People with the Disciple archetype are seeking a teacher, a guru, a spiritual figure to whom they need to be devoted. It is a very real desire and a fundamental part of their spiritual life. Someone who does not have the Disciple archetype cannot always relate to the person with the Disciple because it does not make sense to them. They do not understand how someone can live in an ashram. When it doesn’t make any sense to you—that is how you know you do not have this archetype. The Disciple relates to figures such as the Avatar, whom people look to as their spiritual mentor. These spiritual figures are people who hold and capture the truth in a larger way. But what distinguishes a Guru, a spiritual Avatar, a Saint, a High Priest or Priestess from normal individuals is an ability to channel a quality of Divine light that would burn out the circuit of normal individuals.
The experience of that light would destroy the normal person’s life. So that instead of settling for the authentic experience, the Disciple simply wants to be near the experience, near to the light, but they do not want the light in them; they just want to be around it. That is the essence of the Disciple archetype. There are many faces to the Disciple. People who idolize celebrities to the point where they adapt their lives and become absolute devotees have the Disciple archetype. They have gone beyond the stage of being fans. When anything becomes a religion of sorts, when it penetrates your soul you become a Disciple of it. The shadow side of the Disciple manifests as a forsaking of reason and falling under the spell of someone. Even though reason and intuition tell you that “something is wrong here,” you cannot break away from that person. The connection is so deep that the person is in your soul.
Film Reference: Mathew Brotherick in The Freshman
The experience of that light would destroy the normal person’s life. So that instead of settling for the authentic experience, the Disciple simply wants to be near the experience, near to the light, but they do not want the light in them; they just want to be around it. That is the essence of the Disciple archetype. There are many faces to the Disciple. People who idolize celebrities to the point where they adapt their lives and become absolute devotees have the Disciple archetype. They have gone beyond the stage of being fans. When anything becomes a religion of sorts, when it penetrates your soul you become a Disciple of it. The shadow side of the Disciple manifests as a forsaking of reason and falling under the spell of someone. Even though reason and intuition tell you that “something is wrong here,” you cannot break away from that person. The connection is so deep that the person is in your soul.
Film Reference: Mathew Brotherick in The Freshman