I buy books the way I buy groceries. Every two weeks or so, I drop $60 and call it a night. Either way, it’s food. And it’s meant to sustain me for periods of time. Time that I spend learning how I live, work and play in a given environment. It’s a fascinating and never-ending pursuit.
Yesterday I bought a book called Archetypes by Caroline Myss, the same author who wrote Anatomy of the Spirit. And I liked that book. Might as well open the cover of this one too. I spent a few minutes reading the preface and introductions, though was hesitant about the content inside. Could this just be a book about labels? I wasn’t interested. I wasn’t interested in defining myself by a list of categories that I may or may not fit in to. It was like shrinking my soul into a size 2. And everybody knows we are so much more than skin and bones.
I was, however, interested in the organization of the human character, however this woman had perceived them to be. I was sure that I’d disagree defiantly, based on my lingering objection to the act of pinning everything down; as if it’s all figured out, settled then, case closed.
I still had a life to live. I sure wasn’t going to put myself in a box. A good book, however, that I’ll do. It always set you free.
Though I have yet to begin reading the first chapter, I did visit archetypeme.com; a website companion to the hardcover I had in my hands. Wouldn’t you know? You can take a 10-question test to determine your authentic self. So began the war of the worlds. While this tool has potential and may even prove helpful by the time I’m done reading this book, it has also set off a number of alarms and red flags. I don’t want a website to tell me who I am. I’d rather just pay attention to my daily habits, thoughts and routines to determine my psychological and behavioral thought patterns. That’s why I write and pray and exercise. What frightens me is that there are plenty of people who aren’t willing to put in the heart and soul into their own lives. They’d rather let a simple test decide their persona and perhaps even the path forward. It’s the Google effect: are we smarter because we have access to more knowledge? Or are we lazier because we don’t know how to sift through it?
Our personal decision-marking process is at risk. Do we want fact or fiction or convenience? Truth, however, is not like the cream that rises. It’s dirty work that requires lots of digging. Infinite searching. It’s how the best stories are made.
But I thought, what the heck? Let me find out what this little test says about me. I was curious to see if there were any surprises. Turns out, I’m 26% Athlete, 26% Spiritual, 28% Caregiver and 20% Other (mix of several other archetypes). What got me to raise an eyebrow was the Caregiver part. It’s not necessarily how I see myself. I’m not responsible for anybody at this particular moment: no husband, no children. Just me. Plus, I’m the baby of my immediate family so I’ve always been the one taken care of 
This begs the question: to whom am I giving my care too?
If there’s anything this test proves, it’s the blindness we can have to ourselves. Sure, I’ve been a spiritual athlete for as long as I can remember. But a caregiver? Not an adjective I’ve used to describe myself. I’m not saying that the test is wrong, though I’ve already stated my distrust for it. But I am curious to explore this part of myself and give it a definition worthy in its own right. I’ll have to do some digging, but it just might help in some of the decisions I make.
Perhaps you’re a caregiver just because you help your friends out or you are kind to others. That’s the qualities of a caregiver to some.
By the way, I took that test on the website too; turns out, I’m 37% creative, 31% intellectual, 12% caregiver, and 20% others. I’m not sure if this test was designed by some sort of psychologist, but it’s pretty on the dot with me.
LOL Love your ‘spiritual athlete’ comment!
i did the test too and thought their question phrasing were interesting. I’m 29% Intellectual. 26% Spiritual, 25% Advocate, and 20% Other. I think it’s decently accurate. Thanks for sharing. Nice blog by the way.
Care for yourself.
Loved the blog, by the way.
Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed. I have read a book by Caroline Myss: Sacred Contract. Her archetypes are based on Carl Jung’s Archetypes, though she takes them further. But perhaps you knew that already. I would guess that if you do read the book, you will be pleasantly surprised. I would guess it will not attempt to label you.
I have not taken that test, didnt know about it but I liked your blog and thoughts on it.
Really great article. I agree with you completely. People in modern society have replaced the time and patience of figuring out their true selves with social media that tells us who/what we are. Even sadder, many people see images of people and try to aspire to that, all-the-while ignoring their own spirit. Very insightful piece…thanks!
