King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the

King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the
Archetypes of the Mature Masculine
by Robert L. Moore
I really loved this book.
First, as a disclaimer, I have found Jungian psychology fascinating since I first discovered Clarissa Pinkola-Estes's
book "Women Who Run With The Wolves", back in high school. I found the idea of understanding the human
condition via the archetypes found in the myths we all share very compelling, and much more helpful than
"traditional" psychological analysis.
Thus disclaim-ed, this book was very helpful for me as a woman writer interested in creating believable heroes. It
explores the four basic archetypes that make up the male psyche- the King, the Warrior, the Magician, and the
Lover- including what each looks like in childhood, what a poorly formed version looks like, and what a fully
mature, "hero-material" version looks like.
It also has a very interesting section on the "rite-of-passage" rituals that have traditionally ushered men from
boyhood into manhood, which could be very helpful in designing a hero's inner journey throughout the course of
a book.
Again, as a writer, this helps to provide some context when I'm trying to create a hero, or even a villain. It goes
into the nuances of the male psyche that a majority of women- and, dare I say, men?- just don't understand. I
know that after reading this book, the heroes I create in the future will have that much more depth to them.
Excellent resource. Highly recommend!|i've been trying to read this book generously & not be dismissive about it
because of its gender essentialism, heterosexism, & complete endorsement of the gender binary. not that those
things aren't major problems.
because of its gender essentialism, heterosexism, & complete endorsement of the gender binary. not that those
things aren't major problems.
but it seems like this book does fill a need, and that it acts as almost a checklist guide that folks struggling with
enacting their masculinity can use to try to move into a kinder, stronger place. i like the way that it's broken down
into four different areas (archetypes) & there is a discussion of how to move out of the more hurtful immature
(they would say 'shadow') aspects of those parts of your id. it seems like metaphors of needing growth are much
more useful than suggesting to people that they have to shut out or ignore that part of themselves.
as i go through the cultural archetypes of masculinity, i keep trying to figure out how what they define as
"masculinity" differs from what i might define as humanity. do they just have to call it masculinity to make it more
appealing to men?
|A writer named Matt Haig recently announced on Twitter that he would be writing a book taking a feminist
stance on masculinity. Namely, he would write arguing for a more fluid form of masculinity not stemming from
past ideals of what is best known as “toxic masculinity.” This announcement was, shall we say, polarizing. Many
feminists praised Haig for his attempt to entrench feminism as an ideology embracing all genders (i.e. what
feminism actually is)- others lambasted him and said he had no right writing such a book as a man.
I was reading this book around the time I became aware of the events surrounding Matt Haig, and it is for this
reason that I found this book so striking. It was written in 1990, yet, 25 years later, is still in my opinion a crucial
text in any gender discussion.
Robert Moore & Douglas Gillette’s King, Warrior, Magician, Lover, is a crash course in masculine Jungian
archetypal psychology. The book is split into an introduction, a discussion of “Boy Psychology”, a discussion of
“Man Psychology”, a discussion of the four different archetypes and their bipolar extremes, and advice on properly
accessing these archetypes.
The introduction presents what I consider the most important criticism of the book as it relates to our social
landscape today: that patriarchy is a large-scale social manifestation of what the authors call “Boy Psychology”.
Boy Psychology can be called, in other words, immature masculinity. In its bipolar extremes, it can be called toxic
masculinity.
Here is the basic “structure” of what the book discusses:
There are four masculine archetypes: the King, the Warrior, the Magician, and the Lover. In boys, these archetypes
manifest as the Divine Child, the Hero, the Precocious Child, and the Oedipal Child. If a child grows up in an
emotionally healthy and nurturing environment, these boy archetypes will become the man archetypes. However,
as the authors stress multiple times throughout the novel, no one is ever perfectly exhibiting each archetype in its
fullness, but is exhibiting a certain extent of the bipolar shadow of the archetype.
One’s person, one’s self, one’s Ego, in psychoanalytic terms, is never an archetype. If the Ego identifies too strongly
with the archetype, then the Ego will exhibit the shadow archetype of excess. If the Ego does not identify enough
with the archetype, then the Ego will exhibit the shadow archetype of lack.
This picture will help explain things a little bit better (link below if the image is too small):
http://content.artofmanliness.com/upl...
The role of the King is to structure the Ego’s life, and bring it order, peace, and prosperity. The role of the Warrior
is to permit the Ego to take action, to not stagnate, to “leap into battle,” as it were. The role of the Magician is to
permit the Ego to know itself, to access deep thought, to be intrapersonal and properly introspective. The role of
the Lover is to permit the Ego to relate to other people, and to sensually relate to the world around itself. Each
archetype is a weft and weave of an interlaced psychological being, and each must contribute to the other. For
example, a Warrior without a King may be a sadistic savage. A Magician without a Lover will be detached,
emotionally numb, and manipulative, and so on.
archetype is a weft and weave of an interlaced psychological being, and each must contribute to the other. For
example, a Warrior without a King may be a sadistic savage. A Magician without a Lover will be detached,
emotionally numb, and manipulative, and so on.
Each archetype has bipolar excesses. For example, if the Lover is identified with too strongly, the Ego will become
hedonistic. It will focus strongly on sensuous desires: sex, food, drug experiences, what have you. If it does not
identify enough with the lover, it will be unable to relate to the world around itself. Depression will set in. When
asked why someone not identifying enough with the Lover is feeling so bad, they may simply say “I don’t know. I
just feel empty.”
Each chapter on an archetype discusses the historical context of the archetype, examples of the archetype that are
found in everything from Biblical tales to Star Wars, examples of the archetype properly accessed and its functions,
and examples of the archetype in its shadow forms.
