Vol 2, No 6
From Warrior
to Magician
Entering the Realm
of the Miraculous
by Celeste Adams
What is an "archetypal shift"? Theoretical biologist Rupert Sheldrake proposed a theory on how living beings assume new forms. In A New Science of Life: The Hypothesis of Formative Causation (1981), Sheldrake explains that behavior that is repeated often enough forms a "morphogenetic field," a field that generates a new form.This idea can be applied to the development and emergence of new archetypes. It means that when enough people accept a new pattern of behavior, the scale eventually tilts so that this becomes the accepted way of doing things. It is the "hundredth monkey" hypothesis in action.[2] The archetypes that become dominant in our own lives are based upon cultural influences as well as our own unique history. And previously, our culture has defined the hero in terms of the archetypal Warrior, who lives life battling a series of challenges. But now a shift is occurring. The Magician is emerging as an archetype that may play a central role in the Third Millennium. It is beginning to seem that the Magician may soon replace the Warrior as our culture's most important figure. The Power of Myths And it may be that the future of our planet will depend upon embracing new archetypes. For besides the violence inherent in the Warrior Archetype, there are other myths that we need to release.For example, we need to release the myth that the earth provides an infinite wealth of resources. We cannot afford to continue to lose 120 species of life and 200,000 acres of rainforest every 24 hours. And we need to move beyond the myth described in Genesis that man was given dominion over all things — because this myth has created a world that is out of balance and in disharmony. Humans are not the crown of creation, but exist as one of the jewels in that crown, along with all other life forms. Instead, we need to look at and perhaps embrace myths from older cultures, where all life is considered sacred. We also need to let go of the myth of original sin, the one that says it was a woman who tempted a man to eat from the tree of knowledge. One fruit of this poisoned tree is that today, right-wing fundamentalist Islamic men are controlling the lives of women because they consider them to be inferior and evil. In Afghanistan, women have experienced extreme segregation and oppression. Fundamentalist groups in Pakistan and Kashmir have thrown acid in the faces of unveiled women. In general, long-term Warriors have a tendency to see women as a corrupting force. When we understand the myths that are guiding our life and our culture, we can begin to change them. We can free ourselves from undesirable myths and create new ones to guide us through the new millennium. Hollywood's reluctant Warriors The second millennium ended with award-winning films like Gladiator and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon that featured reluctant Warrior heroes. The Warrior hero Maximus in Gladiator is tired of warfare and disinterested in power. He doesn't want to take on the role of Emperor of Rome. Although he wants to live a peaceful life in a small village with his wife and child, he is enslaved and forced to continue fighting in the Roman Coliseum.Like the hero of Gladiator, Li Mu Bai, in the violent and action-packed movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, is unable to live the peaceful life he dreams of. He is both Warrior and Wizard, and owns the Green Destiny, a magical and powerful sword. Much like the Ring of Power in Lord of the Rings, or the Force in Star Wars, Green Destiny becomes a power that threatens to consume all those associated with it. The reluctant heroes of the blockbuster movies Gladiator and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon reflect the mood of a culture that wants to put aside Warrior ways but doesn't know how. And the answer may lie in the realm of magic. Hollywood's latest releases are focused not on the physical prowess of the Warrior but on the wonders of wizardry. Hollywood's Magicians and the Dark Side Whether it is the magic taught at Hogwarts or the techno-wizardry in more sophisticated works of science fiction, people from all walks of life are being drawn to stories about wizardry.In solving the challenges that confront them, the central characters of the Stars Wars trilogy and the Harry Potter works rely not upon physical abilities but upon an understanding of the deeper mysteries of life. But some people warn of the dangers that could erupt as a result of the wizardry that is celebrated in the Harry Potter series. They are disturbed that, unlike C.S. Lewis's Narnia series, or J.R.R. Tolkien's Ring Trilogy, in the Harry Potter works there is no God figure that defines morality. They fear that Rowling's "coming of age" story will encourage adolescents to dabble in the occult before they develop a solid foundation of moral values. In some states, religious communities are even burning Harry Potter books in a "holy bonfire." And it is true that as we begin to embrace the power that is inherent within all of us, we have to address the question as to whether we will use that power for good or for evil. But this question of good or evil use of power is central to the Harry Potter movie, as it is to the other films of wizardry that are emerging at this time. For example, the audience of Lord of the Rings learns that magical powers can destroy the world. In Tolkien's triology, the hobbit Frodo Baggins inherits the One Ring of Power. He realizes that if the ring falls into the wrong hands it has the power to destroy the Earth. So the story becomes a quest to destroy the ring. And the destroyer of the ring, by that act, is giving up ultimate power for the good of all. In Lord of the Rings, various characters are tempted