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 Woman.
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 woman
Growing up, I was very fortunate to have a wise woman in my life: my maternal grandmother, Ruby Welborn. She was the oldest of nine children and never finished high school, but she was by far the wisest person I knew and still know. She was a Zen master who never knew the concept of Zen Buddhism; she was the embodiment of the best, most compassionate teachings of Christianity. She was honest, steadfast, compassionate and caring. I will always love her very much.
A Wise Woman archetype individual is a gift to all humanity, but especially valuable to those in her community and family. She embodies the best elements of femininity, including her own unique brand of leadership. A quiet determination underlies the Wise Woman’s knowledge and her truth is always clear when she shares it with others. She carries within her the wisdom of centuries, but also the wisdom needed for the current time.
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. Someone learns the many facets of freedom by being very free in one life and extremely limited 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 woman?
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 woman ‘becomes’ throughout her life. She may be an old soul returning for further development or as a guide for the many people who will need her once she 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 biological transition: menopause, which naturally occurs around the age of 45.
Unlike other archetypes that can fulfill their role in many guises, the Wise Woman is female by default. And her role only becomes active when she reaches a certain age, has certain experiences and is known by others for her courage and wisdom.
Comfort: listening to and advising others
The Wise Woman plays a crucial role in the connectivity of communities, society and humanity. They carry the burden of their wisdom and life experience lightly and positively. In many forms of literature and storytelling they may be single or married, but they always have an ‘open door’, both literally where their home welcomes others, and in their energy field when people meet them.
Should you encounter a Wise Woman, you will find yourself willing to be vulnerable in their presence and relieved that you feel safe to share your fears and doubts, knowing somehow that she will have the answer you need, even if it is a difficult answer. One of the Wise Woman’s greatest gifts is her ability to listen, understand and respond. If in her wisdom there is only a need to be heard, then her ‘advice’ will be a silent answer that still enlightens the person speaking to her.
Have difficult incarnate lives
Being the archetype of a Wise Woman comes at a very high price, in terms of incarnate experiences being the most difficult. Motherhood will often be intense or complicated in some way. A wise woman may not be able to have children, which affects her wisdom, or she may have a large and loving family. Be that as it may, across the spectrum, her wisdom will be sharpened by the issue of motherhood.
The incarnate life will be long, another staple of the Wise Woman archetype. And she will retain the sharpness of her mind well into her old age. This long life will also make her the center of a large family and a large community. She easily becomes the de facto spiritual advisor, general practitioner, dispute settler, and living Google search engine on issues that really aren’t resolved through Internet searches. If you know the Wise Woman of your community or have one in your family, be sure to cherish her; she is truly a gift of the spirit.
