The Magician Archetype

The part of your psyche that "writes" your life story

Here’s a cliche:

There’s something “magical” about having a newborn.

But what does “magical” mean, really?

The last month I’ve mostly been off, taking family time. What’s “magical” is the (subjective) feeling of spending time with my wife and the humans we created— the spiritual.

And at the same time, I have the back burner nagging that there are “important (objective) things to do” that I’m not doing—the material.

This spiritual vs. material dilemma is a tension I’ve felt throughout my life. A part of me has always wanted to believe in the unprovable supernatural. And another part of me has always wanted to keep things grounded in science. (I come from a family of physics professors.)

One perspective that attempts to solve the dilemma is the Magician Archetype— the part of the psyche that abstracts meaning in your life. Effectively it “writes” your life story. You can take that literally, metaphorically, or both.

Also on Youtube(original), Apple, and elsewhere.

This is repost from 2021, back when all my episodes were livestreamed.

My new podcast studio is almost done, and I’m going to inaugurate it with the episode you guys voted for last week: The Heart vs. Mind dilemma.

It’s a different take on the spiritual vs. material.

I’m considering going back to livestreaming. Listeners would be able to ask questions in real time. Do you think I should?