The end of the book contains a detailed four-part tutorial on how to access the archetypes. The authors stress that
we must not ask ourselves if we are accessing the archetype properly, but to what extent we are accessing an
archetype’s shadow.
The four parts go something like this:
1.Ego-Archetype Dialogue: Think of something bothering you. Ask whatever you think it is inside you why it is
doing this or feeling this way and so on. After a few moments of writing, you’ll hear a voice that can be identified
with a shadow archetype. Dialogue with this archetype for a while. Have a chat. Eventually you might discover
what the issue can be boiled down to. This archetype will tell you. To draw from my own personal experiences, I’m
a recent graduate. I find myself procrastinating when it comes to doing my freelance work or applying to jobs.
After dialoguing with myself, I figured out it was the Shadow Warrior in its deficit polar form causing this. He did
not want to leap into battle because he feared he would lose every battle. After talking with him for a while, we
managed to come to an agreement: yes, we’re going to lose some battles, but losing a battle and learning from
your wounds is better than not receiving any wounds and stagnating into complacency. In more tangible terms,
yeah, not every job posting is going to guarantee a hire, nor is every client seeking freelancers going to want your
particular skillset. However, it’s a matter of finding those that will, and the only way to do that is to fail time and
time again until the battle is finally won.
2.Induction: The authors suggest finding images of each archetype you can strongly relate to. My image is usually
Marcus Aurelius for King, for example. Close your eyes, and freely imagine all of these images. Let the image of
the archetypes come in front of you. Kneel in front of the King and plea your grievances to him, asking for his
blessing and order. Meet with the Warrior, and draw from his strength. Come to the Magician’s hut, and let him
impart his wisdom unto you. Enter the Lover’s den, and hear him speak of his love. Understand your Ego is not an
archetype. Your Ego merely communicates with the archetypes.
3.Admiring Male Figures. Find a good male role model. Read their biography. Try to imagine them in their prime.
Imagine what led them there, and what they must have felt like.
4.“Fake it ‘til you make it”: Though you may not feel like the King, emulate the King when it is appropriate. Though
you may not battle like the Warrior, emulate the Warrior during your struggles. Though you may not be as wise as
the Magician, practice the Magic of your wisdom when you need it. Though you may not be as warm-hearted as
the Lover, love those you can, where you can.
The tone of writing is kind, intelligent, and wise. One imagines Moore & Gillette channeling the Magician as they
write this book.
A timely discussion on masculinity, and an excellent guide for men on how to be men with strength and vigour,
but without the toxicity, brutality, and anger so often associated with masculinity.
If Mr. Matt Haig decides to write his book, I hope he builds from same stone of wisdom upon which this book was
written.
A fantastic read. 4 stars.
A fantastic read. 4 stars.
|really interesting look at some cultural archetypes of masculinity...a quick read, too.|Několik zajímavých postřehů.
Místy trochu zavádějící, ale překladatel v poznámkách upřesňuje. České vydání plné překlepů!
----citace---Dealer drog, neupřímný a výmluvný politik, muž bijící svoji ženu, chronicky „předrážděný“ šéf, mladý byznysmen
„ranař“, nevěrný manžel, firemní „kýval“, lhostejný výchovný poradce, pastor „svatoušek“, člen gangu- otec, který si
nikdy nenajde čas podívat se za dcerou do školy, trenér vysmívající se svým nejlepším svěřencům- terapeut, který
nevědomě potlačuje jedinečnost svých klientů a tlačí je do šedého průměru, yuppi - všichni tihle lidé mají cosi
společného. Jsou to chlapci, kteří předstírají, že jsou muži. Dělají to upřímně, protože jim nikdo neukázal, jak
takový zralý muž vypadá. Tato „mužnost“ je falešnou mužností, což je většině z nás skryto.
Chlapci se bojí žen. Bojí se však také skutečných mužů.
V dnešní krizi mužnosti nepotřebujeme, jak tvrdí někteří feministé, méně sil mužnosti. Potřebujeme jich víc.
Potřebujeme však zralou mužnost.
Stáváme se šéfy firem, které raději přivedeme ke krachu, než bychom se pustili do boje s vlastním velikášstvím…
Podvodník Všeználek nezná žádné hrdiny, protože mít hrdiny znamená někoho obdivovat. Někoho obdivovat však
můžeme pouze tehdy, když jsme schopni posoudit vlastní cenu, a tak postupně nabýváme jistoty ve vztahu k
vlastni tvořivosti.
Hrdina je ve skutečnosti pouze pokročilou formou psychologie chlapceMladí muži dnes strádají nedostatkem požehnání od starších mu…
Dávali se (indiáni) do boje s výkřikem: „Dnešní den je dobrý na smrt.“
Patton své jednotky varuje, že není zvědavý na to, že budou během bitvy pouze držet pozice. Řítká jim: „Nechci od
vás slyšet, že držíte pozice… Neustále postupujeme vpřed… My se nepotřebujeme ničeho držet, kromě nepřítele
ovšem! Budeme se ho držet Za nos, a nakopeme mu do zadku! My z něho vytřeseme duši a pořádně s ním
zatočíme!“ Správná míra agresivity za příhodných okolností (tedy okolnosti strategicky výhodných pro daný úkol)
znamená polovinu úkolu.
Spojení s energií Milovníka má však na energii Válečníka další humánní dopady. Marcus Aurelius byl filosofem.
Winston Churchill malířem. Japonský umělec - válečník Mišima byl básníkem. Dokonce i generál Patton byl
básníkem.