by the power of the ring, and we realize that the true battle between good and evil is not so much "out there" as it is within ourselves, as we learn how to choose good over evil. What all of this brings up is that, like Darth Vader in the Star Wars trilogy and Voldemort in Harry Potter, archetypes can have a negative side as well as a positive one. We see the Shadow Magician at work in the technology of the concentration camps in World War II and in the development of nuclear bombs and biological warfare. We see dark wizardry at work with Osama bin Laden and the terrorists who may have used nothing more than simple box cutters to take control of powerful and technologically sophisticated superjets and use them as bombs to destroy the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. The Shadow side of the Wizard is at work whenever knowledge is used for egocentric purposes that harm others and have inhumane effects. The downfall with dark powers is that, sooner or later, the harm returns to the self. And so the challenge, faced by all of the Magicians in all of the magical books and movies of the last two decades, from Darth Vader in Star Wars to Boromir in the Lord of the Rings, is to relinquish that false power. The Archetypes We Live By In my forthcoming novel, Keepers of the Dream, the prominent archetype that dominates the early years of Eartha Mae's life might be described as the Martyr.[3] She represses her own feelings, sacrifices her health, and focuses on helping others develop while neglecting her own needs.She transitions out of this stage of her life, and the archetype of the Wanderer becomes dominant in her psyche. During this period, she makes her own way in the world and learns independence. Then, during her voyage down the Mississippi River, as Eartha Mae begins to discover the depth of her own personal power, she develops qualities of the Magician, and becomes a self-proclaimed Creatrix. As she journeys from Martyr to Wanderer to Magician, she moves away from victimhood to a place of embracing personal power. In order to redirect the course of our own lives and reshape the future of our planet, we need to deconstruct old myths and reconstruct new ones. When we become more aware of the myths we live by and the archetypes that dominate our psyche, we can change them by creating a new personal mythology and pulling in the qualities of the new archetype we seek to embrace. Eartha Mae's journey in my novel is a metaphor for the journey we may all take — an interior journey where we learn about our own guiding myths. Exploring Your Own Archetypal Patterns By reflecting on how you think and respond to daily challenges that come your way, you can begin to encourage greater development of the magician archetype in your own life.Here is an exercise you can use to assist you in this exploration. Cultivating the Magician Archetype By looking at the responses to the questions in the archetype exercise, you will see that there are a number of qualities that are essential to the Magician's nature, such as flow, faith, gratitude, love, asking, acceptance, a spirit of worthiness, and imagination. We can begin to develop these qualities, if that is what we wish to do, by shifting the way that we think.There are practical techniques of "applied mythology" that we can use to achieve this shift. Carol S. Pearson has written an insightful workbook to supplement The Hero Within that helps people understand and reshape the archetypes that are dominant in their lives. Some of her techniques include journaling, meditation, and rituals. The Mythic Path, by David Feinstein, Ph.D. and Stanley Krippner, Ph.D., charts a 12-week program in revisioning the myths that guide our lives. Most people already work with some of the qualities of a Magician. But a powerful Magician has fully developed and mastered a number of essential qualities that enable him to access telepathic abilities, time-travel, and supersensory perception. India has nurtured yogins who have amazing powers, or siddhis. Magic or Miracles In the final analysis, it seems to be the depth of love and compassion that one feels that distinguishes the self-realized person, who creates miracles, from the magician who merely creates magic.In his book Twelve Conditions of a Miracle, Dr. Michael Abrams retranslates the Biblical account of the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes, and discovers that in the original ancient Greek, the techniques for creating miracles are revealed in precise detail. Abrams's twelve conditions truly define the characteristics we need to develop in order to adopt for ourselves the Magician Archetype. To find out more, please see my article about The 12 Conditions of a Miracle elsewhere in this issue of the Spirit of Ma'at. Synchronicities of Archetypal Images
At the moment of insight, a potential pattern of organized behavior comes into being.
—Rupert Sheldrake
As we become more aware of the Magician Archetype and the possibilities it holds for us, we begin to come into greater contact with it in the people that we meet, in the articles and books that we read, in television, and in films. This interplay between our own personal experiences and events in the external world is an example of our co-creative nature, which implies that psyche and matter interact and are not separate and independent from each other.Now, during this crucial time in earth's history, when we are dealing with the very real threat of nuclear warfare and bioterrorism, the Magician knows the importance of focusing on the best outcome, and doesn't allow personal energies to be diminished and dissipated by fear. As we cultivate the Magician Archetype, we change the direction of our own life and influence the course of our planet's evolution.
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