Life
Personality tests and astrology are so popular because they're not only fun, but they can help you figure out why you are the way you are. People are complex and personality tests can simplify things for you. But if you know your birth chart in and out and you've read everything there is to read about your Myers Briggs Personality type, there's another thing out there that basically combines the two, so it may be time to find out what an archetype is.
"Archetypes are a starting point for unearthing your motivations and lessons," Cara Kovacs, NYC-based oracle, tells Bustle. "It's more a label than anything else to help you understand where your truth lies in different parts of your life."
They were originally conceptualized by Plato, then developed by psychoanalyst Carl Jung. "Caroline Myss, who's methodology I practice, made them into what is essentially the spiritual version of a Myers-Briggs personality test," Kovacs says.
There are about 100 different archetypes you can choose from, and a specialist like Kovacs can help you narrow it down so you can discover you inner truths. Think of it as an intense spiritual personality test with a bit of therapy thrown in there. Because when you're trying to discover why you do the things you do, it's going to get a little real.
"Unearthing your truest motivations can help you make choices for your highest good," Kovacs says. "This process is for people on their truest journey to self-inquiry. It is real, deep, sometimes uncomfortable, but one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself."
So here are some questions your archetype can help to answer, according to Kovacs.
1
"Why Do I Keep Sabotaging My Relationships?"
You get to choose which archetypes resonate with you, so everyone's will be different. However, Kovacs says there are four "core" archetypes everyone has that make up our survival instincts. These are the Prostitute, Saboteur, Victim, and Child archetypes. "We all have an inner child, the propensity to play the victim, to self sabotage, or to sell out," she says. "These lessons are the universal lessons of the human experience, which is why they are part of everyone's archetype list." If you have a habit of self-sabotaging your relationships and you have no idea why, you may be a Saboteur in this aspect of your life.
2
"What Are My Strengths And Weaknesses?"
Your arhchetypes can reveal your strengths and weaknesses in various aspects of your life from career to relationships to your sense of emotional security. Because of this, Kovacs says you can find ways to "optimize your own weaknesses" and grow.
3
"Why Do I Always Feel Stuck? How Can I Break Out Of This?"
There's nothing worse than feeling stagnant in life. But your archetype can help you learn how you can better use your energy to accomplish things and reach your highest potential.
4
"Why Do I Keep Dating All The Wrong Kinds Of People?"
If you want to know why you keep getting into the wrong kinds of relationships, your achetype can help. It can even teach you how to shift those behaviors so you can make more empowering choices.
5
"Why Am I Always So Combative?"
Are you always defensive? Do you always need to be right? According to Kovacs, your archtype can help explain why you argue, behave, or relate to the word in the way that you do.
6
"Why Do I Have These Types Of Sexual Fantasies?"
Sexual fantasies can't always be explained. But your archetype can clue you into why you like certain things. As Kovacs says, "It can help you understand sexual proclivities and kinks by identifying your driving force behind your sexuality and relationships."
7
"Am I On The Right Life Path?"
If you're struggling to figure out your life purpose, you can really benefit from learning more about yourself through archetypes. "You may feel creatively inspired by one thing but have a value system that leads you towards a different path," Kovacs says. "Being able to understand both instincts can help you make up your mind job-wise."
If you're someone who isn't afraid to dig in deep, this is something you should consider doing. "I think this work is for people who want to know themselves, whether they're spiritual or not," Kovacs says. But if you aren't really interested in coming face-to-face with yourself, you may not get a lot out of it.
