Our behaviors reflect our state of health. They are an expression of the choices we make, which in turn are rooted in our belief systems. But where do these belief systems come from? To understand this, we need to delve into the nature of archetypes.
Archetypes are the building blocks of the psyche, the language we use to express and understand ourselves in relation to the world. Each archetype represents a particular pattern or role that we play out in our lives. There are countless archetypes, but we each have a unique relationship with a select few, which we “possess” a contract with.
These archetypal contracts are the agreements we have made as to how we learn, grow, evolve, and serve in this lifetime. Some of us may step into the archetype of the healer, while others embody the athlete, the engineer, or the visionary. Every archetype has the potential for both light and shadow expressions, representing the empowered and disempowered versions of each pattern.
Just as we all have unique fingerprints, we each embody a different range of archetypes. It’s said that we don’t choose our archetypes, but rather they choose us. This may explain why some children are drawn to music, writing, poetry, or athletics. However, we all possess four universal survival archetypes: the child, the victim, the saboteur, and the prostitute.
These four archetypes are the aspects of our psyche that ensure our survival. Whenever we are under stress, feel threatened, or unsafe, we shift into these survival archetypes. They represent our alarm system, triggering our nervous system’s sympathetic “fight or flight” response.
The child archetype reverts us back to old childhood programs for survival. The victim looks out for any potential perpetrator. The saboteur guides us into sabotaging for our safety. The prostitute leads us to compromise ourselves for our own security.
These archetypes help us survive, not necessarily thrive. They represent our relationship with our own power. In the light expression, we empower ourselves to set strong boundaries, live in alignment with our truth, and come to know our self-worth. In the shadow expression, we disempower ourselves, sabotage our truth, allow boundaries to be crossed, and diminish our self-worth.
The healing journey for most is about reclaiming the power that we have given away through these survival archetypes. Where we give our power away is where we give our energy away. As we begin to reclaim our power, we begin to reclaim our energy and vitality. We slowly learn how to claim the gifts, talents, and wonders of our inner child rather than remain childish, outsourcing self-responsibility. We learn how to embody the victim archetype through setting strong boundaries. We learn how to empower the saboteur with a connection to our highest truth. We learn how to support the prostitute by knowing our self-worth.
More often than not, it is these survival archetypes that create roadblocks on our healing journey. The child within us outsources responsibility and the power of choice. The child looks for others approval and gains its sense of self from the outer world.
The victim within us feels as though life is happening to us rather than for us. We get caught in blame, self-pity, and defeat, causing us to engage in self-soothing rather than empowered self-care. The victim gives its power away and is often looking to be rescued.
The saboteur within us sabotages out of fear. We are often afraid of our own empowerment, afraid of our potential, or afraid of a certain truth or reality that we don’t want to face. We sabotage as a means of ensuring safety, security, and attach to what is comfortable and familiar.
The prostitute within us compromises ourselves. We compromise our values, our integrity, and our self-worth for security purposes. We may stay in a job we don’t enjoy because of financial security. We may stay in a relationship we don’t enjoy for emotional security. As we strive to ensure physical survival, we compromise our ability to heal and thrive.
To heal on an archetypal level, we need to review our old contracts. What was the old contract of your inner child? What was your inner child’s survival strategy, and who did you have to be to feel safe and connected? How is this informing your current relationships? What are the things in life that have power over you, and what makes you feel victimized? Where are the areas of life in which you find yourself sabotaging, and what are the reasons that your saboteur uses to justify these choices? Where do we compromise ourselves, and where do we allow the fear of physical survival to compromise our highest truth, intuition, or integrity? This is where the contract of our prostitute lies.
Questions to ask yourself:
Child Archetype:
What was the old contract of your inner child? What was your inner child’s survival strategy? Who did you have to be to feel safe and connected? How is this informing your current relationships?
Victim Archetype:
What are the things in life that have power over you? What makes you feel victimized? What is your inner victim’s strategy in stressful situations? Where do you perceive life happening to you?
Saboteur Archetype:
Where are the areas of life in which you find yourself sabotaging? What are the reasons that your saboteur uses to justify these choices? What are you afraid would happen if you didn’t sabotage?
Prostitute Archetype:
Where are you compromising yourselves? Where do you allow the fear of physical survival to compromise your highest truth, intuition, or integrity?
As we become aware of these old contracts, we begin to see the formative forces that developed as a child. These archetypes represent our inner child’s survival team. The child within us once felt helpless and powerless. We were dependent on others for our own survival.
We had to maintain a connection to these individuals for us to feel safe and taken care of. This often meant sabotaging ourselves, prostituting ourselves, or playing the victim. We often used these archetypes to get our emotional needs met. We may have played the victim to receive more empathy and compassion. We may have prostituted ourselves to please others. We may have sabotaged ourselves to maintain connection.
As the healing journey unfolds with the exploration of these contracts, we begin to realize that what once brought us safety and security eventually holds us back from freedom and empowerment.
The old contracts that once served us brought us security. They worked for a period of time. Much of the pain in our lives begins when these old contracts begin to expire. The longer we hold onto them without releasing them, the more pain we generate.
The pain is simply a messenger offering us feedback as to the ways in which we are living out of alignment with our potential. As we begin to listen to the pain and understand the message that it is delivering, we let go of the old models that were limiting our freedom.
This process can feel scary at times. As we begin to step into our power, we step into the unknown. Our highest potential can feel threatening for the parts of us that are there to ensure safety and security. Not everybody wants to be in a relationship with the most empowered version of us. Quite often, others get their needs met through the less empowered versions.
This is why the healing journey often creates an upheaval in our lives. Old relationships end. Careers and living environments often change. The universe begins to extricate anything that is no longer a vibration match. During this process, it’s essential to stay committed to the path and be present in the moment. The only thing we need to do is sit still and allow the universe to work its magic. It may be uncomfortable and even painful at times, but it’s all part of the journey towards a more empowered and fulfilling life. So, trust the process, and remember that everything is happening for your highest good.
Greg Schmaus
CEO of Healing 4D, a Holistic Health Practitioner, Shamanic Energy Healer, Massage Therapist, the creator of “Healing The Mind,” a 21 day holistic mental health program.
https://www.healing4d.com
