Getting to the Core of Man
Becoming a man entails knowing what is at the core of men and knowing how to use that knowledge to improve our own lives.
When considering what it means to be a great man, we have to get to the source, we have to understand the universal idea of Man. We cannot look at modern interpretations or the common man’s idea of what it means to be a man, we need to look at the universal ideal that everyone admires.
This is why archetypes are so powerful. Archetypes are the blueprints we all carry within us. If we want to get to know the ideal man, we can look to archetypes to point us in the right direction. Archetypes are derived from the powerful myths human beings use to point to the ideal. As Joseph Campbell has shown in his work, myths are the outer depiction of an inner reality. Myth points us to the universal images inside us, they come straight from the collective unconscious where these primal and universal images lie. The archetypes transcend time, they are primal images, and they precede culture. So that is why the archetypes are what should be considered whenever questioning human nature, they are much closer to the root of who we are than anything else in mainstream culture.
The King, Warrior, Magician & Lover Within
To the person asking what it means to be a man, the question should always start as what the ideal man is; for if his intentions are to actualize his potential, then he must first look at the ideal and build a framework around that ideal. The person that created a great framework around that ideal is Robert Moore. As a Jungian analyst he found the four archetypes that make up the human psyche. Through his studies in Jungian psychology and mythology, Robert Moore was able to identify the King, Warrior, Magician and Lover as main archetypes of the masculine psyche. To say that these archetypes are the key to your masculinity is an understatement. When I first read about these archetypes my eyes opened up to the patterns of all men. I understood the higher and lower versions of the masculine and I underwent a crazy and rapid transformation that tuned me into my purpose and masculinity a lot more.
What Robert Moore does with his work is give you a clear image of the mature masculine. He identified the archetypes and through this, was able to explain the nature of man. Robert Moore describes these archetypes as powerful forces that influence our lives. The question is not whether we are using these archetypes the question is how we are using them. We all are influenced by the energies of the KWML (king, warrior, magician, lover) archetypes, but we are either expressing them immaturely or maturely. The thing about archetypes that you must remember is that they are always exerting an influence on us, but our awareness is the difference between our enslavement or our empowerment.
The KWML archetypes are seen everywhere in mythology. Whenever we look at a story of a masculine man we admire, we are seeing who has a good grip on these archetypes. So, it is important we get acquainted with them as soon as possible. I will give you a quick summary of the Robert Moore’s book with hopes of going in depth in future writings also.
King
The king is the image of the archetypal man. There is much emphasis put on this archetype in our culture. The idea of being an alpha male is derived from this archetype. A king is a man who rules, who creates a kingdom and who brings order to the world. The archetype of the king lies within us all and we can learn to access its generative energy for our lives.
The king serves 2 functions:
- To bring order
- To provide fertility and blessing.
The king is common ideal we all have in our minds. A man of power, of responsibility, and of wisdom. The important thing to note is that the King is the central figure. He is the archetype that brings order to the psyche, a person who doesn’t have a good relationship to this archetype are often seen as disorganized, fragmented in their psyche, lacking a true sense of confidence and peace. It is through the King where we receive divine wisdom.
The crown that the king wears is a symbol of divine guidance. The physical crown draws attention to the head of the king where the crown chakra lies. It is this chakra that represents our connection to spirit. Access to the king energy grants vision, intuition, and divine wisdom.
Warrior
The Warrior has been making a recent push for dominance in the mainstream culture with the rise of gym culture, Andrew Tate and the popularization of the UFC. Although it has always been around, the warrior energy has become a prominent energy in our psyche’s, I believe this is because of the feminist movement against the masculine. The warrior archetype is an archetype that helps us accomplish our purpose. It pushes us to empower ourselves and achieve the impossible. The warrior is very much connected to the solar plexus which is the chakra connected to our sense of self and our power.
The warrior archetype’s main function is to give people the discipline necessary to achieve their goals. People in tune with the warrior archetype are in tune with a purpose. They are able to push emotions aside and strive for achievement. There is a feeling of overcoming obstacles and triumphing. For men looking to realize their dreams the warrior energy is essential to doing so.
Magician
This archetype is the archetype I resonate with the most. The magician is an energy that is most well depicted by the shaman. The magician serves as a guide and the wise-man. He is in tune with the spiritual side of life and is the seeker of knowledge. He is often seen as:
- The one who knows.
