What Is Your Archetype? How Your Subconscious Patterns Shape Your Life

There are forces shaping your life whether you realize it or not.

They influence the way you see yourself, the way you navigate relationships, the way you approach success and failure. They dictate why you keep falling into the same patterns, why you hold yourself back, and why certain fears feel impossible to shake.

These forces are called archetypes.

Caroline Myss, a pioneer in archetypal psychology, teaches that we each have twelve archetypes woven into our psyche, four of which are our “survival” archetypes:

🔹 The Child (Orphan, Wounded, Invisible, Magical, Nature, Divine, or Eternal)

🔹 The Victim

🔹 The Prostitute

🔹 The Saboteur

Each of these archetypes has both a light side and a shadow side. And if you’re not conscious of them, you might be living in their shadow—which means they’re shaping your life in ways that keep you small, stuck, and unseen.

Are You Living in the Shadow of Your Archetypes?

Take the Invisible Child.

🔹 Maybe as a child, you were told to be quiet. Your needs weren’t prioritized, so you learned to not need anything at all.

🔹 Maybe you were praised for being “low maintenance” or for putting others first.

🔹 Maybe you started to believe that being visible = being vulnerable to rejection, criticism, or failure.

So, you grow up staying small. You become the supporting character in your own life. You don’t ask for much. You don’t take up space.

But eventually, you hit a wall.

🔹 You want to start a business, but no one supports you.

🔹 You want deeper relationships, but people ignore your needs.

🔹 You want to be seen, but you’re terrified of rejection.

And here’s where the other shadow archetypes creep in:

⚫ The Victim—Tells you life is unfair. You have no power. Nothing ever works out for you.

⚫ The Saboteur—Makes sure you never put yourself out there. You procrastinate, second-guess yourself, or shut down before you start.

⚫ The Prostitute—Compromises your values for safety. You settle. You undercharge. You say yes when you want to say no.

Without realizing it, these archetypes are running your life. And until you consciously work with them, they’ll keep calling the shots.

How to Work With Your Archetypes (Instead of Against Them)

1️⃣ Notice the Stories You Tell Yourself

What are the loops playing in your mind? “I’m not good enough.” “I don’t belong.” “Success isn’t safe.” These thoughts aren’t you—they’re your archetypes.

2️⃣ Identify When You’re in the Shadow

Are you self-sabotaging? Playing small? Settling? These are clues that one of your survival archetypes is in control.

3️⃣ Reclaim the Power of Your Archetypes

Every archetype has a gift when it’s in its empowered state. The Victim becomes the Survivor. The Saboteur becomes the Strategist. The Prostitute becomes the Guardian of Values.

4️⃣ Rewrite the Narrative

Instead of “I am invisible,” try “I am safe to take up space.” Instead of “I always sabotage my success,” try “I trust myself to follow through.” Your mind listens to what you repeatedly tell it.

5️⃣ Embody the Future Version of You

Who would you be if you were already living in your empowered archetypes? How would you move, speak, make decisions? Start being that person now.

Your Archetypes Are Your Allies—If You Let Them Be

You were never meant to be small. You were never meant to stay unseen. The parts of you that feel stuck, afraid, or disconnected?

They aren’t here to punish you.

They are here to wake you up.

Once you learn how to work with them, you’ll realize—you were never just a supporting character.

You were always meant to be the lead.