The Life Path Archetypes (LPAs) are deeply fundamental descriptions of basic human motivations and attitudes towards life. They have a surprisingly strong effect on human lives. Understanding them will help you begin to figure out your own inner wiring and will let you begin to really "get" the others in your life.
General Description
- Inborn.You can already see a preference for one of the LPAs in very young children, or even in animals.
- Exclusive. These archetypes describe the full range of human experience.
- Your choice. Which path you follow, is up to you. Depending on who you are, some will work better for you than others. Only once you pick a path can you progress through the levels.
- No overlap. The LPAs are distinct types that do not overlap. However, especially people who have not committed to a path yet can at times display the outward behaviours of multiple types.
- Yin and Yang. Each of the A- and B-level archetypes comes with an ideal partner. Together, m and f are the male and female expressions of the archetype, the yin and yang. This has nothing to do with physical gender, and everything with the energy.
Light and Shadow
Each of the LPAs up to the B-levels has a light-side and a shadow-side expression. The lists with each LPA describe the most extreme expressions of these, but people can average anywhere between these two extremes. Their expression can differ on a situation-to-situation and on a trait-by-trait basis. Only those who have completely encompassed an LPA will show all light-side characteristics all the time.
To fully encompass the light side of any archetype, it's necessary to encompass all of the items associated with that LPA, and to be comfortable with all of the items in its partner, as well as having encompassed the light-side of all underlying LPAs.
For a more nuanced understanding of the light and shadow, see the The horn series of explanations.
Tracks
Starting from the A0 all the way at the left, there are three main tracks - or paths - you can follow through life. These tracks differ in how they perceive the world, how they express themselves, how they learn, and what turns them on.
- Track 1: The child path grows and learns through exploration of the outer world.
- Track 2: The student path grows and learns through exploration of the inner world.
- Track 3: The teacher path grows and learns through guiding and guarding others.
You can only pick one track, which happens right after A0 - The Holy Child at the A-level. Within that track, you can focus on the male or female expression, the m or the f.
Levels
In following your track, you can begin to move from the A-levels through the B-levels to the C-level of your chosen track. This is a journey of a lifetime. It takes effort and time to grow through these levels, and in fact most people stay in the A-levels all their life. This is ok - it's not about "getting to the finish", anyone can have a full and rich life at any of the levels.
The A-levels are all about discovering who you are in this lifetime. They're about finding what you are here to express, and how you respond to the world.
The B-levels have discovered and encompassed who they are, and are beginning to develop and express this in the world.
To fully encompass the light side of the B-levels, it's necessary to encompass all of the items of the B-level LPA, and to be comfortable with all of the items in its partner. As you develop these items, all of the characteristics of both A-level LPAs as well as A0 must continue to grow stronger to provide a solid base for these.
All B-levels pay more attention to fundamentals than to the surface. Because of this awareness, their actions don't always make sense to the younger ones but are usually correct. All B-levels are heart-centered, compassionate, loving. All their decisions come from the heart. They teach others of their characteristics as they learn them.
The C-level is the highest expression of your path, and the result of a lifetime of awareness and experience.
C-levels do not have a shadow-expression. Anyone who holds a shadow attitude throughout the A- or B-levels will be crippled by their own destructive motivations early in their process. Only those who have encompassed the light-side of their B-level LPAs and who are fully heart-centered will be able to reach the C-levels.
All C level LPAs pay primary attention to fundamentals. Surface level things don't matter to them. Because of this awareness, their actions don't always make sense to the younger ones but are almost always correct. The male and female paths merge here. Whichever you have followed, you become extremely successful at both. They embody the best of all five stages preceding this one as they work to encompass the C-level. All C level LPAs teach others as they learn, but with their awareness being so much deeper, their lessons are not always comprehensible to the very young. They have more success with teaching those at the B level.
Images and descriptions were last edited 2012.08.13 and developed by the Elfpath Foundation. Each of the images below holds the energy of the corresponding LPA.You can use them freely.