- The one who masters technology.
The Magician is an interesting figure as the mature magician has a great affinity with the 6th chakra. This magician can see through the matrix and detect truth within everything. The magician keeps the king on his toes by being able to call him out and serves a reminded to people about their egos. When it comes to the self, the magician serves the function of self-reflection and watches for our own ego’s making sure that we are on our path and in harmony. The magician is accessed during reflection and contemplation.
Lover
The lover is the archetype responsible to our connection with ecstasy and the feminine. The lover loves the feminine, he is the one that feels. Such an archetype seems to be lacking in our culture, and often times it’s not taken to its full potential. The lover archetype connects us to our sensuality and our animalistic but also spiritual yearnings.
The lover is often depicted as:
- The artist: painter, musician, comedian, etc.
- The psychic: those who are deeply connected to their instincts.
The lover presents a different spirituality than the magician. The lover requires a connection to the heart. The heart chakra is what allows us to feel and transmutes our animalistic instincts into spiritual instincts. The lover has a constant urge to union. Such an urge causes the magician to not have boundaries, he seeks to unite with everything, and it could be an issue when it comes to the other archetypes. With this archetype we are able to feel our purpose, to enjoy our activities and to just have fun. The lover romanticizes our life, and its much needed in today’s day and age as many of us don’t know how to enjoy ourselves.
These archetypes are the blueprints to understanding the masculine psyche. I will be going more in depth into each one but I also would like to add one more framework that helped solidify my understanding of my masculine essence.
The 3 Ps of the Masculine
When trying to understand the masculine it is essential that one understands its essence. What is the color that colors all of these archetypes? We need to know its basic essence. David Deida’s explanation of the masculine is one of the best explanations of what the core of a man should look and feel like.
I would first like to explain how David Deida explains the essence of masculinity. According to David Deida, the essence of a man is grounded in his deep sense of purpose, direction, and the ability to live in alignment with his core values. Deida emphasizes the importance of a man embracing challenges, taking initiative, and embodying a strong, present, and confident presence in all aspects of life. The essence of a man, as described by Deida, involves a willingness to grow, take risks, and navigate the complexities of life with integrity. It also includes a recognition of the dynamic interplay between masculine and feminine energies, both within oneself and in relationships, and the capacity to maintain a sense of freedom and independence while authentically connecting with others.
The main points that influenced me were:
- A strong sense of purpose
- A strong awareness of polarity
- The power of presence
When reading the book, the Way of the Superior Man, I was able to understand a lot about women while also understanding a lot about myself. Although parts of the book seem a bit too simple for me, the majority it served as a manual to my understanding of the masculine essence. So i will explain the importance of each point.
Purpose
Purpose is essential to a man’s core. Without purpose the man has no direction. Finding a purpose should be one of the main priorities during individuation. If a man has no purpose, then finding his purpose should become his purpose. Purpose is the thing that makes a man attractive, being on your purpose means being in alignment with yourself. The masculine is a purposeful energy, it gives purpose to chaos by organizing it.
Polarity
Polarity is the thing that really taught me the power I have as a man. Through understanding polarity, I understood the flow of energy that goes between women and men, and also within myself with my own inner feminine. Polarity is at the core of all creation, so learning about polarity tuned me into my own essence and allowed me to understand when I was in my masculine and my feminine.
Presence
Presence is often under looked by many people. When people think of a man, they think of a man of action. A man that works, that achieves, that triumphs, but none of this matter of the man does not know how to be present during these things. Presence is what distinguishes the men from the boys. The ability for a man to feel the moment, to face the dragon is what truly matters. without presence, a man will never be able to feel his true core and therefore would never be able to feel a passion for his purpose, life, and woman.
Conclusion
While outlining this post I had some sense of an idea of where it was going to lead me and now looking at it, I think that there is still much more work when it comes to integration. Something I want to emphasize is that as a student, your job is to look at these concepts and integrate them into your own life for your own maturation and development. This is just the beginning, and I plan on writing more on each topic for there is much left to discuss. With this outline my intention was to open people’s eyes to their inner blueprints so that they can cut themselves off from the noise and begin to use these blueprints to create a better life.