Decluttering by Jungian Archetypes - The Hero, The Caregiver, The Everyperson

Decluttering by Jungian Archetypes is a four-part series - this is part two.

To catch up and read about what the Jungian Archetypes are and how shadow work relates to decluttering, please see the first post here »

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Photo by Marek Piwnicki on Unsplash

The Hero - Ego - Mastery - Leave a Mark on the World - Taurus

One of the most recognized archetypes in storytelling is often called the Hero's Story Arc. Consider the various narratives you know, such as Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, and Outlander. These tales often depict a journey of rising to power, self-discovery, and saving the townspeople, culminating in a quest’s completion and a joyous ending/return—until the next adventure arises.

We all understand that the beginning of any good story starts with a quest, and the hero must overcome obstacles and barriers along the way. They will meet challenges, setbacks, and even failures. That’s why The Hero archetype has a similar aura. Their purpose in life is to overcome challenges and defeat the perceived “enemy” of their success. The people who embody The Hero archetype tend to be valiant, courageous, steadfast, and strong.

However, what is frequently overlooked in these narratives is the hero's shadow journey. This is the arc where the hero may lose their power, transform into a villain, or wield their abilities against others to maintain their heroic image. Additionally, the hero might be easily influenced or pressured into situations that are not in their best interest, all in an effort to assert their leadership position.

The Shadow of The Hero

Remember, in shadow work, we are working towards healing the repressed shadow and helping to shift perspective towards the light and live out our purpose. The shadows are the barriers, blocks, and burdens that hinder the fullest expression of ourselves for the sake of “keeping us safe.”

The hero would benefit from mastering discernment and standing firm and secure in their power without the outside need of validation.

So you can see why their biggest fear is not fulfilling their destiny or completing their quest.

The unaware patterns and cycles for The Hero may show themselves in the following ways -

• May become villainess

• May refuse help from others (every hero needs a Sam!)

• Arrogance

• Always on the search for a new conquest

• Never at peace

• May be easily coerced

• May use power against others (becoming the villain)

Healing The Hero

The Hero would benefit from mastering discernment and standing firm and secure in their power without the outside need of validation. To turn towards the light and heal - fulfill their destiny - The Hero would benefit from knowing who they truly are.

They would benefit from healing with the Muladhara (Root Chakra: safety, security, grounding), Manipura (Solar Plexus Chakra: identity, confidence), the Vishuddha (Throat Chakra: having a voice, speaking truth), and Ajna (Third Eye Chakra: wisdom, insight, awareness beyond).

Decluttering by Archetype - The Hero

Now for the physical clutter! What would The Hero benefit from decluttering first? Using what we know about The Hero, the best areas to help them solidify their hero’s story, complete their quests, and garner a sense of fulfilling destiny would be -

• Gathering and organizing their achievements in an easily viewed and accessible area.

• Bathroom/Closet - areas in which they get ready to conquer their day.

• Books (I know this is controversial! If you are a bookish person with The Hero archetype, consider how you sort, organize, and arrange your books, and maybe, just maybe, gift the ones you no longer identify with.)

• Digital clutter of subscriptions to streaming, magazines, news, etc.

• Since The Hero is likely to be a Taurus or have the energy of Taurus, consider decluttering food areas: the pantry, cabinets, fridge, etc. What is The Hero packing on their quest?

• Tools

To challenge The Hero and heal the shadow aspects at the same time, they would want to focus on things that help them be secure in their role as the hero of their own story and provide as many examples as possible in their daily lives that help solidify that. From aesthetic offices to clothes to their art, how are they living that main character energy without becoming the villain?

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Photo by Marion Cervela on Unsplash

The Caregiver (that’s me!) - Ego - Service - Structure to The World - Cancer

This archetype embodies unconditional love. They radiate compassion, care, and nurturing qualities, always coming from their heart. Wearing their heart on their sleeve. They're wonderful at providing both comfort and encouragement to those around them.

Their greatest fears are being perceived as selfish, becoming unnecessary, irrelevant, and indifferent.

The Shadow of The Caregiver

What dwells in the depths, conditioning, and darkness of the Caregiver?

Martyrdom can become a challenge for caregivers who often give so much of themselves that they feel like nothing is left. A sacrifice. It's common for them to struggle with boundaries and sometimes feel bitterness or resentment when their needs go unmet. They might also find it difficult to stand up against negative behaviors, which can take a toll on their well-being.

To break it down, the shadow of The Caregiver may show up in their lives in the following ways -

• Mothering to smothering

• Nagging

• Overexplaining

• Accepting less-than-ideal behavior (even if it’s detrimental to overall health)

• The Caregiver may see considering themselves first, boundaries, filling their own cup, and self-love as being “selfish.”

Healing The Caregiver

What wants to bloom from the shadow? From anger? From resentment? Self-love, self-consideration, boundaries, and prioritizing one's own self-care before nurturing and caring for others.

Focusing on healing the Muladhara (Root Chakra: safety, security, grounding) is of the utmost importance for the caregiver. Healing fear and becoming balanced and stable while cultivating a foundation of self-love will alleviate stress and negative self-talk, allowing the caregiver to give even more deeply. Just think how magical that could be!

Decluttering by Archetype - The Caregiver

On to the physical clutter gather dust and cobwebs! The best places to start for The Caregiver are places that validate their caregiving prowess, feeling wanted, needed, providing service, belonging and structure to the world -

• Bathroom/First aide kits/medicine cabinet

• Anything that relates to their work (desks, offices, vehicles)

• Client files (both physical and digital)

• Caregiving areas of the home (zen den, etc.)

• Gardens, plants (indoor and outdoor)

• Caregiving tools and where they are stored (I have a headwrap for my oldest in the freezer for when he has his awful migraines, and therefore I should clean out the freezer, allowing quicker and cleaner access to the caregiving tool.)

