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The 72 Archetype Cards

The 72 Archetype Cards

Universal Patterns of the Human Experience

Archetypes are the fundamental patterns that repeat across cultures, myths, and individual psyches. They're the roles we play, the energies we embody, the stories we live. The 72 Archetype Cards offer a comprehensive map of these universal human experiences—from The Hero to The Shadow, The Healer to The Destroyer.

What Are Archetypes?

The Patterns Beneath the Surface

Carl Jung discovered that certain themes appear universally—across cultures, myths, and individual dreams. These archetypes are psychological blueprints that shape how we see ourselves and navigate life.

Examples:

  • The Hero - Faces challenges, overcomes obstacles, transforms through trials
  • The Mother - Nurtures, protects, provides unconditional care
  • The Shadow - Contains rejected parts of self, hidden desires, suppressed traits
  • The Wise Old Person - Offers guidance, wisdom from experience
  • The Trickster - Disrupts, questions rules, brings necessary chaos

You've encountered these patterns in:

  • Mythology - Hercules (Hero), Athena (Wise Woman), Loki (Trickster)
  • Stories - Harry Potter (Orphan → Hero), Dumbledore (Sage), Voldemort (Shadow)
  • Your own life - Times you've been the Caregiver, the Rebel, the Seeker, the Wounded Healer

Why 72 Archetypes?

Beyond the Basic Four

While Jungian psychology focuses on four main archetypes (King, Warrior, Magician, Lover—see Jungian Psychology), the full spectrum of human experience requires more nuance.

The 72 Archetype Cards expand this to include:

🏔️ Places & Spaces (12 cards)

Physical and psychological landscapes that shape experience

  • The Ocean Within, The Mountain, The Forest, The Desert, The Cave, The Garden...

👤 Archetypal Beings (24 cards)

Character roles and relational patterns

  • The Hero, The Healer, The Warrior, The Lover, The Mother, The Father, The Child, The Orphan, The Sage, The Fool, The Shapeshifter, The Shadow...

🔥 Elements & Forces (12 cards)

Fundamental energies and natural powers

  • The Fire, The Water, The Earth, The Air, The Storm, The Sun, The Moon, The Star...

🌀 Psychological States (12 cards)

Internal experiences and emotional territories

  • The Threshold, The Void, The Mirror, The Wound, The Gift, The Dream...

🦋 Transformational Archetypes (12 cards)

Processes of change and evolution

  • The Alchemist, The Phoenix, The Chrysalis, The Death, The Rebirth, The Initiation...

How to Work With Archetype Cards

1. Daily Archetype Pull

Draw one card each morning. Reflect:

  • Where might this archetype show up today?
  • How am I currently embodying this energy?
  • What is this archetype teaching me right now?

2. Shadow & Light Exploration

Every archetype has light (healthy expression) and shadow (distorted expression).

Example: The Caregiver

  • ✨ Light: Nurturing, supportive, creates safety for others
  • 🌑 Shadow: Codependent, martyrdom, enabling, neglecting self-care

Reflection: Where are you expressing this archetype's shadow? How can you return to the light?

3. Life Phase Mapping

Map your life story through archetypes:

  • Childhood: The Innocent, The Orphan, The Child
  • Adolescence: The Rebel, The Seeker, The Lover
  • Young Adulthood: The Warrior, The Hero, The Creator
  • Midlife: The Sage, The Destroyer, The Alchemist
  • Elderhood: The Wise One, The Ancestor, The Guide

4. Relationship Dynamics

Identify which archetypes you and your partner/friend/family member embody:

  • Complementary pairs: Healer ↔ Wounded One, Teacher ↔ Student, Hero ↔ Damsel
  • Tension pairs: Warrior ↔ Peacemaker, Rebel ↔ Authority, Shadow ↔ Light
  • Growth: Recognize stuck patterns, invite new archetypes into dynamic

5. Career & Purpose

Which archetypes align with your work?

  • Teachers: The Sage, The Guide, The Mentor
  • Entrepreneurs: The Creator, The Magician, The Trickster
  • Healers: The Healer, The Shaman, The Medicine Person
  • Leaders: The King, The Warrior, The Visionary

The 24 Essential Archetypes (Starter Set)

Core Beings

  1. The Hero - Courage to face trials, transformation through challenge
  2. The Shadow - Rejected self, hidden potential, uncomfortable truths
  3. The Healer - Wounded healer, transformation through pain
  4. The Warrior - Boundaries, protection, disciplined action
  5. The Lover - Passion, connection, beauty, embodiment
  6. The Sage - Wisdom, perspective, understanding
  7. The Fool - Beginner's mind, trust, playful risk
  8. The Magician - Transformation, vision into reality
  9. The Mother - Nurturing, protection, unconditional love
  10. The Father - Structure, authority, guidance
  11. The Child - Innocence, wonder, spontaneity
  12. The Orphan - Abandonment, resilience, independence

Transformational

  1. The Destroyer - Necessary endings, clearing space
  2. The Phoenix - Death and rebirth, rising from ashes
  3. The Shapeshifter - Adaptation, flexibility, many selves
  4. The Alchemist - Turning lead into gold, inner transformation
  5. The Threshold - Liminal space between old and new
  6. The Mirror - Reflection, seeing yourself clearly

Places & Forces

  1. The Mountain - Ascension, perspective, journey
  2. The Ocean Within - Depth, vastness, surrender
  3. The Forest - Mystery, growth, getting lost to find yourself
  4. The Desert - Stripping away, clarity through emptiness
  5. The Vessel - Container for transformation
  6. The River - Flow, impermanence, trust

Access all 24 cards in the Archetype Cards Module

Deep Dive: Example Archetype

🌊 The Ocean Within

Essence: Vast, overwhelming power. The dissolution of "little us" into "big us". The depths where individual identity merges with wholeness.

