innate motion
PLAY THE TUNE INNATE TO YOU
a book about archetypes
innate motion
Living life without role models is difficult Throughout the ages, society or particular groups within society, have knowingly or unknowingly called upon mythical figures to show the way. These mythical images provide guidance to deal with many of life’s challenging questions. Decades of human experience have validated these universal identity models. If applied correctly, these identity archetypes help us to locate ourselves within the human fabric, and allow us to deal with the fears and fascinations we are confronted with. We are able to play our tune in an authentic way, each chord striking true to who we are and how we choose to face life’s perplexities. Our mythical identity archetypes are “meaningdevices”, allowing us to relate to ourselves, to others, and to confront the struggles and dilemmas of our daily existence. They serve us as people, as entities or as organizations to make sense of our desires and aspirations. Each archetype inspires and serves a human calling, sets rules by which to play and shapes how we engage in the game of life.
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Play your tune! As human beings we can shape more out of life than what life appears to offer. Our lives are full of meaning, if we make it so.
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Clouds of conviction In our striving to understand organizations and individuals, we’ve learnt that different ethos systems serve different human agendas. These ethos systems give context and relevance to objects, events, ideas and the interactions between people. They generate “clouds of conviction” that influence our way of thinking and viewing the world. Being more aware of these hidden forces that shape our thinking allows us more choice to leverage them in a way that is more true to who we are or aspire to be. 6
A shift to meaning Meaning is the binding force that keeps human beings together within a culture. It is the most effective element in creating relevance within our society, for both leaders and part-takers. Having a strong mission that is meaningful to people, makes businesses more successful as it connects and commits everybody (customer stakeholders, employee stakeholders or ownerstakeholders) to the same purposeful pursuit. It gives foundation to what we are and do. Yet if you ask people what is lacking in the world of business today, most would agree that it is meaningfulness and purpose. Goals are in abundance but relevance is lacking. Our experience has shown that when companies or brands are able to crystallize and amplify the meaningful force that mobilizes them, their performance and capacity to create value grows incredibly. This booklet is an attempt to clarify some of the patterns that shape our perceptions of the world, and the forces behind our codes of conduct.
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A compass of meaning The history of humanity seems to have been shaped by two major forces. How we relate to the world on a personal level, and how we relate and feel about others on an interpersonal level. On a personal level, fear makes us want to hold onto life in a controlled manner, and fascination makes us want to embrace life and move beyond ourselves reaching out to the world in a more spontaneous manner. We want to treasure and transcend life. On an interpersonal level we balance our desire to affirm ourselves over others, with the desire to belong and be accepted by the group. We want to deeply belong and deeply affirm ourselves in our interpersonal relationships.
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TRANSCEND
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A HUMAN CANVAS
TREASURE
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4 ways to experience the world Emerging from these two driving forces are 4 ways to experience the world. A world with its own code of conduct: The ethos of change and possibility - empowers us to move beyond outer limitations, fueling our belief that we can define our own destiny. The ethos of abundance and unity - amplifies our belief that life is better together. There is more that unites us than divides us and we all can share this human surplus. The ethos of essence and responsibility - is about putting people and community first and amplifies our desire to serve and connect to the broader cosmos. The ethos of mastery and power - serves us in our belief that we are creators of our own world by cultivating and controlling our environment in order to serve us.
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ETHOS OF POSSIBILITY
ETHOS OF ABUNDANCE
ETHOS OF MASTERY
ETHOS OF ESSENCE
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Hero or Outlaw
p. 18
Jester or Explorer
p. 22
Magician or Innocent
p. 30
Lover or Loyalist
p. 34
Caregiver or Mentor
p. 42
Anchor or Sage
p. 46
Expert or Creator
p. 54
Seducer or Ruler
p. 58
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The ethos of possibility The first group of archetypal pathways empowers us to move beyond our outer limitations, fueling our belief that we can define our own destiny. These identity models push us to think bigger, feed us in our belief that we can change things and inspire us to move beyond current realities. The archetypes that are called upon in these contexts are the hero, outlaw, explorer and jester figures which can manifest in many forms.
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ETHOS OF POSSIBILITY
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innate motion
Put a man on the moon and bring him back “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.” Those were JFK’s words in May 1961. An inspiring message for a courageous mission. It was a single idea that motivated a nation to a decade of work – and leading finally, to historic, unforgettable success. This story of courage, challenge and victory embodies the essence of the ethos of possibility, inspiring people to go beyond what may seem their limits.
