A psychic archetype represents a core energy expression that we believe defines our psychological and spiritual journey, in this, past and future lives. Although we may engage in different forms of life, such as soldier or doctor, we are one enduring archetype, which could be the Warrior or the Healer.
This article explores the psychic archetype of the Wise Man.
One archetype, many guises
History is full of warrior priests and soldier healers (medics). Teachers can be athletes and athletes can be teachers. We can wear many guises over the course of our lives, but we usually operate from a single psychic archetype.
Sometimes necessity and circumstances can force us into a guise that is far removed from our spiritual purpose, it will seem. If we look closely enough at our actions under any circumstance, we will be able to see the consistent psychic imprint of our representation.
I have a varied work history including construction, website design/management, teaching (college English), and now spiritual consulting. With each iteration of my work opportunities, I repeatedly found myself in the same role… as a spiritual and emotional advisor to those around me.
The wise man
Growing up, I was very fortunate to have a wise man in my life: my maternal grandfather, Kenneth Welborn. He was the second youngest of nine children and never finished high school, but he was by far the most “down to earth” person I knew and still know. He was a “what you see is what you get” man, who never studied philosophical utilitarianism, but lived a life very much in line with this way of thinking. He was straightforward, straightforward and hardworking.
A Wise Man archetype individual is a gift to all humanity, but especially valuable to those in his community and family. He embodies the best elements of masculinity, including his ability to produce and maintain. Responsibility underlies the Wise Man’s actions and his truth is always clear when he shares it with others. He carries both the wisdom of the ages and the wisdom needed for the present day.
Each archetype travels through lifetimes gaining experience within and beyond its ideal representation to enjoy and understand the full range of human experience, while learning lessons related to completing his or her work. We learn lessons through support and resistance. A person learns the many facets of freedom by being very free in one life and being a slave in another.
The ideal society (utopian vision)
It is really not difficult to imagine an ideal society in which everyone discovers his or her psychic or spiritual archetype and is given a way to express that archetype through work and interactions with the other archetypes in the world. Creating such a world would require a wholesale and comprehensive acceptance of the balance between science and spirituality, between creativity and necessity, and between compassion and integrity.
Reality is an ebb and flow of balance, imbalance and rebalancing, and that is where all souls learn lessons not found in utopian visions or in the spirit realm. We choose to be here, and psychic or spiritual archetypes indicate that we choose a singular type of role so that we can experience true mastery.
Do you know a wise man?
Each archetype has definable and distinguishable properties. The wisest among us never recognize or acknowledge their wisdom, they simply are and do so. They are known to others as wise.
Age is important
A wise man ‘becomes’ in his life. He may be an old soul returning for further development or as a guide for the many people who will need him once he reaches late adulthood. This archetype simply requires a long life, and certainly long enough to cross the threshold into its archetype, which can be characterized by a decline in its physical stature, usually stable from around age 50.
Unlike other archetypes that can choose to perform their role in many guises, the Wise Man is male by default. And his role only becomes active when he reaches a certain age, gains certain experiences and is known to others for his knowledge and wisdom.
Ability to listen to and advise others
The Wise Man plays a crucial role in the progress of communities, society and humanity. They bear the burden of their wisdom and life experience graciously and compassionately. In many forms of literature and storytelling, they may be single or married, but they always have a willingness to share, as well as the gift of ‘right timing’ in offering thoughts and advice to others.
Should you encounter a Wise Man, you will be willing to listen to their thoughts and opinions, knowing that they will have the answer you need, even if it is a difficult answer. One of the Wise Man’s greatest gifts is his ability to listen, understand and respond. If in his wisdom there is only the need to be heard, then his ‘advice’ will be a silent answer that still enlightens the person speaking to him. When he does speak, his logic will yield precise solutions, usually in the form of anecdotes from personal life or simple, probing questions.
Have difficult incarnate lives
Being the archetype of a Wise Man comes at a very high price, in terms of incarnate experiences being the most difficult. Fatherhood will often be intense or complicated in some way. A wise man may not be able to have children, which affects his wisdom, or he may have a large and loving family. Be that as it may, across the spectrum his wisdom will be sharpened by the issue of fatherhood.
The incarnate life will be long, another staple of the Wise Man archetype. And he will retain the sharpness of his mind well into his old age. This long life will also make him the center of a large family and a large community. He easily becomes the de facto leader, general hands-on problem solver, dispute settler, and living Google search engine on issues that really aren’t solved through Internet searches. If you know the Wise Man of your community or have one in your family, be sure to cherish him; he is truly a gift of the spirit.
