Whether you’re male or female, endeavouring to embody the King/Queen archetype is one of the most daunting tasks of our lives. We’ve often heard these titles being thrown around in fads of divine awesomeness, but what does it truly mean to be a King or a Queen? What do these titles look like in real-time? How does one begin to align with them fully?
“Nobody can become king except the one who is supposed to be king.”Carl Jung
I think Carl Jung went as far as he did when making the above statement because of the astute diligence and self-control one must have when attempting to embody this archetype. For the purpose of this article I will combine the King/Queen archetypes together, based on their foundational qualities, which are one in the same.
“This means that he has an unconquerable spirit, that he has great courage, that he is fearless, that he takes responsibility for his actions, and that he has self-discipline. Discipline means that he has the rigor to develop control and mastery over his mind and over his body, and that he has the capacity to withstand pain, both psychological and physical.” ― Robert L. Moore
At the base, much of it has to do with discipline, but what’s rooted in such disciplined action that helps us align with integrity? A deep understanding of how sovereignty truly works is where it begins. Without a firm sovereign foundation we’re unable to harness and use our powers correctly and efficiently. Whether that’d be our creative powers or our leadership abilities.
Developing sovereignty is maintaining access to the intuitive and holistic vision of the right brain so as to send the correct virtue of order commanding the left brain. Its about knowing who to place your trust in and how to manage your time. The lessons of sovereignty teaches us that we ourselves are responsible for how we think, feel and act in the world, despite all the unruly challenges thrown our way.
–There are millions of cheap seats in the world today, filled with people that will never step into the arena, that will never once put themselves out there. We have got to stop pulling them close to our hearts and dissecting them. We just have to let them drop. Brené Brown
This type of maturity leads us into healthy relationships because we are in a healthy relationship to self. Whether that be work relationships or love relationships. It teaches us the harsh lessons of personal boundaries first and our limits to self-sacrificing and surrender second.
Standing alone in the world often comes with negative connotations but the truth of the matter is, no one in this world can live your life for you. No matter how much you’re accepted or praised, rejected or denied. At the very core of your being you must face life alone. You must wake up to your state of being, internal and external, and go to bed with it, only to wake up with it again the next day.
As young adults we often fight against assuming responsibility for our lives fully. We can do this through consciously or unconsciously living out shadow aspects of this archetype, becoming the tyrant or the weakling, the coward, manipulator or the scammer. These happen as ways to justify our misuse of power or our fear of assuming its magnificence.
Perhaps you hate the job you spent the last ten years studying for, or you regret having had children that you must now take care of. Perhaps you married the wrong person or invested in the wrong projects or have fallen sick and no longer feel as though you are are in total ownership of your power.
When you realize you’re not in a place of sovereignty with the circumstances in your life, you might slowly start to lose the capacity to be disciplined and lose sight of your North Star, the big picture. When we don’t feel passionate about our lives, discipline can feel treacherous.
The King/Queen know that it’s precisely at these moments that a call to courage is being tested. A rite of passage from a sacred death into a new way of life is occurring. The King and Queen strive beyond their egos to leave a legacy as they bless the lives of others. To do this they must become brave and adaptable, purposeful and loyal to their tasks. Learning is a never ending process, they know the minute the stop learning is the very minute the lose touch with the their ability to create and innovate, to provide and become responsible co-creators on the planet.
They must love themselves fiercely in a way that allows them to maintain a sacred connection within. This allows them to connect with the sacred in all they touch, see, taste and smell. To be so centred in their connection allows them to move past judgment and act with fairness when they are called into the arena. The King/Queen seeks to protect and acts in the best interest of their friends, family, community and the greater collective.
Throughout their lives, their internal enemies are so great; addiction to work and pleasure, depression, despair, arrogance, distain of weakness and intolerance. Establishing healthy habits, daily routines and core values, the very principles that remedy for life’s madness.
The King and Queen know strength when others give up. They know compassion when others judge. They know how to rest and how to play but they especially know how to keep working when others have become lazy and have abandoned the task.
Embodying this archetype takes so much heart, soul and perseverance that few can make it, but the ones that do, leave behind them a world of difference in an indifferent world.