Utilizing the Survival Archetypes as Allies
It is estimated that seventy percent of the world population engages with life from survival consciousness. Survival consciousness is when the shadows of the Victim, Saboteur and Prostitute archetypes are in the driver’s seat of one’s life. This generates feelings like; life is working against them, life is hard and they have to fight for what they want. They feel powerless to change how their life is unfolding and being autonomous is not even thought of as being a possibility. They experience life through the “not enough” story and it becomes their identity. They can’t see the truth even if it is right in front of them, because they can only see what they believe to be true about themselves. If they believe they are not enough, then they engage with life from powerlessness and then they experience powerlessness by feeling they are not enough. The truth is that they have given the driver’s seat over to the Victim, Saboteur and Prostitute, saying “You drive, I am not enough to have autonomy — to be in my power.” This is survival consciousness and by living from this level of consciousness they identity with separation and limitation. The good news is that the archetypal patterns are energy and just as one has aligned with the shadow (separation, powerlessness and limitation), one can choose to align with the light of the same archetypal patterns, and instead, experience wholeness, empowerment and being unlimited.
How do you align with the light of the archetypal patterns?
Awareness is the first step. If you have engaged in the nine practices I have posted previously, you will be aware that the Victim is the guardian of self-esteem, the Saboteur the guardian of choice and the Prostitute the guardian of faith, and you will have an awareness of how these energy patterns express in your life.
The second step in the process is to understand why and how these three archetypes work together.
In my own experience and the experience of the women I have worked with, the Victim is the keeper of the intergenerational stories and has recruited the Prostitute and the Saboteur to help them to keep those stories intact. Who is the Victim, the Prostitute and the Saboteur protecting? The child (your inner child) is the one who has the wound and these archetypes are trying to protect her from feeling the pain of her wound.
They protect your inner child by being acutely aware of what is going on around you as they don’t want your child wound to be triggered. Their eyes are not even on you, nor are they connected heart to heart with you, as they are facing outward, with you behind them. They believe they have everything under control and that you are safe. This creates an illusion of safety for a short time but ultimately, they can’t control how people engage with you so they can’t protect you from having your wound triggered. Every time your wound is triggered you experience pain and the wound deepens causing more pain and suffering.
For many, the cycle continues until the pain becomes too great and they seek healing, however what they actually desire is to be fixed as they see themselves as broken, or they want to know how to fix the people who are causing them pain, or perhaps both. That is not healing; it is simply another expression of the shadow. The light of these patterns expresses at a higher vibration which, unlike the shadow, truly supports the healing process. This is living from creation consciousness where autonomy is possible. To align with the light of these archetypes requires change — a shift in perception that raises your energy.
In their light, the Victim, Saboteur and Prostitute support you to heal the wound of your inner child. Here, they are facing you, they see you and they are connected heart to heart. They are always present and when you align and engage, they become your allies.
Remember that you were unconsciously conditioned to align with their shadow through a web of intergenerational stories. The healing process requires you to unstick from your stories of who you think you are, to open your heart and align with light of these archetypes ~ your Soul power.
Archetype Cards, Caroline Myss
self-awareness practice
Closing the gap between reacting unconsciously and responding consciously.
I encourage you to read or reread the Heart Centred Practices. If you are interested in deepening your awareness of these three archetypes, click here. If you think you know them, that is the Saboteur expressing resistance to change.
How are the shadows of the Victim, Prostitute, and Saboteur archetypes working together and keeping you stuck in your story? If you are unsure, you can read “A Story for You” section in each Heart Centred Practice to understand how the archetypes express in their shadow.
Are you aware of how these archetypes express in their light? If you are unsure, I suggest reviewing the “New Story” section of each Heart Centred Practice. In these stories, Tanisha and Allessandra are aware of and practice showing up in the light. How are these archetypes expressing their light through you? How can you deepen your awareness and focus more of your attention on them? It is important to remember. where your attention goes, the energy flows.
If you have worked through each practice, I suggest that you revisit your journal where you answered the questions from the self-awareness practices from each post. Note the changes that you have experienced since making those notes. The beauty of this work is when you commit, it lives you as you live it. You may be surprised at what has transpired since you last checked in. If you haven’t engaged in the practices then this may be perfect time to begin.
In November, I will begin the two-month exploration of the Child archetype. A deepened awareness of the Victim, Prostitute and Saboteur archetypes and how they express through you will reveal the child wound that they are creating the illusion of protecting.