“The soul always knows what to do to heal itself.
The challenge is to silence the mind”
Caroline Myss
Previously I shared information about the Child Archetype and asked you to look at your relationship with others and integrate this information so you can see how you “show up” in relation to others. Today I will share about the Victim Archetype. The gift of the Victim Archetype is Self-Esteem.
According to the teachings of Caroline Myss there are 4 main archetypes we all share. They are the Child, Victim, Saboteur and Prostitute.
This information comes from information from Caroline Myss’ work in her Sacred Contracts book and the classes I took from her on Medical Intuition and Sacred Contracts. I have also added information that I have gained from working as a mental health counselor and chemical dependency professional for over 20 years.
In the process of self-healing, you have to come to terms with your victim self and move beyond this state of being. You can identify your victim, confront the behavior, love and forgive yourself and bring your energy into present time. In fact, unless you can bring at least 80% of your energy into present time, you will not have the power to self-heal. What do I mean by bringing yourself into present time? Watch your thoughts. Do you go off to the future (which can create anxiety) or drift off to the past (which can cause depression) or are you able to be present in the moment?
Enjoy exploring this archetype that can bring you high self-esteem once you embrace this part of yourself and move on!
Victim Archetype
Guardian of Self Esteem
Core issue is whether it is worth giving up your own sense of empowerment to avoid taking responsibility for your independence.
When you don’t stand up for yourself after awhile you no longer can tell the difference whether you are being victimized or not; so either you are being victimized and don’t know it or you are not being victimized, but act as if you are.
- The victim archetype helps you decide what you will or will not do; a guardian of personal boundaries.
- Lessons associated with the victim archetype demand that you evaluate your relationship to power, especially with people with whom you have control issues and have to set boundaries.
- Primary objective is to develop self-esteem and personal power.
- You have contracts with people whose primary purpose is to help you develop yourself-esteem through acts of honesty, integrity, courage, endurance and self-respect.
- The victim will entice you to feel sorry for yourself.
- You can act like a victim and give in or call upon your companions and guides for help.
- Like the lion in the Wizard of Oz, you need to have the courage to look at your victim and make it your ally.
- Do you victimize yourself in the way you interpret conversations with other people?
- Does your victim alert you to protect yourself rather than letting people take advantage of you?
- Does your victim motivate you to be shrewd in the dealings of whatever house it is in?
- Does your empowered victim allow you to take risks in your life?
- The victim urges us to act appropriately when we are in danger of being victimized.
- The victim can alert us to being victimized through passivity and rash or inappropriate actions.
- It can also alert us to how we victimize others for personal gain.
- In shadow it may show how we play victim for sympathy or pity.
Join with me in delving into this Victim Archetype in your journal! Here is a helpful journal process.
Need help understanding your archetypes? Schedule an appointment!
I come from a long line of abuse, and it took years after I left the relationship to gain back the self-esteem and confidence I lost from being with him. It was devastating (and still is at some points) where it has stifled my growth, as a mother and friend.
Those days are behind me where I had to deal with physical abuse, but the mental abuse lingers. I wish I could just shrug it off; the family wonders why I don’t, and I wish I knew how long it will continue to cripple my decisions.
Got any advice?
Bonnie it does take time to heal from abuse. What is the most important is what you say to yourself. It is helpful to slow down and begin to listen to your self-talk and then challenge it. Write out what you say to yourself in your journal and then use another part of yourself to challenge it. Do this in writing. Activate another part of yourself to be the one who challenges the negative thoughts such as the inner loving mother part of you, the wise woman, or the one who is tough and holds you accountable.
Writing a letter in your journal to the abuser where you say your peace and set boundaries can be powerful as well. Journaling is a powerful healing tool. Here is a journal process that I use. http://candesscampbell.com/books/self-help-toolbox/journal-process
Hope this is helpful. I am also available for some coaching as well. You can find information about this under services.
Candess, you bring up a really important role that is so prevalent in today’s society. I too, of course, was victim of being a victim! 😉 And then one day I realized how small, how diminished a person I had become by being a victim. It doesn’t pay in long run. If anything more negativity comes to you. I’ve learned that the hard way numerous times. I despise the word ‘victim’ for how limiting it is as it does not empower an individual. Why not ‘survivor’ at the least? Or perhaps even ‘thriver.’ I think it would be great if society would come to this awareness and understanding. <3
I agree Elly about the word victim, but we are looking at archetypes. An archetype is universal and is found in all cultures. I like the word Thriver and I think that would be another archetype all together. Survivor is yet another archetype. I love the teaching of Jung and thinking in this way can be enlightening. I really enjoy reading your blogs!
I like, Candess, how you highlight the positive attributes of the victim, like being sensitive to how we may victimize others and the feeling it triggers. But what resonated the most with me in this post is the juggling act between past, present and future. As you say, our focus needs to be in the present (no point wandering off into zones that are not in our control [past and future]), but all three – past, present and future – need to come together in harmony. Our past is who we are and where we are coming from. There is no shaking off one’s past. Whatever it holds it forms who we are creating both strengths and weaknesses. And our future is where our aspirations, hopes, dreams and, yea, fears lie. It pulls us forward. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experiences. HUGS <3
Being in present time is so important and what I have practiced and taught for years. The archetype information comes from Caroline Myss and she has an incredible Teacher archetype!
Such a short post, but so packed of information. There are things in there that I would have never considered, and you’ve opened my eyes to a different problem. Thank you for that.
Thank You Candess M. Campbell for this insightful overview of the Victim Archetype. As I continue the journey of creating a new inner dialog, I find it so important to release the self judgement and fill myself with Love and Compassion. I so appreciate that you bring this subject out for conversation. Now is the time to do the deep healing as we move into consciously choosing to heal and ascend. You are truly a LIGHT in the world Candess, and I am grateful for your powerful teachings.
Katie you have been such a mentor and leader to women as an Intrepid Success Coach and the creator and facilitator of The Healer’s Gathering. You continue to empower women!