Light Expression:

  • Surrender to something greater
  • Emotional depth and fluidity
  • Profound transformation through letting go
  • Connection to collective wisdom
  • Cleansing and renewal

Shadow Expression:

  • Emotional overwhelm, drowning in feelings
  • Complete loss of boundaries and self
  • Flooding others with emotional intensity
  • Avoiding depth work by staying safely on shore

When This Archetype Appears: You're being called to surrender control, to trust something larger than yourself. Perhaps you're facing grief, a major life transition, or spiritual awakening. The Ocean asks: Can you float instead of fight? Can you surrender without drowning?

Reflection Questions:

  • Where in my life am I being called to surrender?
  • What vastness am I trying to contain or control?
  • Am I avoiding the ocean entirely, or drowning in it?
  • What would happen if I stopped trying to manage this?

Complementary Archetypes: The Vessel (holds the ocean), The Mystic (navigates depths), The River (flows within it)

Tension Archetypes: The Mountain (ascends away from depths), The Warrior (fights against surrender)

Shadow Work With Archetypes

Every Archetype Has a Shadow

The shadow isn't "bad"—it's the distorted, immature, or excessive expression of an archetype.

The Healer's Shadow: Codependency, savior complex, healing others to avoid own wounds

The Warrior's Shadow: Aggression, violence, fighting everything, inability to rest

The Mother's Shadow: Smothering, controlling, infantilizing, refusing to let go

The Sage's Shadow: Intellectual bypassing, preaching, disconnection from feeling

How to Work With Shadow

  1. Identify: Which archetype's shadow am I expressing?
  2. Acknowledge: This isn't "bad me"—it's a distortion of a healthy pattern
  3. Understand: What need is this shadow trying to meet?
  4. Integrate: How can I return to the light expression?

Archetypes vs. Stereotypes

The Difference

Stereotype: Fixed, limiting, imposed from outside

  • "Women are nurturing" (reducing all women to The Mother)
  • "Men are aggressive" (reducing all men to The Warrior)

Archetype: Fluid, universal, chosen consciously

  • Anyone can embody The Mother (nurturing energy)
  • Anyone can embody The Warrior (protective boundaries)
  • You contain multitudes, shifting between archetypes as needed

Healthy Archetype Work

  • Expands your sense of self (not limits it)
  • Reveals patterns (not creates rigid boxes)
  • Empowers conscious choice (not justifies behavior)

Building Your Archetypal Profile

Your Primary Archetypes

Most people have 3-5 dominant archetypes that show up consistently across life.

Reflection Exercise:

  1. Which 3-5 archetypes feel most familiar to you?
  2. Are these chosen consciously or inherited (family, culture)?
  3. Which archetypes do you admire but never embody?
  4. Which archetypes do you reject or judge?

Pro Tip: The archetypes you reject most strongly often contain your shadow or greatest growth potential.

Archetypes in Mythology & Story

Universal Patterns

Every culture tells similar stories because we share archetypal patterns:

ArchetypeGreekNorseEgyptianModern Story
HeroHerculesThorHorusHarry Potter
Wise Old OneAthenaOdinThothDumbledore
TricksterHermesLokiSetJoker
Great MotherDemeterFriggIsisMolly Weasley
ShadowHadesFenrirApophisVoldemort

Why This Matters

Stories activate archetypes within you. When you resonate with a character, you're recognizing an archetypal pattern in yourself.

Using Archetype Cards in Practice

Go to the Archetype Cards Module

In the module, you can:

  1. Browse all 24 cards - Explore each archetype's full description
  2. Daily card pull - Receive a card for reflection
  3. Save favorites - Track archetypes that resonate
  4. Journal prompts - Deep-dive reflection questions
  5. Track patterns - Notice which archetypes appear repeatedly

Learn More

Foundational Reading:

  • Man and His Symbols by Carl Jung
  • The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
  • Awakening the Heroes Within by Carol Pearson
  • The Book of Symbols by ARAS (Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism)

Related Modules:

Final Reflection

Archetypes aren't boxes to put yourself in—they're lenses to see yourself through. You are not ONE archetype. You are a constellation, a story unfolding across chapters, seasons, lifetimes.

The invitation: Which archetype is calling you right now? What role is life asking you to play? What pattern wants to emerge?

"Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate." — Carl Jung

Ready to explore? Go to the Archetype Cards Module to begin your journey through the 72 archetypes.

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