In all things, take amusement and laugh because it may not matter tomorrow, and you will be the wise fool.
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Archetypes are recurrent symbols that offer spiritual advice to men and women as we travel the journey of life. This is the seventh in a 12-part series, in which this ancient wisdom is made relevant both to ecumenical (book) religions and to the non-spiritual as well through real life examples and everyday application.
While I highly encourage a spiritual path, as it feeds the soul, this wisdom will resonate regardless because it is within our bones and sinew as men. Twelve is a very significant number in spiritual circles. There are 12 months, 12 signs of the Zodiac, Jesus had 12 disciples, 12 indicates a complete cycle.
As we complete our cycle through the archetypes, we will experience the ancient wisdom offered to us around manhood. Whether you are gay, straight, bi, curious, confused, trans, married, unattached, looking, or fearful, this wisdom has the power to meet you where you are and help you experience the slice of divine that is you, as a man.
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Who Is the Trickster?
Johnny Knoxville
Russell Brand
Chongyam Trumpa Rinpoche
John Stewart
What do these people have in common?
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When all is stripped away, there is honesty, and that is what the Trickster unleashes.
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They embody the Trickster archetype; the godly entertainer. Perspective is his talent, and through comedy he helps us clear out the BS to get down to the real issue. He helps us not take ourselves too seriously. He is often the wisest person in the room because he can perceive things in ways most other people aren’t even contemplating.
The Trickster Paradox
The archetype of the Trickster holds with him a paradox: the inherent fun of a trick or prank coupled with the ability to deliver great wisdom. Among his antics, the Trickster can reveal our insecurities, play on our self-consciousness, and remind us to never take anything too seriously. When all is stripped away, there is honesty, and that is what the Trickster unleashes. To some, he may seem the fool, but often people think that the fool is just that: a fool, someone who simply doesn’t get it or doesn’t understand the harsh realities of life. However, it may be you who is the fool if you miss the wisdom the Trickster has for you.
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This aspect of the Divine is hard for our culture because we don’t approach god as play. But, spirituality actually comes from a deep sense of play.
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The Trickster for me is burned in my head as a singular individual who was “fun loving”, liked to play pranks on people, and threw huge alcohol and drug-fueled parties. To an outsider, he was just a kid who was “wasting his life” and enabling dubious behavior. However, I found that he was one of the smartest and wisest people I had ever met. He would sit on the side of the party he had staged and watch. It was, as he put it, “the most honest thing.”
That is the wisdom of the Trickster for us. Many people would be angry that he was staging the whole thing to watch them, and that it might be a trick, or that he had tricked them into revealing their true selves, but they would miss the wisdom. It is not to say that within its human context, the Trickster cannot cause harm, because he can. Those that express this Divine quality are also human with flaws and all. But within the Divine also lies magic.
Seeing the Divine in the Trickster
Many people have difficulty with Tricksters and their energy because they expect take spiritual work to be approached seriously. This aspect of the Divine is hard for our culture because we don’t approach god as play. But, spirituality actually comes from a deep sense of play. Some pathways even consider reality to be god at play. Because we don’t envision god as play, instead we approach him with fear and genuflections. The Trickster leaves this all behind. Rather than take spirituality too “seriously”, the Trickster invites us to be mindful of the fun that comes about when meditating and moving along your spiritual path. It is fun to learn about oneself.
Finding Joy in Everyday Life
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The Trickster invites us not only to play (even with indoor chores and housework) but also to find the little joys in everyday life.
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In our society, it can be difficult to find joy in life. Joy is hard because there is an aspect of pain. Joy is intractable because it is so hard to attain, and yet our souls yearn for it like water in a desert. The Trickster reminds us to stand in joy as well as to be mindful of the absurdity of life and society’s illogical expectations.
Between the news, the floors to mop, and kids to look after, not to mention work stress and everything else, it can feel near impossible to dig into joy. The Trickster invites us not only to play (even with indoor chores and housework) but also to find the little joys in everyday life. From traffic to annoying co-workers, if you can learn to live into a state of joy, it becomes really easy to “go with the flow” or “roll with the punches.” Many everyday problems can be resolved if we work a little harder to live in joy.
Bonding and Emotional Support
Men are known for their campy joking around with each other. The gentle ribbing, pranking, and loving deception between friends is the basis of this archetype. It’s not new advice that we need friends—male friends—for bonding and emotional support. The fun poker night dialogue that you have between those friends is a way to find joy, stay humble, and enjoy the Trickster archetype and his lessons.
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Someone told me once that men are better than women at hanging onto their inner child and returning to a deep sense of play. That was great wisdom, and I believe that to some degree that is very true. Within every man is a boy, and while that boy can sit down for a while, eventually he has to come out to play. Invite the Trickster out to play.
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Image credit: MyBiggestFan/flickr
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The post Sacred Archetypes of Modern Masculinity: The Trickster appeared first on The Good Men Project.