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Hero The Hero triumphs over adversity or major challenges and inspires us all to battle-on forward in our struggles. How to go through a journey of change with the confidence of a triumphant hero? The Hero is an instinctive protector of those who are innocent, fragile, and helpless. He represents the universal message of courage and victory and uses strength and power for a cause that makes a difference.
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INVITATION Feel courageous DESIRE To prove his value through brave and courageous actions GOAL Overcome limits FEAR To be weak and vulnerable STRATEGY Becoming as strong and powerful as possible TRAP Arrogance, always looking for an enemy
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Outlaw The Outlaw embodies repressed rage against structures that no longer serve life, but are still supported by society. How to spread the need of change by feeding a different point of view? He is the leader of the other side of society, guiding the underworld toward the revolution. In a world full of rules and principles, the Outlaw breaks rules in a manner that feels liberating to people, enabling a space of freedom in our normative world.
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INVITATION Free yourself from the alienation of the system DESIRE Redeem himself by changing what is not working GOAL To subvert the current status FEAR Being powerless, trivialized, inconsequent STRATEGY Inspire, disrupt, destroy, or shock TRAP To go over to the dark side, criminality
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Explorer The Explorer turns from the known to discover and explore the unknown. How to really be a free individual in a world full of routine and repetition? He is motivated by a deep desire to find something in the outer world that fits with his internal needs, preferences and hopes. The Explorer goes out to seek a better world where he can fully express his sense of freedom and individuality.
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INVITATION Join the journey to find your authentic world DESIRE Explore the world to find out who he really is GOAL Experience a better, more authentic, more fulfilling life FEAR Getting trapped, conforming, inner emptiness, non-being STRATEGY Journey, seek out and experience new things, escape boredom TRAP Aimless wandering, a misfit 23
Jester Humorous, free spirited and surprising. The Jester knows how to enjoy life and interacts for his own sake. How to play with life’s possibilities when forced to be serious about it? The Jester has the ability to look at life from a distance. He brings relief through laughter and makes life lighter. The Jester calls us to come out and play; shows us to find relief from the many demands of life.
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INVITATION See life from a lighter perspective and have fun DESIRE Live the moment with full enjoyment GOAL Have a great time and lighten up the world FEAR Boredom, facing reality for what it is STRATEGY Put things in perspective through play and jokes TRAP Frittering away one’s life
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The ethos of abundance The second group of archetypal pathways amplifies our belief that life is better together. They bond and bind people beyond reason, beyond themselves, uniting them in a common purpose. These are the pathways that create rainbow nations, brings down walls between us, feeds the idea of all for one, one for all; offers hope and makes poets and lovers lose themselves. All are pathways that embrace and embody the ethos of abundance, human surplus and unity. They help to unlock the magic between us, that unseen bond that holds us together.
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ETHOS OF ABUNDANCE
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innate motion
“I dream of the realization of the unity of Africa, whereby its leaders combine in their efforts to solve the problems of this continent. I dream of our vast deserts, of our forests, of all our great wildernesses, of all our people united under the same nation.� Nelson Mandela sold to all South Africans the idea of the rainbow nation that united and mobilized people of South Africa behind a common idea. He tells us a story of benevolence and connection between people and embodies the essence of the ethos of abundance, inspiring people to fill in the gaps that exist between them.
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Magician The Magician makes the moment happen. He transforms people and situations for the better. How to keep the belief of a better world when surrounded by negative images of the future? The Magician rescues us and inspires us to believe that we can change the world. He helps us to realize the magical nature of human beings, that nothing is impossible if people reach out beyond themselves and participate in life.
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INVITATION Reach out and let the hidden magic happen DESIRE Transform things into special moments and experiences GOAL More fascination with the possibility of life FEAR Unanticipated negative consequence STRATEGY Develop vision and live it out TRAP Becoming manipulative
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Innocent Happy and optimistic the Innocent embraces the simplicity and purity to tap into the goodness of life. How to find the way when there are so many choices to pursue happiness? The Innocent reminds us to keep faith and optimism and inspires us to get back to basics and enjoy the simple things in life. He promises a perfect land where we are free to be ourselves and live an easier life in harmony with our environment.
