Dear Jesus,
Inspire in me, your humble and bumbling servant, the words and ideas to write in this blog. Help me learn to trust you in everything. Take up residence in my heart and purify it. Make it your dwelling place. I ask this through the intercession of Mary, your Holy Mother, and Padre Pio.
Amen
Here we are again, dear readers. I promise this will be the last post about masculinity. We will then explore God's design for femininity for a couple posts, and then tie it all together with what sex and sexuality is all about. As for now, we need to talk about the archetypes found in the masculine character. If you are just reading this series for the first time, I would suggest reading part one here, and part two here. My discussion of the archetypes will be brief, but I hope informative. If you want to read more in depth on these issues, I suggest purchasing and listening to any of Dr Phillip Mango's talks from OWFC Media. Also, I highly recommend reading Wild at Heart by John Eldredge.
Ok, so this is going to be dealing with the four archetypes found in the masculine spirit. What I mean by archetype in this context is a an overarching concept or idea that embodies a certain characteristic, like leadership or strength. God imbued these archetypes in the masculine spirit in His own image. We were all made in the image of God the Father, and that means that we have His characteristics, both in the masculine and in the feminine. Our very hearts are made from God's own image, how awesome is that? Our masculine and feminine traits are rendered in His own image. He defined the masculine character with four basic archetypes. I'm sure there are other interpretations, and that's great. I personally connect well with these.
The King- The King is the leader. He lovingly guides his people and gives his very self to them. He protects them from harm, both spiritual and physical. He provides for their well-being. The leader is a servant of his people, and willingly sacrifices himself for their own good. Images of William Wallace from Braveheart come to mind, as well as King Solomon. I'd say Jesus is a good one too. All men are leaders in one way or another. Either as a father or at work, men have leadership imprinted in them.
There are two distortions of the leader that render him incapable. The first one is the man who refuses to lead. He is unable to make a decision, and passively allows other to walk all over him. He sits on the sidelines and doesn't take responsibility for anything. The other distortion of the king is the man who is authoritative, a dictator. He loves holding power over people and uses it control them and to serve himself. He can be a micromanaging person who doesn't allow anyone to climb to their full potential in the workplace.
The Warrior- The warrior goes into battle and fights for his family, his friends, and his faith. It is the father who is on his knees praying for his family, the man who does not back down from his faith when confronted, the man who fights for his wife's heart daily. The warrior man is able to defend himself and his family spiritually, psychologically, and physically. Jesus is the true warrior. He fought demons and the pharisees in order to call His people. He even went into Hell in order to gain our salvation. The warrior is willing to give up his life in order to save those in his care or for his cause.
The two distortions of the warrior are similar to those found in the king. The first distortion is the man who refuses or is incapable of fighting. He is passive and does nothing to defend himself or to stop injustices from occurring. He doesn't want to "offend" anyone, and renders himself ineffective. He's a "nice guy" and won't be taken seriously. The other distortion is the warrior gone bad, the cruel, vicious warlord. He enjoys cruelty and inflicting pain on others. The savage warrior can take on many guises, some very subtly.
The Lover- The term lover refers not only to sexual intimacy, but to a reverence and appreciation of beauty and its preservation. There are several categories of love, according to the Greeks:
The distortions of the lover archetype can be found in selfishness, objectification of other people, and passivity. Our love is the main ingredient to who we are as human beings. When that gets distorted, there is a domino effect that ripples into our entire being.
The Wise Counselor- You know those movies where the main character is going through some kind of trouble, and there is a wise, old man there to guide him or her through their troubles? Mr Miyagi from The Karate Kid is the perfect example (if you haven't seen this movie, you have no excuse). The wise counselor is a mentor and role model for younger generations. The wise counselor also plays into the King archetype, because a king won't be very effective if he is not a good role model or mentor. The Wise Counselor uses his wisdom and experience to guide young men and bestow upon them their initiation into manhood. He is patient and understanding.
This has been a brief introduction to the masculine archetypes. These three posts have been brief compared to what can be said about this topic. I hope you will look into the sources I mentioned in the beginning of this post. Dr Mango and John Eldredge know what they are talking about. The next posts will discuss femininity in the same manner as the first three posts in this series. Who we are as men and women is the most important concept because it is crucial to how we maintain families and society. God has a plan...are we listening?
The Warrior- The warrior goes into battle and fights for his family, his friends, and his faith. It is the father who is on his knees praying for his family, the man who does not back down from his faith when confronted, the man who fights for his wife's heart daily. The warrior man is able to defend himself and his family spiritually, psychologically, and physically. Jesus is the true warrior. He fought demons and the pharisees in order to call His people. He even went into Hell in order to gain our salvation. The warrior is willing to give up his life in order to save those in his care or for his cause.
The two distortions of the warrior are similar to those found in the king. The first distortion is the man who refuses or is incapable of fighting. He is passive and does nothing to defend himself or to stop injustices from occurring. He doesn't want to "offend" anyone, and renders himself ineffective. He's a "nice guy" and won't be taken seriously. The other distortion is the warrior gone bad, the cruel, vicious warlord. He enjoys cruelty and inflicting pain on others. The savage warrior can take on many guises, some very subtly.
The Lover- The term lover refers not only to sexual intimacy, but to a reverence and appreciation of beauty and its preservation. There are several categories of love, according to the Greeks:
- Agape- Unconditional and self-sacrificing love
- Philia- Brotherly love, the bonds of friendship and loyalty
- Storge- Affection, between family members
- Eros- Romantic love, passionate and sensual desire and longing
- Thelema- desire, as in the desire to do something
The distortions of the lover archetype can be found in selfishness, objectification of other people, and passivity. Our love is the main ingredient to who we are as human beings. When that gets distorted, there is a domino effect that ripples into our entire being.
The Wise Counselor- You know those movies where the main character is going through some kind of trouble, and there is a wise, old man there to guide him or her through their troubles? Mr Miyagi from The Karate Kid is the perfect example (if you haven't seen this movie, you have no excuse). The wise counselor is a mentor and role model for younger generations. The wise counselor also plays into the King archetype, because a king won't be very effective if he is not a good role model or mentor. The Wise Counselor uses his wisdom and experience to guide young men and bestow upon them their initiation into manhood. He is patient and understanding.
This has been a brief introduction to the masculine archetypes. These three posts have been brief compared to what can be said about this topic. I hope you will look into the sources I mentioned in the beginning of this post. Dr Mango and John Eldredge know what they are talking about. The next posts will discuss femininity in the same manner as the first three posts in this series. Who we are as men and women is the most important concept because it is crucial to how we maintain families and society. God has a plan...are we listening?
Looks like He took you up on that prayer. I hope you find a few minutes to blog again soon.
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