Human beings, viewed distinctly as men and women, undergo a maturation process that leads from prototypical human behavior during early childhood to fully powerful manifestations of the gender as mature adults. The mature adult character can be viewed as manifesting itself as a combination of archetypes. An archetype represents certain attributes of character. In the systems I use, there are four archetypes, which in the mature adult would occurr in roughly even balance.

Definition of "Archetype" and Related Concepts

archetype n 1. : a very typical example of a certain person or thing.

1.c. PSYCHOANALYSIS (in Jungian psychology) : a primitive mental image inherited from the earliest human ancestors, and supposed to be present in the collective unconscious).

It is valuable to distinguished between proper-named icons — for example, the typecast personality of Clint Eastwood — the Pandora of Greek mythology — and generic archetypes like the Brother, the In-Law, and the Neighbor — which invoke well-known Western stereotypes of family and community.

Both types of archetypes — proper-named and generic — serve as stereotyped examples of human behaviour by which we can better understand ourselves and those around us. But while the proper-named icons can be constructed out of a combination of two or more generic archetypes measured out in equal or differing quantities — a generic archetype cannot be so constructed out of a combination of proper-named icons. "Simply put", each generic archetype represents the purest distilled refined form — of a single derisable strength, or undesirable weakness.

I tend to use generic archetypes whenever possible, because they isolate certain specific personality types. For an example of the application of archetypes, see how the Brother, the In-Law and the Neighbor* are used to describe promotion.

The most important archetypes we present here represent four dimensions of personality corresponding to four levels of awareness and function, with one archetype for each gender — the Warrior, Lover, Magician, King for men, and the Maiden, Mother, Queen and Crone for women.

The Masculine Maturation Process

For men, the archetypes I use are very close to those (of the same names) described by Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette in their books King, Warrior, Magician, Lover; The King Within, The Warrior Within, etc. (see their site for the theory behind these teachings.)

Masculine Initation

It is common for cultures to define, practice or observe various types of initiation for the transition from immaturity to maturity. Although the details differ widely there are a few common elements:

• Boys live among a community of women and children; at a designated age (usually adolescence) the boy is brought out of this community and introduced somehow to the community of mature man.

• Often there is a deliberate and intended process of separation, ordeal and initation following the structure of the hero's journey.

• The boy, now a man, is no longer limited to the men in his immediate family and now has access to all of the mature men in the community.

• The men provide a frankness and honesty they would not have previously provided, giving the new young man access to their wisdom, mentorship and resources.

This exposes him to the archetypes all at once and in full power. Although he gains access to them all at once, he does not personally have all of them in equal quantity and his life journey involves acquiring them in whatever order comes to pass, ultimately (hopefully) posessing all in abundance and balance.

The Four Masculine Archetypes

Following is a brief description of the four archetypes used by Moore and Gillette. These are discussed extensively in their books, consult their site for more details.

The Warrior

The Warrior is that part of the mature masculine who overcomes the physical challenges in life. He gives his best, does not quit, and often makes great personal sacrifices, subjugating his needs for the greater good. He is not afraid to die for what he believes in. He fights with honor, and never out of anger.

The Lover

The Lover, is that part of the mature masculine who overcomes the emotional challenges in life. He has intuition and the artist's creative impulse; he is empathetic, compassionate and passionate. He is not afraid to tell the truth, even in defiance of the Warrior and the King. He goes deep and will not quit on a man in need until they get what they need.

The Magician

The Magician is that part of a mature masculine who overcomes the intellectual challenges in life. The creativity of the inventor; inspiration; seeking answers to that burning question, and assimilating wisdom — these are his skills. He is not afraid to be wrong, he questions everything and knows that there is always more to learn from the men around him.

The King

The King is that part of the mature masculine who manifests spiritual or generative qualities. brings the Courage of the Warrior, the Passion of the Lover, and the Wisdom of the Magician, to the world. All energy flows from the King, he is the Source. When his life is in balance, his kingdom — the world — prospers. When he is out of balance the world suffers.

Levels of Reality

Notice the succession of four levels of phenomena: physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual/generative. I distinguish these as levels of reality, based on the observation that:

• All living things are physical,
• animals also have emotion,
• human beings also have intellect,
• and some but not all human beings achieve spirituality.

This is an evolution that occurred through time: living things first, then animals with emotion, then human beings, then human experience of spirituality.

When viewd independently from this evolutionary progression, the four levels can also be called aspects of existence.

Feminine Archetypes

Disclaimer: The following lacks grace and subtlety because it was written by a man. I plan to improve it with the help of input from women. Comments and suggestions welcome!