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INVITATION Come to heaven DESIRE To experience paradise GOAL To be happy by reaching harmony in and outside of ourselves FEAR Doing something wrong or bad that will provoke punishment STRATEGY Worry less, see the best in everything TRAP To lose oneself, to not be realistic
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Lover The Lover has a deep yearning to experience love. He searches for intense sensation by exposing raw emotions and being receptive to others feelings. How to experience true and deep love when there are so many shallow relationships? When life is hard, the Lover serves us to feel good and engage pleasantly with others. The Lover encourages to reconnect with the self in order to reach out to others.
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INVITATION Experience love, the life force of the universe DESIRE Feel special GOAL To have a passionate relationship with what we love FEAR Of being alone, a wall-flower, unwanted, unloved STRATEGY Become more and more attractive and accepting TRAP Doing anything to attract and please others, losing identity 35
Loyalist The Loyalist is a friend at our side while facing and overcoming the tests of life. He embodies trust, loyalty and reassurance. How to feel connected and experience real trust when there is so much deception? The Loyalist enables people to not feel alone and move in the world with more confidence. He promotes growth through mutual bonds that make people feel accepted, liked and good.
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INVITATION Feel how good it is when you can count on others DESIRE Build deep and lasting relationships GOAL Friendship and relatedness FEAR Feel unaccepted or different STRATEGY Showing strong commitment and long lasting reliability TRAP Become blindly loyal, losing personal identity and dignity
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The ethos of essence The third group of archetypal pathways works around our belief of being more grounded and putting others first. They enable trust and commitment by seeing things the way they are and seeking to capture naked truths with more humbleness, respect and gratitude. They are all pathways that embrace and embody the ethos of essence and responsibility. They protect, nurture and guide people through a strong sense of commitment and care.
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ETHOS OF ESSENCE
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innate motion A world without slavery Abraham Lincoln sold the vision that all men are born free and equal as a core expression of the American identity to rally people around his key policy objectives “unification of the states and emancipation of the slaves�. He tapped into the duty and fairness calling of Americans to shape an America for all men that laid the solid foundation for this nation.
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Caregiver Comforting, generous, altruistic. The Caregiver has a desire to protect and nurture others. How to reduce vulnerability of others in an increasingly mechanical world? The Caregiver can easily send messages of nourishment and rejuvenation because he symbolizes pregnancy and maternal care. The Caregiver helps us to reconcile our desire to be caring and generous, in our cynical, at times dehumanized, modern world.
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INVITATION Feeling the joy of caring and pampering others DESIRE Protect people from harm GOAL To make others feel good FEAR Selfishness, ingratitude STRATEGY Do things for others, serving and comforting them TRAP Martyrdom of self, entrapment of others
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Mentor Empathetic, guiding, supportive. The Mentor knows how to be happy and make our life meaningful and valuable. In a crowded and complicated world how to find a guide that inspires and empowers us? The Mentor gets spiritual ascendance over the individual through rich life experience and clarification of mind. He is easy to approach and invokes trust, affection, respect and guidance.
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INVITATION Discover your full potential under my guidance DESIRE Inspire, give substance, meaning, direction to life GOAL Enable the individual to find their own path FEAR Overpower the individual, take over his ability to judge for himself STRATEGY Inspire, guide, oversee, coach and encourage TRAP Becoming fanatical, inflexible to change 45
Anchor The Anchor assures us and lets us face reality with more responsibility. How do we regain certainty and stability when we feel lost or disoriented? The Anchor provides a point of reference in a demanding, hectic and overly speculative world. He paves a stable foundation, allowing us to return to our essence. We once again feel reconnected to the real, important things.
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INVITATION DESIRE GOAL FEAR STRATEGY TRAP
Connect with our essential nature Be the rock upon which to hold Offer certainty Limiting the horizon, dictated by tradition Face reality and take responsibility, show character, be practical, and work hard Blocking development, stagnation, temperance and frugality
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Sage Anything that is important needs moral authority. The Sage calls upon us to better ourselves before we better others. “Be the change you want to see in the world� He shows the way of discipline, encouraging us to be a little stricter with ourselves and a bit more honest and tolerant towards others. He is measured, strong willed and functions with great inner strength.
