Friends, relatives and archetypes

Now that I'm starting to get a deeper grasp of archetypes, I'm starting to think of people they apply to. The following are people I know and work with and what I think are their archetypes, including their corresponding tarot personalities. I think that everyone has at least 3 archetypes, their main archetype, or the main way they tend to think and act in the world; their secondary archetype, which modifies and modulates their main archetype; and their anima/animus, their archetype of the opposite sex. There may be more than these archetypes though - people are complicated!

First, F.
(of course)
Not much of a surprise because he already told me but...
Main archetype: Dionysus/Knight of Cups
Secondary archetype: Hephaestus/Knight of Pentacles
Anima/animus:Aphrodite/Queen of Cups
Second Anima: Athena (Parthenos? I have no idea as he just told me he's got some Athena in him...)

Very androgynous set of archetypes - all three archetypes are of the feminine suits of water and Earth, and both Dionysus and Aphrodite are not only both water, or emotional/subconscious archetypes, but they're also both about union - Dionysus is the feminine male and Aphrodite is all about the union of the two sexes.



My friend K.
(my other bestest friend)
Main archetype: Poseidon/King of Cups
Secondary archetype: Hephaestus/Knight of Cups
Anima/animus:?

He's chill and laid back, but can rise up in anger like a hurricane whipped sea. He's also one of the most reliable people I know. He's also a man, the king is in him, but he has some youthful aspects to him from Hephaestus. And he definitely has some of the scatterdness and helplessness of a Poseidon distracted by his competing parts.



My friend J. 
(a once fairly close friend I drove away with my Artemis arrows)
(I need to do something about that...)
Main archetype: Hera/Queen of Swords
Secondary archetype: Persephone/Page of Cups (?), Athena Parthenos/Queen of Wands (?)
Anima/animus:

She's definitely, fer sure a Hera but I'm not sure about her secondary archetype. Although she has some attributes of Athena (a love of luxury and good craftsmanship), I'm tending towards Persephone - she has the same Wounded Girl vibe that I recognize, being something in me, too. I do think she has some Athena in her but it's probably a tertiary archetype. Also, she's very psychic and interested in metaphysics, which also leads me to think she's also a Persephone.


Aunt J.
Main archetype: Hera/Queen of Swords
Secondary archetype: Athena Parthenos/Queen of Wands
Anima/animus:?

Definitely a Hera and definitely an Athena Parthenos - bossy and pushy, but also often right, especially when it comes to culture.


Cousin M.
Main archetype: Persephone/Page of Cups (?)
Secondary archetype: Athena/Queen of Wands (?)
Anima/animus:?

She's quiet, tends to be introverted, and is hard working and trustworthy. She also tends to be conscious of, and seek, societal approval.


Cousin G.
Main archetype: Poseidon/King of Cups
Secondary archetype: Hades/King of Earth (?)
Anima/animus:?

Still waters definitely run deep. He tends to disappear, both literally (by leaving) and figuratively and is really inarticulate, but you can tell he's thinking. He can be trustworthy and reliable, but he's really out of balance :(   And did I say stubborn as hell? He's stubborn as hell! And he's JUST LIKE his cousin D.!


Co-worker D.
Main archetype: Hera/Queen of Swords
Secondary archetype: Demeter/Queen of Pentacles
Anima/animus:?

WHAT is up with me and Heras???!!! And I can tell you, there have been many more in my life. Considering how poorly Artemis gets along with them... and how little I appreciate their values and goals... it's really kind of amazing. I must have some serious lessons to learn!


Co-worker K.
Main archetype: Demeter/Queen of Pentacles
Secondary archetype: Persephone/Page of Cups (?)
Anima/animus:

Really not sure about the Persephone - mostly because she likes genre fiction like Fantasy. Maybe, maybe, maybe.


Co-worker KK
Main archetype: Hestia/Page of Pentacles (?)
Secondary archetype: Athena/Page of Wands (?)
Tertiary archetype: Hera/Queen of Wands (?)
Anima/animus: ?

Is quiet and calm, has a lot of difficulty reading and relating to others, almost autistic (think she may have Aspergers) but a careful and very contientious worker. Very conscious of power and status and treats people differently depending on what she thinks their status is in relation to hers and when she perceives her own status to be higher can be demeaning to other (maybe has some Hera in her?) Proud to be the right hand of a great person, and defensive of authority.


