The Trickster 'Archetype': The Truth about Your Shadow

Far more important than the Shadow, is the homeostatic "archetype" of the Trickster - always there to 'pun' the ego whenever it steps too far out of adaptation.

Today's show's narration is by James P Dowling, reading the words written by Steve Richards.

Jung To Live By, presented by the Institute for Psycho-Systems Analysis™, is creating videos and podcasts on Jungian Depth Psychology for personal development and study.

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Music used:
"Spooky Circus Music - Spooky Fair"
Derek Fiechter's Music

[JungToLiveBy]

A full answer would be too much for a text, but a few points. The Trickster, is best considered to be a nested ‘field of fields’, that collapses into resolutions based on those fields. As such, it isn’t any reified image that may coalesce in representation of it. It is continuous beyond biology, psychology and the social world, with universal, fundamental, organisational field(s). It’s differentiation into biology, collapses into the level of evolutionary development of a species, and it’s niche spaces and adaptations. Hence, in humans, it takes on its characteristic representational forms. It isn’t one ‘thing’ as such, however, rather it’s a meta-regulator . It’s association with parapsychological phenomenon, is a feature of its dynamic inter-field nature. Individual human Ego consciousness, and its collective concomitants, organise the meta-regulatory field, into the familiar mythic, poetic and occult representations of the Trickster. In that regard, we are obliged to reflexively consider it in that form, whilst at the same time, distilling out the true deep structure dynamics, of its function. Human ‘nature’ creates the Imago of The Trickster, ‘in its own image’ Kindest Regards, Steve🙏

[fosterellis]

Loved it. The trickster regulating the ego's inflation rather than the shadow regulating the ego's morality makes much more sense.

[mayatrash]

I met the trickster on a very strong LSD trip. I thought I know how stuff works (I'm a physicist and also read in philosophy), but Jesus the trickster played with me. He or rather "they" (it was represented in some kind of kobold hive mind and sometimes as a single jester) showed me that I actually know nothing, my ego just likes thinking it knows. It was tough and painful but also funny, the trickster basically said: "look how funny your ego is, look how funny it is how strong it's beliefs are, you know as well as I know that it's only a belief and that it's just easy to think that way, you know as well as I know that this belief can be wrong, because deep down you know that you know absolutely nothing. You think you know, but I show what you do not know" this fucked me up at first but they I understood the joke. I understood how funny it is to hold strong beliefs as it's equally as funny knowing that it's just a weakness to hold strong beliefs. This humbled me a lot even though it was painful. The trickster didn't care, it just wanted to joke

[Rkenichi]

Finally, a Jungian psychoanalysis channel that isn’t drenched in mysticism and melancholy!

[omarthearab]

Great video my trickster tends to play out through my defenses as I'm aware that allowing myself to be playful as a foolish person sometimes is healthy as I can conditionally accept all configurations of who I am.

This video made me think of Machiavelli's journey through history, which led to his writing of The Prince to convince others to allow their trickster to come into their consciousness and act out on it to gain power. The trickster tends to expand and play out through trauma and neglect I believe and then lead to hubris behaviors in us all.

[Artije]

This happened to me. Shook my life and revealed all my traumas and complexes, but instead of ego inflation, it was ego repression (still ego though). From a spiritual point of view, the synchronicities and exteriorizations make sense. Everything is connected. As within, so without, etc., but from an earthly grounded perspective, the fact that a biological function has these effects and works with the external world to bring these experiences is spooky stuff. Can confirm it betrays you/the host. It hits you where it hurts most, but it's part of the process, so you can awake.

[GeorgesSegundo]

This is INSANELY good content brother! In 14 years of study about Jungs theories, i never ever met such a quality, depth, and clarity. Thank you so much!

