Archetypes are imperatives, demanding that we give them expression.
– Caroline Myss
Multiple personalities are not a disorder.
In fact, discovering, recognizing and embracing multiple identities—what famed psychologist Carl Jung called archetypes—can save your sanity.
Even your life.
Many people identify with just one role or persona in life. If this identity is threatened or terminated—job loss, empty nest syndrome, injury, divorce, heath crisis, aging are some examples—hopelessness and depression may set in.
Consider this passage from the book 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done by Peter Bregman:
"Having multiple identities will help you perform better in each one. Because you learn things as an athlete or parent or a poet that will make you a better employee or leader or friend. So the more you invest yourself in multiple identities, the less likely it is that you’ll lose any one of them. Of course, if you do lose one, you’ll be OK because you’ve got others.”
So…who are you?
You have all sorts of people living inside you—many you’ve not full appreciated were there. These are the identities that cause you to rally behind a particular cause, perform acts of chivalry, solve mysteries, tell stories, wax philosophical, nurture children, root for the underdog, heal the sick, rebel against the status quo, take charge, instruct anyone within earshot, protect the environment, invent new ideas, crack jokes at every opportunity, run multiple marathons, crave solitude, spot what’s wrong, patronize the arts….
You get the picture, right?
These stirrings result from Archetypal Activation.
Archetypal patterns run deep in us. They embody what we know to be true about ourselves, in some cases almost from birth. – Caroline Myss
Each person contains an assortment of archetypes—what I call an Archetypal Array—that reflects passions, highlights talents and contributes to creating a meaningful life.
No two people share the same Archetypal Array. Yes, it’s true—you’re a snowflake!
Life isn’t just about some of you; it’s about all of you.
Don’t negate, integrate. – Peter Bregman
However, personal frustration and perpetually "locked doors" may indicate that you're trying to live a life that your Archetypal Array simply doesn't support.
You can pretend to be something other than who you are but eventually you will run out of energy to continue because that's not authentically you...I've met a lot of people who were living a "life on pause" because they had fixated on something for which they were archetypically unsuited...None of these individuals had the archetypes required [to fulfill their career fantasies], however, as was reflected in their lack of talent as well as the absence of opportunities coming their way. Opportunities are an extension of your archetypes, and you can only energize opportunities via the archetypes
you have. -- Caroline Myss
This is where I come in—your personal Archetypal Activator.
Intrigued? Visit ArchetypalActivator.com for more information on how you can discover Your Selves through my Archetypal Array Questionnaire and Action Plan.
-- Janet