A good sense of wellbeing depends on finding meaning in a situation or event, especially if it’s an unexpected one. Research confirms that knowing this is linked to better health, longevity, and even economic success. Finding meaning builds and sustains your mental, emotional and spiritual health. Finding meaning feeds your soul.

An effective way to find meaning an event or when you’re facing a difficult situation is to use archetypes. Archetypes are a doorway to the wisdom of the collective mind. It’s human wisdom that has accumulated over eons of time to form a collection of universal story patterns that describe the human experience. This includes thinking, feeling and behaving. Which means that archetypes have existed since human life began. Throughout the ages, to this collection, every human being has added their own ideas about what it means to be, for example, a warrior, or a queen, a sage or hero.

An archetype gives you an idea of its characteristics. Each one contains specialist knowledge that you can access just by naming it. And because your mind is a part of the global mind, you automatically get the idea. You get the meaning of it. And what I love most about archetypes, as universally recognised story patterns, they cut through cultural divisions and barriers because they’re experienced regardless of your cultural background. Archetypes are truly universal in nature.

You get the broad idea of a warrior. You know how the story goes. At a macro level, our global, universal understanding of the warrior is a story about, and therefore an experience of, combat. The story of the queen is a story about the experience of rulership. The story of the sage is about the experience of wisdom. The hero is a story about the experience of leadership.

When you recognise the experience, you not only get the meaning of the story. You relate it to your own life experience, so immediately, you enter the micro world of archetypes. You pass through an automatic doorway and into your own experience of the universal story. Once you connect an archetype to your situation, you get an idea of what’s happening and why. Not only do you get insights. You deepen your hindsight and sharpen your foresight. You discover what you’re learning, so the meaning of an archetype is personalised for you.

It’s at this micro level, from your personal understanding and experience, that an archetype will be more nuanced because you are unique and so are your life experiences. At the micro level of understanding, archetypal information can deepen self awareness, and ignite your personal growth and transformation.

Now, it’s your turn. What is the meaning of your situation? To find out you will:

1. Hold the situation in your mind.
2. Choose one of your personal archetypes to tackle it.
3. Describe the story of the archetype to match it with your values.

Hold a situation in your mind. Let’s say you want to start a counselling business. You’re feeling confused and overwhelmed about where to start.

Choose one of your personal archetypes to tackle it. Out of your twelve archetypes, you decide that, for a counselling business, the Sage archetype is a good contender.

Describe the story of the archetype. The story of the Sage archetype is one of wisdom, compassion, and the transformative power of knowledge. It inspires us to understand and learn from our experiences. The Sage archetype urges us to share our insights with others in order to illuminate the path toward greater understanding and fulfilment.

Identify and align your values. The Sage archetype embodies the qualities of wisdom, guidance, and insight. These are my values and they are the qualities that my clients are seeking in a counselling therapist.

The Sage archetype takes us on a quest to recognise the deeper truths of life’s existence. It can guide us to unravel the complexities of human nature. Through their teachings and counsel, when a person embodies the highest potential of the Sage archetype, they position themselves to help others navigate life’s challenges, find meaning and purpose, and achieve personal growth and enlightenment.

By identifying your values, that is, those that are driving your counselling business, and then matching your values to the qualities contained within one of your personality archetypes, and in this case, the Sage, you will convey trustworthiness, expertise, and a deep understanding of human nature. As a counsellor expressing the highest potential of the Sage archetype, you will attract clients who are seeking your personalised type of encouragement and support on their journey towards healing and growth.

Archetypes personalise the meaning in your situation. It’s like recognising what you’ve been assigned to do. Oh, that’s what I’m here for. That’s what I’m meant to be, what I need to be doing, and what I need to recognise and allow into my life.