Archetype of the magician according to Jung: knowledge at the service of society

The magician archetype is one of the most interesting figures in analytical psychology created by Carl Jung. Thought, science, transformation, inspiration, innovation… This profile represents very well the personalities of names like Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla, Elon Musk or Steve Jobs. Engineers and scientists who promoted (or promote) the advancement of our society.

It is curious how, in relation to the set of archetypes or primordial images created by the famous Swiss psychiatrist, the hero is always highlighted. We admire heroes because they are the ones who perform great feats, forgetting that they always have entities behind them that guide them.advise and instruct.

Magicians are actually the most notable personalities on the scale of archetypes. They are associated with intellect, but it is a dynamic, active and transformative intelligence. Your profile can adapt to physics, economics, psychology, engineering or medicine. They make the world evolve, heal it and also rise as inspiring beings…

What are archetypes?

An archetype defines a series of emotional, cognitive, and behavioral patterns that guide our way of processing and acting in the world. It was Carl Jung who developed this theoretical approach within his analytical psychology. Thus, something that he defended is that human psychological development is not a blank slate, it is not free or conditioned by our early experiences, education or social environment.

For Jung, Our personality and our psyche are predestined by archetypes. In some way, we can all have something of the hero, the father, the shadow, the person, the trickster, the magician… Each of these psychic patterns are found in our collective unconscious and are repeated regardless of time or place.

Books like Archetypes and Collective Unconsciousare a reference to understand this topic. On the other hand, beyond the inevitable esoteric and spiritual connotation of much of Jungian theories, there is an undeniable aspect. They are a frame of reference in popular culture. In literature, for example, a good part of the characters follow the pattern of an archetype.

So, When it comes to the figure of the magician, it should be said that the world of marketing very often feeds on this image. We analyze it.

Magician archetype: what does it consist of?

It is often said that Few companies apply the magician archetype as much as Apple does. In their presentations of new products – let’s remember Steve Jobs in his day – they appeal to the fact that, with their devices, their entire reality will change. The user will be able to do what he has always dreamed of with each new generation of mobile phones.

In some way, a good part of the technology companies start from this reference. Figures like Elon Musk, with all his engineering, space projects and his Neuralink company, completely appeal to this archetype.

Let’s see what defines the figure of the magician, according to Carl Jung.

From introspection to innovation

Arthur C. Clarke said that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. In some way, the archetype of the magician is based on this same scheme. It is related to the magical and esoteric, because it first starts from that introspection from which almost impossible ideas are born; challenging almost.

However, with his good arts, What a priori seemed like little more than an entelechy ends up being an exceptional achievement. Something prodigious that helps and advances.

Reflective mind in constant learning

The philosopher Walter A. Shelburne wrote a book titled Mythos and Logos in the Thought of Carl Jung. In this work each of the archetypes is analyzed and without a doubt, the image that continues to stand out the most is that of the magician. It outlines a humble personality capable of assuming that he does not know everything, that authentic wisdom is in continuous learning.

However, every time you acquire new knowledge, you reflect on it and pass it through the filter of intuition. Adapt all wisdom to your own perspective to be able to later transmit it to your environment in a more powerful, more transformative way.

The archetype of the magician, the figure that sometimes imposes on us, but always seeks to help us

King Arthur feared Merlin, but he always counted on his invaluable help. Luke Skywalker also showed great respect for Obi-wan and Master Yoda, he knew that they were wiser and more powerful than him, however, they helped him be a great Yedi knight. Somehow, The archetype of the magician always rises as a figure that is sometimes mysterious, distant and even disturbing.

The same thing happens in many ancient tribes, shamans and healers were viewed with fear, but even so, they stood as those necessary references to promote the balance of the group. Their arts, halfway between the magical and the scientific, between the esoteric and the rational, helped to heal, give wisdom and inspire to progress.

To conclude, in the legacy that Carl Jung left us with his analytical psychology, nourished above all by spiritual and anthropological roots, there is something evident. His theory of archetypes describes patterns of behavior that, in some way, we can all develop. Awakening our desire for knowledge to create a better world is something we should all aspire to.

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