Shamanic Archetypes

Shamanic instructor and practitioner Shanon Harwood introduces shamanic archetypes…

LET’S begin by defining an Archetype as a building block of the universe. This ‘building block’ is an energy that is so repeatable, so constant, that its energy has been consistently recognised and described by humans around the world since before recorded history, though the Archetypes used will often vary with the region and the ethnicity of the practitioner.

Archetypes have been a focal point of conversation and debate for centuries. Plato first wrote about them in the fourth century BC, describing them as patterns or forms of energy. Plato’s protégé Aristotle called them spheres -“disembodied messengers that emanate from the divine unmovable mover”. It is often thought that Aristotle was referring to angels and when he used the term ‘unmovable mover’ it was a very general reference to The Creator.

Archetypes showing up in astrology in the first century BC where they were identified with the planets and the constellations. In the tarot, dating from the 15th Century, the Archetypes virtually came to life when they were represented by the twenty-two cards of the major arcana. Fast forward to the 20th Century when Dr. Carl Jung, one of the pioneers of modern psychology, recognised that the Archetypes derived from the collective consciousness. Later, Jung concluded that rather than being a part of our psyche, the Archetypes are energies that are influencing upon us and completely autonomous from us.

Today, at our school, The Kimmapii School of Shamanism, we teach and work with the Archetypes routinely. We help our clients and our students recognise when and where they may be out of alignment with an Archetype and work to help them come back into balance.

Identifying the Archetypes

The first step is to identify the Archetypes themselves.

Let me give you an example. The Archetype of Mercury is associated with attributes such as quick wit, agility, decisiveness, articulation, communication. This Archetype is also something of a trickster as well as a community builder who is extremely adaptable to his environment. Depending on what ethnicity or Shamanic practice is looking at this Archetype, he has been given a number of labels, namely the planet mercury in astrology, the magician in tarot, number one in numerology, Hermes in Greek mythology, Mercury in Roman mythology, and many more. The key, however, is that regardless of the label given, or the region /methodology you are working with — the energy and attributes of this Archetype are the same.

Taking this concept a step further, birds and animals are often used as Shamanic Archetypes. The reason for this is, once again, birds and animals have repeatable characteristics and behaviours that are used by Shamans to teach people important lessons and help them heal when they are out of balance.

In some indigenous cultures the coyote is the Archetype used to teach the same attributes that other ethnicities would teach with The Magician. Coyotes are quick-witted, intelligent, and agile and can appear and disappear at the blink of an eye. They are extremely family oriented and can be found thriving in mountains, deserts and cities alike. By studying and emulating the behaviours and characteristics of Archetypes, people can take these lessons and attributes and use them to improve their daily lives in dramatic ways. Imagine stepping into and embodying the energetics of coyote — that carefree adaptability when your life feels rigid or you feel unable to fit into your surroundings.

This is how the Shaman works with Archetypes. First we identify which archetypal energetic will most benefit our client and then work with them to make the necessary shifts in their lives.

Let’s look at another example. Ares - The God of War is the label that Greek mythology has for this Archetype, but he’s also known as Mars in both Roman mythology and astrology. In numerology he is the number seven, while in ancient Persia he was known as Bahram. This Archetype is all about propulsion and fearlessness; aggression and spontaneity. He is the courageous one who values honour and valour and regardless of which of the above labels one uses, we see the same repeatable, identifiable, quantifiable set of energetics.

Now imagine how difficult life would be if your relationship with this Archetype is out of balance in either direction. It could manifest as not being able to stand your ground when you need to, or conversely, the inability to control your anger and aggression. In either situation, life would be extremely difficult.

Moving now to South American Shamanism, we again find the use of birds and animals as Archetypes. In the Andean Shamanic practice for example, you will find the serpent — Sachamama is used to teach the lesson of shedding. As the serpent sheds its skin regularly it teaches us to shed things that no longer serve us. We can now segue to North America where some Shamans use the deer as the Archetype of shedding. As you no doubt know, the deer sheds its winter coat, and/or its antlers, when it no longer serves them.

A further example of the Archetypes used by Andean Shamanism is the use of the jaguar. This Archetype is used to teach how to overcome the greatest fear of all - the fear of death. The jaguar, named Otorongo, in addition to teaching about fear, also teaches the value of stillness and how to conquer the tendency to engage in meaningless battle.

