We all serve someone or something. Because the spiritual path is essentially one of service to others, anyone can relate to this archetype. The Servant engages aspects of our psyche that call us to make ourselves available to others for the benefit and enhancement of their lives. This task can only be done in a healthy manner if the Servant is able to simultaneously be of service to the self. Without the strength to maintain your own well-being, the Servant becomes consumed by the needs of those around you and loses all focus of the value of his/her own life. The Servant archetype relates to all forms of service, ranging from volunteer work in the Peace Corps or Habitat for Humanity to working in a service industry as a maid or butler.
The Servant archetype can be extremely strong for a parent or family member who holds the family together during times of crisis in the tribe. A daughter may bypass her youth and step into the Servant archetype to serve the family because a Mother is ill and cannot attend to the children. In many ways, people in the military have the Servant archetype, basing their identity on service to a leader. From a mundane perspective, the Servant is associated with money because servants are hired help. This aspect is witnessed within the psyche of the Indentured Servant, a person who sees himself bound by conditions of service that are not of his choosing or preference because of an inability to “buy his freedom,” or symbolically coming into your own power. Therefore, the core challenge with this particular archetype is making choices that serve your highest potential. The shadow is the Indentured Servant whose inner life is postponed because their outer life is in debt. Everything they should be doing for their soul is postponed because they have to pay off something or put a child through school or finish something—while not realizing they are continually accruing more debt in the outside world. They are under a spell, fully indentured, and they will never pay for their own freedom.
In the world of the indentured servant, one is constantly creating debt and never achieving freedom. The positive experience of the Servant is the freedom of self and self-esteem that comes from a realization that he will not and cannot be owned. Therefore, the core challenge with this particular archetype is making choices that serve one’s highest potential. If this describes a substantial personal issue for you, then consider this archetype as a possibility for your own chart.
Film Reference: Anthony Hopkins in 'Remains of the Day'
The Servant archetype can be extremely strong for a parent or family member who holds the family together during times of crisis in the tribe. A daughter may bypass her youth and step into the Servant archetype to serve the family because a Mother is ill and cannot attend to the children. In many ways, people in the military have the Servant archetype, basing their identity on service to a leader. From a mundane perspective, the Servant is associated with money because servants are hired help. This aspect is witnessed within the psyche of the Indentured Servant, a person who sees himself bound by conditions of service that are not of his choosing or preference because of an inability to “buy his freedom,” or symbolically coming into your own power. Therefore, the core challenge with this particular archetype is making choices that serve your highest potential. The shadow is the Indentured Servant whose inner life is postponed because their outer life is in debt. Everything they should be doing for their soul is postponed because they have to pay off something or put a child through school or finish something—while not realizing they are continually accruing more debt in the outside world. They are under a spell, fully indentured, and they will never pay for their own freedom.
In the world of the indentured servant, one is constantly creating debt and never achieving freedom. The positive experience of the Servant is the freedom of self and self-esteem that comes from a realization that he will not and cannot be owned. Therefore, the core challenge with this particular archetype is making choices that serve one’s highest potential. If this describes a substantial personal issue for you, then consider this archetype as a possibility for your own chart.
Film Reference: Anthony Hopkins in 'Remains of the Day'