Aunt L.
Main archetype: Demeter/Queen of Pentacles
Secondary archetype: Hestia/Page of Pentacles (?)
Anima/animus:

Not sure about Hestia - tending towards it because she has a spirituality, and that spirituality is different from Persephone's delving into the subconscious. I doubt she'd ever have been drawn to Born Again Christianity if she was a Persephone - maybe a Unitarian or something like that, but not BA. Probably her attraction to such a traditional form of religion comes from her heavy Earth influence. She also has a girlishness to her.


Uncle D.
Main archetype: Hades/King of Pentacles (?)
Secondary archetype: Zeus/King of Swords (?)
Anima/animus:

He's definitely got grown up man vibes, and he's quiet and completely dependable. At the same time, he has the ability to make sometimes morally questionable decisions that are purely based on reason and beneficial for the decision-ee, a Zeus trait.


Cousin L.
Main archetype: Hermes/Knight of Wands (?)
Secondary archetype: Dionysus/Knight of Cups (?)
Anima/animus:

Definite boy vibe from him, and he has a tendency to be into freakeh shit, but he's not too deep or dark with it. It's balanced. He was always more likely to blow up an a quick blaze of anger then quickly die down, like a flash. And he has a mental flexibility that the rest of his family, except J., tend to lack.



Cousin D.
Main archetype: Hades/King of Pentacles
Secondary archetype: Poseidon/King of Cups
Anima/animus:

I'm pretty sure about this one. He's very much a trustworthy, reliable man, slow to anger, but he has some serious depths to him, and rage can blow out of him like a giant, scary monster from the deep. As I have cause to know, having experienced it first hand :(   He's also a lot like his Dad (the Hades)... and K., now that I think of it. Both he and K. are MEN (with their Kings), and both are a mix of earth and water... Verrrrry interesting! F. is also in the mix, with his mix of water and earth, but his mix is more playful and softer, more balanced and with more if a childlike sense of fun. Even his manly-man Earth archetype is boyish and not so overwhelming or scary.



Cousin J.
Main archetype: Dionysus/Knight of Cups
Secondary archetype: Hermes/Knight of Wands
Anima/animus:

I'm not 100% sure of this but I'm pretty sure. He's mainly an ecstatic wild man, but he's also the flitting social butterfly that rides in on his horse, has some fun, then rides right off again. Irresponsible but fun as hell to have around, the eternal boy. It's interesting that he and Cousin L. clashed so often, considering they could be practically twins.


Cousin D.'s Ex-Wife, J.
(and good riddance to her... but I still want to see if I can figure her archetypes out)
Main archetype: Aphrodite/Queen of Cups (?)
Secondary archetype: Persephone/Page of Cups (?)
Anima/animus:

The reason I picked these two archetypes is because she was both extremely attractive and had that confident, unaware magnetism as well as a wounded child component. Also, the way she left D. was very Aphrodite - she just kind of decided she wasn't "feeling it" anymore and left his ass. And, like Aphrodite, she did her damndest to not have to clean up the mess she left behind - sticking around to deal with the ugly consequences of your actions is so... well... ugly. And unpleasant. Ick!


Grandma M. 
(even though she's now pretty much completely senile)
Main archetype: Demeter/Queen of Pentacles
Secondary archetype: Aphrodite/Queen of Cups
Anima/animus:

A very warm, loving, womanly mix, and very easy going... which she'd have to be with a husband like Grandpa. She was definitely an Earth Mother, but she also had a comfortable, confident warmth that didn't push herself forward but just took people as they were.



Grandpa H.
Main archetype: BAD ZEUS!
Secondary archetype: I have no freakin' idea but perhaps Hermes/Knight of Wands
Anima/animus: ?

He's definitely, DEFINITELY a Zeus. His description as the King of Swords could have been written with him in mind, although unfortunately he mostly displays the worst side of Zeus. He has a weird playful aspect that feels very Hermes, too, although I'm not 100% sure of that.



ME!
Main archetype: Persephone/Page of Cups
Secondary archetype: Hecate/Queen of Swords
Tertiary archetypes: Athena/Queen of Wands & Hestia/Page of Pentacles
Anima/animus: Hermes/Knight of Wands


One of the most interesting, and the coolest, things about archetypes is when you understand someone's archetype, it's hard to stay mad at them or feel hurt by them, or engage in any sort of drama. First off, you understand why they did what they did, so you're no longer blaming them. Disappointed, yes - everyone can do better than to fail themselves - but not judgmental. Also, you see the divine in them - their sacred gift that they have the capacity to bring into the world. You're really rooting for them to overcome their weaknesses and express the divine that you know is in them. It's very liberating, and I can see that archetypes have the ability to untangle both relationships and one's own predicaments.