Cheers!
Enjoyed the blog post. I look forward to more!
I read Myss’ Sacred Contracts, which I think was a much more convoluted (read: confusing) version of her newer book, the one you’re reading. Be sure to let us know if it’s worth the time. I’ll pick it up.
Like your style of writing
Interesting. I just sat down to eat my lunch and thought I’d browse through Freshly Pressed. Yours was the first post that I chose.
I just picked up Caroline Myss’ Sacred Contracts, which also delves into archetypes. Thinking in terms of archetypes has helped me see myself in another light. Just another tool to use in self-improvement.
You can read my take here:
http://middleagebutch.wordpress.com/2013/01/07/archetypes-obvious-dreams-and-trying-to-get-unstuck/
I would be interested to see what you find in your caregiver space. I believe we find little tidbits of information about ourselves everywhere, sometimes even places we find daunting, weird, out of place, or sometimes even don’t agree with. I love the way you are curious to explore that space, and don’t just throw it out with no regard. That is what makes the journey interesting!
I can definitely relate to the spiritual athlete, please write something about that, this is where my journey seems to get the biggest momentum.
Good post and writing style!
I’m not a native English speaker and I may miss the complete meaning of the word “caregiver”. But I thought – do we need an object to have that characteristic “caregiver”? You are caregiver with and without husband and kids. It’s something that has in you, anyway.
Reblogged this on vividlyfoxxy and commented:
^^^ *••
You are very interesting
Loved this blog, you made some good points, this one especially:
” It’s the Google effect: are we smarter because we have access to more knowledge? Or are we lazier because we don’t know how to sift through it?”
So true.
Apparently I’m 31% rebel. Yikes. Need to outgrow that attitude.
I think it pertains to how you care for yourself. I’m a firm believer of care for yourself first and caring for others will be easy. Take care
I’ve not read the book, but I just took the test out of curiosity. I got mostly creative and intellectual on the test with 9% caregiver, which seems right because the only being I care for is a kitty. Like you, I’m a bit skeptical about it. I think one failure of personality tests is that the questions don’t fit everyone. So many times I look at questions on these kinds of tests and think “Well, maybe but not quite.” or “Yes to the first half, but no to the second.”
It always begs the question – are we able to decide or is it decided for us in our genetic makeup? If the latter is true, we’re often surprised at the outcome.
books as food (for the soul)
So Relate
**Took the quiz(curiosity got the best of me…) and it rated me to a T! 55% caregiver/16% Intellectual(although jeeeez I’m smarter than that) 9% visionary…Enjoyed reading your commentary also. Thanks for posting the quiz
My office mates took that test. Thanks to your post, I want to take that test now! lol Congrats on being FP. :=)
Reblogged this on Elliot Claire London and commented:
Take the test now…:=)
Hi everybody! Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read some words, I am beyond humbled to hear from you. I’m glad most of you were able to check out the archetype test, too. It definitely adds another dimension to the daily composition we cast ourselves in. Stay curious.
“Sure, I’ve been a spiritual athlete for as long as I can remember.” is hilarious…
a fresh read…(and freshly pressed…atta girl)
I totally understand, and now I want to give a smart comment on your thoughts, but actually, I really couldn’t agree more with you, so much so that there isn’t a single word I could add
Great post. Thank you. It prompted me to take the test, which prompted me to reflect on whether I was completing this as I was right now, how I have been, or how I aspire to be. I guess it was a clumsy mix of all three.
Sounds like the book, even still unread, is already “freeing” you. Happy travels. Congrats on being FP!
Interesting insight, I like it! Being a caregiver is more than having people in your life to take care of, it could be simply how you interact and what is important to you in a conversation. Do you make an effort to leave the convo so that both parties feel good? Little things like that can add up to you being a caregiver.
