The archetype of the Sage, according to Carol Pearson.

In her book: Awakening the Heroes Within, Carol Pearson, a Jungian educator, and author, develop characteristics of different archetypes. In this case, we will explore the archetype of the sage.

Of course, it is necessary to clarify again that the archetype is a concept coined by Jung to refer to the original images, or certain a priori models that are part of our collective heritage. They do not imply a particular representation, but are, as such, possibilities of representation. Modes that configure certain forms of perception and action.

We can observe the archetypes being embodied by characters, or even observe in ourselves or in other people's characteristics of them in certain circumstances of life. When the archetype manifests, it is already considered a symbol, because it has taken a particular form.

Having said this clarification, we begin the description of the archetype of the sage.

According to Pearson, the Wise has no need to change the world, his interest is to understand it. He pretends to know the Truth and investigate what is necessary to be able to discover it. This archetype represents the search for the ultimate truth and the drive to discover what is hidden behind appearances.

In our lives we can experience it in moments of deep insight or reflection, or when we reach certain limit points that allow us to recognize which way to go.

The sage seeks to inquire but must also recognize that he cannot know everything. The true essence of the sage is the humility of his abilities in the face of that which exceeds him and the acceptance of the relativity of experience. Although the sage is interested in accessing objective truth, he must initially accept subjective differences and his own limits.

The archetype of the sage implies a detachment, a detachment from thoughts and emotions, from desires and needs, a disidentification that allows one to take a more distant position, one of contemplation. More than transforming, the sage accepts, guides, and contemplates.

According to this author, we cannot pretend to access an ultimate truth without first knowing our own judgments and tendencies. It is necessary to raise awareness of the lens from which we observe reality, in order to occasionally run away from it, and enable a slightly more global view. It is essential to start the journey of becoming aware of our own aspects in order to be able to discriminate and understand what surrounds us from there.

For this reason, the work on oneself, fundamentally on the unconscious aspects, is a central aspect on the path that makes wisdom possible.

The sense of humility accompanies the sage because he has traveled what is necessary to recognize his fundamental subjectivity. And as much as he seeks to know beyond himself, he knows that this task can never be fully accomplished.

Like all archetypes, the Sage also has his dark side. His shadow isolates him, makes him distant and emotionally inaccessible, considering himself superior, critical and possessor of the truth. At times he is so overwhelmed by the relativity of life that he is prevented from acting and becomes paralyzed.

By raising awareness of the dark aspects, the unfolding of the luminous aspects can be allowed, as they are two sides of the same coin.

The sage is represented in numerous works of cinema and literature. Sometimes in the role of mentor and guide to him, as in the case of the character of Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings.

 

 

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