Storytelling at Work: From Warrior to Magician

Society today is experiencing a major shift in consciousness as people switch from thinking like Warriors to thinking like Magicians. The Magician is that part of us that manifests the highest and greatest potential in any situation. But the Warriors in and around us often misunderstand magic, misinterpreting it as a means for focusing their will in order to control their destiny., which is why magic has gotten a bad name during the thousands of years in which the Warrior archetype has prevailed. Today most people think of magic in storytelling as trickery. Worse, people see magic as a way to gain control over others.

True magic is not a means of control or manipulation or evil sorcery. It is about cooperating with the most positive energy arising in any situation to create the best outcome for all concerned. It is less about getting your way than about expressing your best self. Magicians invoke the most beautiful and noble outcome possible for themselves and others.

In our everyday world, most of us are oblivious in how ingrained Warrior thinking is in our lives and organizations. Warriors take for granted that war is inevitable, even noble. They value competition, tough-mindedness, and things they can touch, taste and measure. There is nothing inherently wrong with the Warrior archetype. It has given us great gifts of analysis, resolve and strength. But the Warrior myth can be so consuming, we forget that alternative behavior is possible. As Albert Einstein put it, "No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it".

The Warrior archetype has been necessary to our survival as a species. It teaches us to use a military, hierarchical model to organize large numbers of people. It shows the necessity of establishing strong boundaries to prevent our efforts from dissipating and to protect us from real enemies. It helps to set priorities for the use of scarce resources. It gives us the courage to risk our safety for our beliefs. It helps us to make fine distinctions and set goals.

The Warrior's mentality of us/them however and need to win at other's expense can be a liability if we do not complement and balance it with other archetypal approaches. The Magician archetype is emerging today because it can help us thrive in a world without superpowers, stable borders or right/wrong answers. In a time of global interdependence, it may, in fact, take miracles to help us learn to balance conflicting needs and attitudes, and be willing to learn from those different from ourselves.

Peter de Kuster

Founder of The Hero's Journey & The Heroine's Journey

www.theherojourney2016.com, www.theheroinejourney2016.com