This is actually a really cool website. I got 31% athlete, 30% caregiver and 19% intellectual. It’s not so bad… I just think it’s a little bit of an exaggeration. I agree with your labels, now that I’ve taken this quiz, as interesting as this has been! Congrats on FP! nerdwithtaste.wordpress.com
It’s interesting how quickly we can let a little test like this define who we are.
beautifully written and intriguing– thanks for sharing with the world. i actually just posted a similarly themed article about global citizenship and i enjoy your hesitance towards stereotypes– i am very similar in that regard
Doing the heavy lifting of self-actualization is incredibly intimidating to a lot of people. I think that these quizzes are designed to scratch the surface, but (hopefully) are not intended to replace actual soul-searching. I love this post and admire your willingness to seek and find for yourself.
I still took the quiz. And I giggled at the results. I’m apparently a caregiver too, even though it’s one of my least favorite things to do right now.
I guess I’m lazy because I wish someone would tell me how to be. It’s not that I want to be told what to do but it just seems so confusing trying to figure life out.
I went to the site & was skeptical also when you said it only has 10 questions. According to it I’m 57% Caregiver, 13% Intellectual,10% Spiritual.
Here is the rub. I do care about what others think about me & always wanted to be a nurse or doctor. But now that I have been a nurse for 8 years I’m burnt out and my selflessness is decreasing. As for spirituality, I grew up in the church reduced my hours at work to make services. 10% is low.
So I guess this is the problem with letting someone else tell you who you are. They can be wrong; so you need to research yourself.
Nice blog!
I’ve worked with people who were obstinately against anything remotely tainted with categorisation. To argue against archetype is worthwhile if we are trying to expand how individuals are represented in movies and television. Let’s encourage writers to get creative and not rely on sloppy shorthand. However, as individuals, we should encourage the categorisation that helps us group, explore, study and understand who we are and what it is to be human. Bust out of the boxes that bind us. But don’t replace one box with another. The aim is to open up the space so we can see the distant horizon and glory in all the details that we would have otherwise missed.
Thanks for your post and congrats on being Freshly Pressed.
If you have not read it yet, get your hands on ‘women’s bodies, women’s wisdom’ by Christiane Northrupt! I do believe she works as a doctor with Caroline Myss…
Kristin – I like the sense of having to be a caregiver to yourself. That’s an amazing idea. I love it. I am going to post it in my house. Thank you for the inspiration.
Great post. Perhaps you are caring for yourself via your athleticism and your spirituality — and I have recently come to believe that it’s the most important thing you can do: take care of you. I like your blog. Thanks for the read.
I very much enjoyed your post. I too took the archetype, and was pleasantly surprised. There are always pros and cons with categorisation but I think its just a little reminder of what you are similar to, and you can monitor yourself and your actions because you are away of what you do!.
Thanks for the read. Fun!
Reblogged this on Oyia Brown.
Beautifully written. I liked your thoughts about self analysis, our own description of ourselves. These kinds of tests are sometimes fascinating, but in my opinion our own thought process gives better results.
Also, the caregiver part might be towards your friends or may be you are a potential caregiver.
And also, I loved the title of this blog.
I am looking forward to reading Caroline Myss’ books. Thanks.
Reblogged this on Motivational Discussion.
I took the quiz and found out even I am a Caregiver. (or the girl who takes care into her own hands
)
33% Caregiver, 29% spiritual, 18% intellectual.
nice writing and good work regarding the quiz but they are just surface scratching
What a wonderful post!! Thanks so much for sharing it!
Anyone who spends time in self-reflection, asking herself questions and taking the time to discover who she is and why she’s here is caring for herself, and that means you!
Rock on…
I love the self discovery that this prompts! Thanks for sharing, I did the test and it helped me actually focus and think about my blog content more. This couldn’t have come at a better time!
I love your post. So you buy books every two weeks eh? Have you ever read the book Clarissa or what is your particular genre of books. Take care.
Been considering buying that book, so thanks for the insights. Enjoy Caroline Myss’ most recent appearance on Oprah, where she emphasized the importance of finding our own dreams to follow and to avoid thinking that others dreams are what we want, too. She’s also an amazingly accurate medical intuitive (95% accuracy, according to Dr Norm Shealy).