Father's Day and the Father Archetype

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As we set about to take dad out to eat, or buy his umpteenth wacky neck-tie for Father’s Day, let’s think about the archetype of “Father” both within those who fulfill a fatherly role but also within ourselves.

As with the “mother” archetype, the symbolism of fatherhood appears in many spiritual traditions and in the tarot. In the tarot, The Emperor card represents the father archetype; sitting regally in his marble throne, beard flowing with wisdom and age, his stern visage showing discipline and direction. Where mother energy is free-flowing, emotional, creative and powerful energy, the father archetype is grounded in action and manifestation. Masculine “father” takes the creative life force from the feminine and translates this force through organization, disciplined concrete steps, actions and follow through that gets things done and makes things happen. On the tarot card ‘The Emperor’ we see red robes and burnished hues of fire in the sky and background, a throne covered with carved rams heads which represent “Aries” the ruler of the Emperor and these represent activation, action, leadership and movement. A dynamic harnessing of the power of life. In his right hand he holds and Egyptian “Ankh” which represents the force of life and in his left hand, the world – which represents his dominion and power over this force in the world.

Father energy in the positive aspect is a typification of the masculine: direction of powerful life force, protection, safety, mentoring, authority and leadership. (and in the negative aspect it can overbearing control, offensiveness, rigidity and inflexibility).

Remember, every person (and every mother and father) has both the energy of masculine and feminine and Mother archetype and Father archetype. My father never laid down an iron fist and he is a really gentle guy who is soft spoken, kind, creative and likes people to find their own path. He recently teased that he’s my “life-coach” and isn’t that at least a little true of our dads? ;) They may be like Calvin’s dad in the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes every now and then and not have all the answers (“The sun sets because it gets cold and night and sinks”) but they try to provide direction, safety and instruction from the little issues (how to change a tire) to the big (how to get along with other people). Father represents calling in the troops and getting things organized. My dad would do a bird call (black-capped chickadee) whenever the family needed to catch back up together and still to this day if he makes that call (or if I hear the real bird) I snap to attention!

Our relationship to our fathers, father-figures and the part of ourselves that matches this masculine/Father archetype is as key a force to integrate as the feminine and nurturing. This masculine energy allows us to get our ducks in a row and put our intuitive creative ideas to practical use, it helps keep us productive, grounded and safe.

An intuitive can help you clarify what you need to heal in relationship to the “Father” energy in your life so that you and your relationships can be more successful. Is there a way you need to balance your relationship to your birth father or father-figure who took care of you? Is there a way in which you can heal and balance that part of YOU which is the leader, action-taker, and decision maker? What about your relationship to your Spiritual “Father” in your faith?

As for our dads (anything can be a “father” but it takes a special person to be a daddy) – even though Father’s Day doesn’t get as much commercial play as Mother’s day – treat a dad in your life to something great and give him love! After all, just like money, those funny homilies they come up with and stories they tell don’t just grow on trees!