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INVITATION Finding clarity, serving with integrity and seeking common sense DESIRE Understanding, fairness and rootedness GOAL Making sense of thing the way they are FEAR Personal entanglement, lack of rationality, being fake or shallow STRATEGY Observation, disciple, modesty, practicality and respect TRAP Being rigid and insensitive, incompassionate, lacking empathy 49
The ethos of mastery The last group of archetypal identity models guides and inspire us in our existential quests to master our world and dominate it or at least aspects of it. The best and worst of humanity manifests itself through these archetypes inspiring search of knowledge, creativity, the art of seduction and the will for power. What moves in favor of this ethos is our search for controlling and mastering our personal doubts and inferiority fears. With strong sense of ability and competence this archetypal pathway promotes and amplifies individual affirmation.
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ETHOS OF MASTERY
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innate motion I want to know God’s thoughts; the rest are details “Equations are more important to me, because politics is for the present, but an equation is something for eternity.� Albert Einstein has been one of the more influential figures of the first half of twentieth century. Through his genius and theories he is considered the father of modern physics. He tells us the story of how to reach immortality through mastery knowledge and science. He believed in the importance of solving new problems and new answers, applying both creativity and discipline as required.
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Expert The Expert owns the knowledge about something or everything after years of practice and studies. How to trust and shift some of the responsibility to someone we don’t know? The Expert reassures us with experience and expertise and gets our attention. We believe everything he says. The source of the expert’s knowledge is education and experience in combination with dedication to the topic.
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INVITATION DESIRE GOAL FEAR STRATEGY TRAP
Learn from a real specialist Authority Remove uncertainty Being shallow and unknowledgeable, detached, losing face Precision, method, logic, specialization Become too rational, without emotion and passion
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Creator The Creator is the seeker and guardian of aesthetic and artistic control. How to find out who we are by what we create around us? The Creator searches for immortality through the effort of creating something that has never been there before. He plays and manipulates the world around him in order to obtain something original, beautiful and/or interesting. Creativity gives a sense of control on life and is a way to express our unique self.
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INVITATION Give birth to something new, leave something of yourself in this world DESIRE Create something of enduring value GOAL Give form to a vision FEAR A mediocre vision or execution STRATEGY Please perception, surprise, develop artistic control and skill TRAP Perfectionism, miscreation
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Seducer Promising and attractive. The Seducer uses the power of attraction to allure the other. How to convince people to move in our favor when credibility and authority are not available? The Seducer doesn’t reveal everything in order to keep the preying mind always engaged in discovering, fantasizing and imagining. He gains power over us by entangling our minds with exciting but ever unquenching pleasures.
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INVITATION Move things in your favor DESIRE Be compelling, strive to be irresistible GOAL Allure people to comply with our wish FEAR Being ignored and not desired STRATEGY Keeping others engaged in imagination TRAP Become manipulative, a mere shape without meaningful content
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Ruler Strong, strict, proud. The Ruler seeks an environment to dictate law and grant status. In an unpredictable and unstable world, how to assure you are pulling the strings? Ruler puts procedures, policies and customs in place to make life more stable and predictable. He expresses power and authority in order to tame people with his superiority and lead them with a sense of reassurance.
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INVITATION DESIRE GOAL FEAR STRATEGY TRAP
Under my leadership you will be safe Leadership and power Be king Chaos, being overthrown Take leadership, uphold the current ways and institutions Being bossy, authoritarian
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A last call to meaning Business, marketing and branding are humanizing affairs, but some businesses, companies or brands, at certain moments in time, need a more humanizing approach. At a time when we have to do things differently, when we have to think better or when more is demanded from us, a meaningful vital calling is needed. Both an inner awakening and an outer purpose enables this. Together this paves the way for the creation of value, but only where human relevance can be found. The archetypal pathways of people, teams and leaders have fascinated us in our private and professional pursuits. As psychologists, interested in human feelings and emotions rather than neurons and synapses, we’ve explored the mystic ways that are innate to us and engage people in their lives. In the footsteps of Jung, Jozef Cambell and many more, we’ve tried to make sense of these archetypal pathways in a way that can be useful for people as managers building engagement platforms inside or outside their organization. 62
We’ve been lucky enough to be surrounded by many great and supporting individuals as partners, clients and friends who have encouraged and inspired us in this quest. We have done projects together to apply this thinking in different areas of the world, different sectors of industry and for different business and brand problems. What businesses need now more than ever, is a rediscovery of meaning. What does it mean, why does it matter to those within the company or those whom we serve?
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ETHOS OF POSSIBILITY
ETHOS OF ABUNDANCE
ETHOS OF MASTERY
ETHOS OF ESSENCE
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innate motion
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