Moore and Gillette do not define the female archetypes distinctly from the male, except to name the Queen as the archetype corresponding to the King. By connecting them to the four levels of reality, and to four initiation events in a woman's life (described below), I believe I have found a more uniquely feminine characterization of all four archetypes. It is somewhat similar to the progression discussed by Donna Henes² although mine are in a different order.

Feminine Maturation and Initiation Processes

The four feminine archetypes occur in a fairly pure form in the stories and rituals of pagan cultures, such as those that existed in Celtic Europe before the introduction of Christianity: There they are called the maiden, the queen, the mother and the crone.

Most cultures around the world and throughout history recognize four clearly identifiable physical changes in a woman's life. These four events are: adolescence, entry into marriage (wedding), childbirth and menopause. Most cultures associate these with initiations or ceremonies of one kind or another.

Connecting the four archetypal images with the four physical changes, and the four levels of reality mentioned above, I see a clear correspondence:

In most cultures, the four events (adolescence, beginning of marriage, childbirth and menopause) are observed with ceremonies or initiations of one kind or another. Unlike the boy, the girl is not brought out of the community of women and children when she becomes mature — she is already a part of the community of mature women. She has access to all the archetypes through the role models of other women around her — however she gains a special personal connection with the queen, mother and crone archetypes through her own personal marriage, childbirth and menopause respectively. This is quite distinct from the man's experience, which includes only one personal physical change.

The Maiden

The first archetype a woman gains deep access to complements the masculine Warrior archetype. The Warrior embodies physical challenge. A man becomes a Warrior and is initated into the circle of men when he reaches adolescence. For the woman, this event comes at a similar age, when she is first able to conceive a child.

There are several physical challenges that arise at this time. First is the change in her body itself — a significant and perhaps unanticipated or even frightening physical change. She also has additional physical challenges, in warding off the physical advances of men, and in new adult tasks and roles that she will be asked to take on. She's grown up now.

Associated with this change, there is often a ritual celebration of fertility. Fertility in all its forms (people, the animals, crops and land on which they depend) is very important in ancient human culture. The newly adolescent young women often serves as the symbol of the spring, and of all that is new, beautiful, growing, reborn. All possibilities live in her. The new woman is now manifesting the Maiden archetype. (Note that "maiden" is distinct from "maid", and represents all revered aspects of young women — in mythology the purest forms of this archetype are much like the Virgin Mary before the Immaculate Conception.)

Concommittent with her new physical challenges is a newfound physical power — she now gains the interest of the men, which is highly valued — by commanding the interest of men she can solicit their physical help and support. It allows her to begin evaluating men for her most important choice, and the next initiation of her life.

The Queen

In traditional societies the second archetype for the woman is the one complementing the King, which is course is the Queen. This name was identified by Moore and Gillette.

A woman becomes the Queen by marrying the King. The wedding day — the initation of the marriage — is her introduction into the archetype. This is the day that she recieves the commitment of the man of her choice, and the blessing and support of her father and of the community. The commitment of a man is a very valuable thing, because it gives her the security she needs to leave her father's house, and to leave her mother and become queen of her own new house.

It is because of the involvement of her community that this day bears the closest analogy to the masculine initiation — it gives her the greatest experience of gaining new connection with all the other, older women in her community. But unlike men, who are brought out of the mother's house into the community of men — the woman on her wedding day is brought out of the house of her father into the house of her husband. This is a big physical change for her — even though there is no body change involved. There is also a surrounding cultural change, the rules of the house are likely to be different — and the emotional change of living with different people.

The Mother

The third archetype the woman enters into, complements the masculine Lover archetype. The epitome of empathetic, compassionate and nurturing feminine character is the Mother. Her entering into this archetype comes of course from her first childbirth.

The woman's experience is actually something men have a taste of, if they are a father. To fathers: consider the day you first learned she was pregnant, and the day your first child was born. The experience affected you in a way that you will never forget. Your priorities changed. In all likelihood the effect that this had on you was unanticipated and very powerful. It can be described as a new awakening of emotional aspects of character, the masculine Lover archetype. Of course, it is only a taste of what the woman experiences.

Unlike the man, the woman has probably been preparing for this since she started playing with dolls as a little girl. And the effect of new motherhood is much more powerful, for 3 reasons: She knows it's her child — unlike the father who might have some doubt; her body is involved — she's the one giving birth; and in all likelihood, for a time at least, she will be the one providing most of the nurturing to the new child.

The Crone

The fourth and final archetype the woman enters into, complements the Magician. The Magician embodies knowledge and wisdom. For women, the knowledge and wisdom to guide other women comes from personal experience, and this experience gains a new level when she has undergone the fourth and final physical change in her life — the change so big that women refer to it simply as "the change".

