeting here and let’s start this journey together!