• Bedrooms (bedrooms are key areas for caregiving, especially when one is sick. Think about nightstands, under the bed, linens, and organization for easy-to-access care tools near the bed, using discernment and safety, of course. You wouldn’t want to store medicine in a child’s room, etc.)

Moreover, the best places to focus for The Caregiver archetype to fulfill their purpose would be areas where they can feel like they are of service so they can support and nurture those they love more easily.

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Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

The Everyperson - Ego - Belonging - Connect with Others - Virgo

Sometimes referred to as The Good Neighbor, this archetype truly values acceptance, inclusion, belonging, and a sense of security. They find joy in simple pleasures and hold dear the value of being relatable and grounded. With their empathetic nature, they deeply desire to foster a strong sense of community.

Being left out, left behind, forgotten and not included as well as not being safe are some of the biggest fears of The Everyperson.

The Shadow of The Everyperson

How the shadow tends to play out in unhealed conditioning, cycle, and patterns within The Everyperson may creep up as -

• Losing their sense of individuality in order to “fit in”

• Doing whatever it takes to be accepted by any means necessary

• Accepting less-than-ideal behavior in order not to be alone

• May push people away with perfectionism and criticism (of self and others)

• May have difficulties accepting their mistakes and others

Healing The Everyperson

What wants to bloom from the shame, guilt, and self-defeating thoughts? Self-acceptance. Softening towards “humaness” and the understanding we are all flawed, we are imperfect, and this is how we Belong to each other. (this is not an excuse for bad behavior, we should always be challenging ourselves to be better, softer, gentler - a true strength.) But first, The Everyperson must find belonging within themselves.

The Everyperson must exercise patience and understanding when seeking out “their people”, and using discernment to understand if the relationship is one that is mutually beneficial. Not just accepting any friendship for the sake of belonging. Do you want to be friends with this person? Do they contribute to your well-being or do they harm it?

Using the Chakra system, The Everyperson archetype would benefit from healing the Muladhara (Root Chakra: safety, security, grounding), Svadhisthana (Sacral Chakra: creativity, pleasure), Manipura (Solar Plexus Chakra: identity, confidence), and the Vishuddha (Throat Chakra: speaking truth and affirmations, not criticism).

Decluttering by Archetype - The Everyperson

When we are thinkiong about The Everyperson archetype, we think of belonging and community areas. Therefore the best areas to start decluttering and making a priority to feel accepted, safe, and included would be -

• Backyard (think BBQ, patio, decks)

• Dining room (tables, storage, flatware and dinnerware)

• Shared spaces (living rooms, playrooms, side yards, fences, parks, community areas, sidewalks, etc.)

• Family and friend projects

• Anywhere you may host events

• Event planning tools (whether that’s crafts, parties, holidays, birthdays, or other shared celebrations.)

All in all, in order for The Everyperson to feel a sense of belonging and connection, clearing up and decluttering these areas, along with healing different aspects within, will help ensure they come closer to their purpose and feel more fulfillment in their lives. Assuredly, no matter the archetype, fulfillment is something we all desire.

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Don’t miss out on next week’s newsletter, where I will be covering in depth the Self type archetypes! This includes The Ruler, The Sage, The Jester, and The Magician. If you haven’t resonated with any of the archetypes yet, you may be some of the ones coming up. Subscribe today so you don’t miss it.

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In Conclusion

It is extremely important to practice safety and discernment. If at any time you feel you may need emotional assistance, please seek out help from a licensed professional. Although I am an experienced energy healer and help enhance healing from and with Western medicine with this knowledge, it does not replace the value, education, and expertise of therapy provided by a therapist or counselor.

The most important thing about shadow work, which I will cover in another post at length, is to come from the shadow and practice self-love. Shadow work is a guide to help us see that we are more connected to each other than we realize. To recognize our own conditioning and behaviors when we project them on others. We all have shadows. We all have triggers. We are all human. We all want love, attention, and appreciation, and to feel seen and heard.

I will also say this now: if you have found yourself in a space where a spiritual teacher, or shadow work practitioner, or anyone else says to you (or any variation of) “Everything that triggers you is a reflection of you and your need for inner work. I’m not the problem; you are.” It is crucial for you to use your discernment and possibly remove yourself from the space. This is what is known as spiritual bypassing. A true shadow work practitioner understands when it’s a trigger and when it’s a core value. When it’s a mirror and projection versus collective issues and systemic problems. A shadow work practitioner aims to heal, not to harm. And with shadow work, it is a very delicate balance, as it is entirely too easy for ill-intentioned people to harm.

Again, I will cover more about this and spiritual bypassing in another post - so be sure to subscribe!

As one of my most cherished mentors says - “Be love and give love.” - Julian Jenkins.

That is the goal of shadow work, underneath it all, self-love. And when you can work on that piece, you get closer and closer to fulfilling your purpose and finding meaning in life. Love yourself, start decluttering those areas, and just watch how you bloom!

If you need any assistance from me, I have a free three-day email coaching experience with Reiki. Just message me <3

In addition, if you’d like more information about shadow work and would like a FREE journal, you can grab mine here which includes bonus meditations to meet your shadow self and practice self-love. Grab it HERE -

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Until next week, take care.

What I’m reading - Ostara: Rituals, Recipes, & Lore for The Spring Equinox, By Oak, Ash, & Thorn: Modern Celtic Shamanism

What I’m listening to - Dzivia — Rujnuj [Full Album]

What I’m watching - The Heart of Ecopsychology

What I’m learning - Celtic Reiki, Substack, how to unearth wisdom from within and express it in a way that resonates

What I’m practicing - Nature and social connection, playing with my kids, taking a break, filling my own cup