As a final example of an Archetype that transcends regional boundaries, I will cite the eagle. Whether in South America or North America, the eagle represents rising above the mundane, conferring the ability to see the big picture of life’s journey.

How shamans use Archetypes

Shamans use Archetypes both as teaching tools and healing tools. When an individual who is experiencing difficulty in life seeks help of a Shaman, the Shaman will often endeavour to first determine where the individual may be out of alignment with the energy of one or more of the Archetypes. Once determined, the Shaman may employ a variety of methods to help that individual come into a more favourable balance with the energy of the identified Archetype(s).

In our Shamanic school we use numerous types of Archetypes to help people experience a more enjoyable journey through life. We use the bird and animal Archetypes when we are teaching and working with both Animistic Shamanism and Energetic Shamanism.

Conversely, when we are working in the field of Destinistic Shamanism we have developed and will use a system loosely related to the major arcana in tarot. The healing mechanism of our system is based on ten Primary Archetypes and twelve Directing Archetypes. The entire system consists of three well-tested methodologies that we have developed into proven programs that quickly bring people back into alignment and balance.

We have entitled the first of the three programs One on One with an Archetype. In this program, when a person presents to us with difficulty in life, we begin with an intensive investigation into what is not working in their life. Our investigation includes an indepth interview with the individual using a long series of probing questions. Here is where Shamanic skills come into play. We know that the individual can only report their perception of what’s not working in their life and what they are telling us is simply their perception of how it is manifesting. We also know that the truth behind what is happening, the actual cause of what is not working, is typically far more complex and multi-faceted than what the individual is able to report.

As they are speaking, the Shaman will be halflistening to what the client is saying (and is not saying), but the Shaman will be far more focused on ‘tracking’ as the client is speaking. Tracking is a Shamanic skill that is used to seek out the true drivers of a problem. The Shaman will then make comprehensive notes. All the while, in their mind the Shaman will be reviewing all of the attributes, characteristics and energetics of the 10 Primary Archetypes. What we are searching for in our knowledge base of the Archetype is a correlation between the client’s ‘real’ issue and the Archetype’s energetics.

As we engage with the client, we shift to what is known as The Mythic Level of Engagement. It is here, at this level, that we can begin to ascertain the truth behind the client’s situation with an Archetype. Is there an over-abundance of the Archetype’s energy showing up? Is there a lack of crucial energy?

An image will begin to take shape

The next step is a review of the client’s birth information. Similar to an Astrologer, we will look at all the elements of the individual’s birth data. We then compare these elements to what we learned from our tracking. Taking the attributes, characteristics and energetics of the Archetype that we perceive the client needs to work with, we begin to form a plan to assist the individual to regain their balance. Further, at this stage, we overlay the influence of the Directing Archetype who is also feeding into the energetics at play. Typically, we are able to very rapidly narrow down where we perceive our client needs to focus their attention. Armed with all of this information we are then in a position to help our client create their healed mythic-map.

Another one of the programs, is a very intense ten day healing journey that we call The 10 Boot Camp. In this program we have incorporated a variety of intense rituals that were developed over more than twenty years of research. These rituals successfully bring clients back into the alignment they are seeking, coming away with an in-depth understanding about what was going wrong in their life, why it was going wrong, and what they need to do to change it. Throughout the entire process the Shaman is constantly working with the client to help them embody the characteristics and energies of the Archetype they are working with because this in-depth knowledge is part of what makes this program so successful.

Each of the Archetypes independently exert a profound influence on our lives. Sometimes their influence is over the top, sometimes it feels just right and sometimes it leaves us wanting and needing more. Nevertheless, it’s an extremely powerful influence. We recommend that whenever you are working with any of the Archetypes, do so with extreme caution and complete respect. They are powerful beyond our comprehension. n

iSHANON HARWOOD is a shamanic instructor and practitioner who has devoted the last 35 years of her life to shamanic teaching, writing and practice. Her latest book, Currency, is a speculative fiction that takes aim at social injustice in the world today and can be purchased on the book’s website www.currencythebook. com as well as online retailers.