[johnmccall]

Really enjoyed the parallels between medieval gestures and their relationship to giving bad news to the king and the way the trickster speaks to the ego instead of the self

[Tommy-evvl]

Jesus I just thought abt this. Numerology and angel numbers appearing to people (like me) are most likely an exteriorization, or a warning from the trickster. Crazy that I never noticed I was being messed with

[entoptik]

This came to me exactly when i needed it! Synchronicity. Thank you!

[chervargas]

I met the trickster and went through the whole chart. I had no idea what was happening to me until I found your channel. The constellation of synchronicities- so real it upended my understanding of reality and consciousness. I appreciate its dark, obscene humor. It has had me in my knees, terrified, sobbing and shaking until I got the joke eventually. It definitely messed up my life. I am still finishing unraveling my false understanding of my Self so that he doesn't take over again. My life, psyche and relationships, consciousness were split. I experienced something akin to psychosis but never left my footing in reality. All in all it has released me from my internal bandage through suffering and forced acceptance with radical self honesty. In order to reform my psyche into a whole I needed to allow it to consolidate realities and perspectives, experiences that are at odds with one another. I am here now at the mercy of my purpose. If you have met the Trickster, enjoy the journey and remember to take him very seriously but not too seriously 😅

[CrustaceousB]

I cannot begin to explain how thankful I am for this information explained in this way. Saved and will be rewatching until I stop self sabotaging.

[Zach]

A critical and pivotal explanation of a complicated dynamic.

Mapping out where Jung was right and where he reached his limits regarding the Trickster is necessary to a true understanding of psychological homeostasis. Great video as always!

[johnbrancato]

Bringing “The Trickster” away from fantasy and toward function. A very important reframing for understanding the purpose of this natural, homeostatic function of the psyche. Great video!

[faro]

A year ago I had first and last DMT trip and met the trickster in that realm. I was scared and anxious. He showed me shush and did some cyclic hand gestures, like solving Rubik's cube. It helped me calm down a bit. I couldn't understand what he wanted to say and explain to me. Now after my deep diving into topics like spirituality, high magic, psychology and applied daily practices, it got clearer. I needed to face my fears which are controlled my life from subconsius. Thanks for the video!

[dendromalache]

This was the best search result I found for "the jester archetype".

[heioca]

Gratitude once again for all the great work. This describes my neurotic journey over the past few years pretty well, right down to the personification of the archetype and disaster of an ending. Quite baffling actually; the compensatory action of the subconscious. I'm doing much better now and actively working with the lessons learned from the experience. Cheers!

[notshalltear]

This puts so much into a clear perspective, i had noticed this in many instances in my life where something wouldn't quite feel right as in there is no way a situation could be a coincidence and you can only blame "unseen forces" which most tend to think towards a religious conception and they are right for the wrong reasons not realizing it is the power of the trickster or other regulating functions from within that are behind the scenes? it's a beautiful process when you think about it, the trickster's goal is regulate and just as an example will easily personify itself as a demon or angel to Christians which honestly explains a lot to me growing up with my Christian mother. i quite enjoyed this, honestly all that can be done is to attempt to hold control over the ego conscious and bare in mind the trickster when things begin to seem strange or out of place. i don't believe you will catch it in the moment for you're not meant to, you are meant to catch it when it is time as 'it' intends for you to realize and understand what it is trying to relay to you.
Love to all <3

[redruby]

I've been waiting for this and you did not disappoint! Thanks all.

[mrmagus]

15:09 This blew me away most when I watched this fascinating take on the trickster archetype.

The phenomenon of the trickster manifesting as an alter-ego is my favorite form of active imagination, and--like you mentioned earlier with the paranormal trickster example, pretty much only shows during moments of intense synchronicity--an observation usually involving some form of duality that I noticed in the environment around me. What's also interesting is a noticible increase in the phenomenon occurring the more I act in this behavior (an outcome also previously mentioned) which intensifies both the synchronicity phenomenon, and the trickster itself. Very interesting stuff!


I finally don't feel like I'm going insane anymore after I discovered Jung, and your channel is the most detailed and enchanting source of his insights I've seen so far.

Great video.