Magician Archetype

What is the Magician archetype? The magician archetype is one of the brand archetypes. It is the example of the shaman, alchemist and intuitive, who possesses hidden knowledge an intuition. The magician is a charismatic and transformative figure, and Steve Jobs was a famous example. this brand is all about energy and manipulation, and the magician archetype is one of the most popular brand archetypes.

The magician archetype manifests in society as those who are able to intuitively manipulate the magician energy to create an esoteric, sacred space and be visionary leaders. They are often manipulators and have secret knowledge that others don’t, which they use to their advantage.

The Magician is an archetype that was first outlined by Carl Jung as part of his list of 12 main archetypes. This archetype is often used when talking about fictional characters, but it does apply to real-life individuals as well.

The Magician is an archetype that deals in change, although the type of change in question may vary depending on the situation or context. This archetype is not one of the more common ones, especially in real people, but it is still easy to spot once you gain an understanding of its main qualities and traits.

In this article, you’ll learn some of the basics of the Magician. You can use this information to figure out whether or not you feel you are a Magician. You may also want to narrow down the Magician archetype based on some real people you know or fictional characters you enjoy.

Read through the information gathered below to help you learn more and determine how the Magician archetype influences your life.

Magician Details

In this section, you’ll find points of information to help guide you toward a more solid and thorough understanding of the Magician archetype. Take your time as you consider these traits and think about whether or not they apply to you. Magicians may be uncommon, but that doesn’t mean you can’t possibly fit into this archetype yourself.

Variations

• Stage Magician: A Magician archetype who performs in some way to make others perceive them as something they are not. Criss Angel is a real-world, literal Stage Magician, but these can be both fictional and metaphorical, too.
• Shadow Magician: The Shadow Magician has a rival or nemesis and focuses almost solely on outwitting, outsmarting, or outdoing that person. This variation may be fully evil or may simply be manipulative. They tend to tread the line between Magician and Trickster.
• Enlightened Magician: The Enlightened Magician is generally exceptional when it comes to magic (or technology, in the real world). They are visionaries with lofty goals and the ability to stay focused on those goals as well.

Objective

• The Magician’s objective is to gain knowledge and hone their skills so that they can cause transformation wherever they go. This transformation may be literal (turning a person into a frog, for example), or it may be a little bit more metaphorical (improving a bullying situation at school so no one else will get hurt). Whatever the transformation, the Magician wants something to change, and they are willing to give their all to make that happen. Some Magicians will rope others into this objective and will dip into a scheming part of their nature to encourage others to do what they want along the way.

Desires

• The Magician wants to make change happen in the world around them. The Magician may have loft goals, or may have one more specific, realistic goal toward which they strive. Either way, they are determined to do what it takes to make change happen.
• The Magician wants to use their own inner strengths to transform situations or people who might stop them from doing what they want to do. In a good Magician, these transformations are beneficial; in an evil Magician, they may be dangerous or even deadly to others.

Goals

• The Magician wants to develop their abilities from day one. These may be actual magical abilities in some fictional characters, or they may be other untapped sources of potential such as good public speaking, scientific knowledge, or a hobby that the Magician is particularly good at.
• The Magician wants to use their own “magic” (or other skills) to reach their goals. In the same vein, they want to use the skills and abilities of everyone around them to do the same thing. If a Magician could build a team of perfectly fine-tuned people to make their goals happen, they would.

Strengths

• The Magician has an unwavering focus on their goals and objectives. They are not easily swayed by anyone else’s ideas of what they should or shouldn’t be doing, and they tend to keep pushing forward until they achieve what they set out to do.
• The Magician is usually very intelligent and capable of using that intelligence to enact change. They understand themselves and their opponents thoroughly, and they don’t often leave any stone unturned as they explore the world around them.
• The Magician is shrewd, cunning, and tactical in most situations, and is capable of making the right moves when they have time to think about it.

Weaknesses

• The Magician may be so strong that they are unable to control their power. When this happens, their power gets away from them, and they may easily cause chaos or harm even without meaning to.
• Along the same lines, the Magician may easily become corrupted when their power gets out of hand. When they realize just how much power they really have, they may soon want to use it for less than savory purposes.
• Finally, the Magician is almost always more focused on their own wellbeing and safety than on anyone else’s. They are willing to sacrifice the good of others if it means making their own goals happen, even if those goals are selfish ones.

Qualities

• Magician archetypes are strong in mind and spirit. They are driven, purposeful, and always good at what they do.
• Magicians are often interested in challenges, especially from opponents they perceive as being equal to them in intelligence or skill level.
• Magicians aren’t always willing to act as part of a team or help the Hero on his journey. They may want to get something for themselves out of the experience rather than contributing with no need for reciprocation.

Conclusion

Do you feel like you might be a Magician? Or do you think you might know some Magicians instead? Do you find yourself drawn to Magicians in literature, TV, movies, or video games? If any of this is true of you, be sure to use the information you learned above to delve deeper into an understanding of the Magician archetype.

And if you need some more help in pinpointing this archetype, consider the following examples from real life and fiction:

• Nikola Tesla: With a high level of skill and knowledge, Nikola Tesla fits into the Magician archetype.
• Seth Godin: The Internet may not exactly be magic, but Seth Godin used the power of the Internet and his own marketing skills to succeed in the early 2000s.
• Martin Luther King: As someone who did everything he could to enact change in the world around him, Martin Luther King was a true Magician archetype.
• Ursula from The Little Mermaid: Although she is a villain, Ursula is still a Magician who engages in transformation—for her own gain.
• Merlin of legend: It doesn’t get more “Magician” than Merlin, and he embodies the transformation element of this archetype completely.

With a frame of reference to better help you understand what makes a Magician stand out, you’ll have a grasp of this archetype in no time.

ADDITIONAL RESEARCH:

https://susannabarlow.com/on-archetypes/understanding-the-magician-archetype/
https://arielhudnall.com/2016/05/15/archetypes-magician/
https://scottjeffrey.com/magician-archetype/