Lists of Archetypes and Themes
Carl Jung identified the archetypes of the mother, mana, shadow, persona, anima, and animus. There are many, many more archetypes. For a brief description of Carl Jung and his work with archetypes, go here: http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/jung.html
The arechetypes in a tarot deck are called "major arcana." They are:
0 - The Fool
1 - The Magician
2 - The High Priestess
3 - The Empress
4 - The Emperor
5 - The Heirophant
6 - The Lovers
7 - The Chariot
8 - Strength
9 - The Hermit
10 - Wheel of Fortune
11 - Justice
12 - The Hanged Man
13 - Death
14 - Temperance
15 - The Devil
16 - The Tower
17 - The Star
18 - The Moon
19 - The Sun
20 - Judgement
21 - The World
There are fifty-six additional cards called the minor arcana, which represent additional themes and archetypes. Following is another list of archetypes and themes, taken from the list of Parabola back issues.
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the hero magic initiation rites of passage death creation cosmology relationship sacred space sacrifice transformation inner alchemy androgyny the trickster sacred dance the child storytelling education music silence the shadow obstacles |
woman earth spirit the goddess progress the mask demons sleep dreams sin ceremonies holy war guilt animals mantras theft pilgrimage food wholeness exile the body the witness |
memory sadness mirrors the hermit addiction forgiveness sense of humor creativity renewal questions the mountain the disciple tradition tree of life triad time attention liberation hospitality money the hunter craft |
community solitude power energy crossroads the city calling twins clothing writing hidden treasure the stranger language Eros prophecy the soul peace play work ways of knowing conscience consciousness |
Write a few sentences about each theme you've chosen. Think about how they influence your everyday life and thoughts.
Think of a story to illustrate each theme on your list. Draw stories from your life history, the news, books, movies or dreams.
If you are unhappy about some aspect of your current reality, where you are in life right now; where society is right now, etc., then concentrate on this step. Go back to the list of themes and choose one. Pick the one that you like the most and think about it. Write down a few sentences on why you like the theme and what the highest manifestation of that theme would be in your life right now.
Think of ways to integrate this new archetypal theme and explore it in your everyday activities. This is your life, your world, and you are the author of your own life script. All the best to you in this quest called life. If you use archetypal themes to uplift your world, the positive changes will ripple out and make the wider world a better place too.
For more online learning with myths, visit the If you would like to read stories on each of these themes, link to Parabola a journal of myth, tradition and the search for meaning. The back issues of these archetypal themes above are available through their "back issues" catalog. To read more about archetypal themes click here.
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