Along with the maiden and mother, the Crone is the third aspect of the Celtic pagan Triple Goddess. A reviewer of Donna Henes' book states:

The Crone is the ancient one, the wise one, the all-knowing, all-giving one who dispenses her knowledge with patience and largesse.²

According to Carol Christ,

The older woman or crone is, "The wise old woman, the woman who knows from experience what life is about, the woman whose closeness to her own death gives distance and perspective on the problems of life."¹

At a time when her daughter is now old enough to be a mother, she is no longer able to have new children. She hands over to her daughter and the other younger women, the role of bringing new children into the community. She becomes a part of the third generation — the generation of Crones — women with the wisdom that comes from having been through all of life's changes. She has had time to evaluate and assess all the decisions she made during her life, compared to the other women around her, and she can help pass on her insight from right or wrong decisions to younger women.

The Crone is looked to by all in the community, men and women alike, as a source of wisdom regarding relationships, family, community, and of course the personal affairs of women.

Men in the Woman's Life Journey

As the woman acquires her personal connection with the four feminine archetypes, the men in her lives play the roles of the complementary masculine archetypes. For this reason, it is possible for a man to view his own life journey (or at least that part of his life that relates to the women in his life) as going through the same four transitions. In chronological order, the masculine archetypes he manifests are Warrior (courting the maiden), King (marrying the queen), Lover (and father, the husband of the mother) and Magician (providing wisdom to complement that of the crone).

Shadow Archetypes

NOTE: The shadows are immature or negative aspects, they exemplify ways in which people fail to manifest maturity in a particular archetypical dimension. As such, and again because this is written by a man, out of respect I have not given names to the feminine shadow archetypes. They are named here simply by their number in the periodic table

Maiden: ar31 uses her beauty to excess. A stereotypical example is a young woman in American culture who aspires to the less inhibited pop stars as role models; she cannot say no to the boys. ar27 does not acknowledge her beauty. All women are beautiful regardless of what the advertising industry tries to make us think. Without acknowledging her beauty she is inhibited in self expression (for example, she would find it more difficult to love others).

The feminine shadow archetypes do not seem to fit the "passive/active" dichotomy that Moore and Gillette apply so effectively to the masculine shadows. I suggest instead the dichotomy of isolated and co-dependent. Notice that ar27 describes a woman who has isolated herself, both by rejecting the admiration of others and by not radiating or expressing her beauty to others. By contrast ar31 depends on the adoration of others and attracts those who depend on her adoration.

The Maiden also embodies the physical aspects of a woman's contribution to the community, for example physical caretaking. In this aspect the shadow archetypes of the maiden ar27 and ar31 end up being active and passive respectively, mainly out of compensation for the relationship dichotomy of isolated and co-dependent.

An example can be seen in the beginning of the story of Cinderella. The step-sisters embody ar31, relationship-obsessed and passive caretakers — expecting even demanding that they be taken care of. One would imagine them in our present day as out-of-control, party oriented teens in danger of becoming pregnant before marriage.

By contrast, Cinderella herself, relationship-isolated, can compensate only by doing all the caretaking. She embodies ar27, convinced by those around her either that she is not beautiful, or does not deserve to express her beauty (depending on the version of Cinderella you have heard) — and doing all the physical work, perhaps partly out of a futile attempt to satisfy the ar31s or a misguided desire to compensate for her perceived lack of beauty.

Periodic Table of the Archetypes

The Archetypes by Aspect

Footnotes and Bibliography

1 : http://www.naminggrace.org/id32.htm As cited by Viola Larson: Carol Christ, "Why Women need the Goddess," in Womanspirit Rising: A Feminist Reader in Religion, Carol P, Christ and Judith Plaskow, Eds. (San Francisco: Harper & Row 1979) 281.

2 : http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/0975890603 Customer review of The Queen of Myself by Donna Henes (Monarch Press (NY), 2004, ISBN 0975890603) on Amazon.

3 : http://www.maryovenstone.com/Articles/File_Download.asp?ThisFile=FourPrimaryArchetypes.doc Mary Ovenstone, Understanding the Four Primary Archetypes, interview in Odyssey Magazine. Names the feminine archetypes "Warrioress", "Lover", "Crone" and "Queen". Much in common with Moore and Gillette; also names several composite god and goddess archetypes.

4 : http://www.amazon.com/Maiden-Mother-Crone-Reality-Goddess/dp/0875421717 Maiden, Mother, Crone: The Myth & Reality of the Triple Goddess by D.J. Conway

The 8 mature archetypes are used in my Wedding Syllabus.