The Sovereign Archetype (more about what makes a Man a King!)
The King in a man has a rich masculine identity which has been achieved by building his inner masculine structures, and by appreciating and valuing his inner feminine. He knows that his masculinity can only be whole and sacred and safe to the extent that he has a sacred marriage with his queen, whether his Queen in person, or his inner Queen, his Anima.
He will do the shadow work that is necessary to heal wounds suffered by him at the hands of the feminine, because he knows that full generativity, both in his spiritual life and in his biological life, is only possible when masculine and feminine energies are fully united and working together.
He is comfortable with his sexuality, and he is eager for and intimate relationship with a partner who is just as adept at intimacy as he is. If they procreate and produce children, he will support those children; if not, then the energy of the King and the Queen may combine in other subtle and noticeably creative ways.
The Sovereign is a protector, a provider, a procreater, a centre for world building, a catalyst for fulfilling the vision of the kingdom. In short he is an axis mundi around which others rally. At his centre he is unassailable, and provides stability to his world, and to others who come looking for order in themselves.
Based on a passage in The King Within, by R. Moore and D. Gillette, pages 151 – 155. Moore and Gillette referred to the “Generative Man”, rather than the Sovereign, but they were describing the characteristics of the mature masculine, the King in His Fullness. You can read more about this in Rod Boothroyd’s book, Finding the King Within.
The Wounds Of The Sovereign Archetype
The wound of the Sovereign quarter is all about not being good enough. And believing we are not good enough keeps us from fully experiencing our Sovereign power (see a video on this); instead we keep it in shadow. Marianne Williamson said, “Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, it is that we are powerful beyond measure”.
But the irony of this statement is that so few of us understand how powerful we are. And how indeed could you know about your power if you’ve never touched it, felt it or experienced it, especially if you were not blessed with a male role model who was a generative man, a King in his fullness, or with fathering adequate to show you or teach you how to embody your innate wisdom and power?
Sadly, not knowing their power, many people go through life unfulfilled and unhappy, with no mission or vision to guide them and support them. “You are not good enough” is a message we get from childhood in a million different ways, delivered directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, and it usually comes from parents and caregivers who themselves have no sense of being good enough, or have low self-esteem, or who have never touched their power in a healthy and wholesome way. Read more about the resources available to men who wish to embrace their shadow.
Men and women who received this “not good enough” message may never strive for greatness, never see themselves as capable of achieving greatness, and may live small lives, abdicating their greatness and their power, becoming unthinking followers of others, cannon fodder for the tyranny and shadowy visions of false Kings.
Yet we are all born with Sovereign energy, and even if it’s repressed and denied into shadow, it retains a power and energy. Then, it may come out as an inflated grandiosity, or a false immature kingship which hides the pain of isolation and vulnerability.
It may come out as petty tyranny, the small-minded dictator who seeks to control others without their consent. It may show up as King Killing behaviour. And it may come out as passivity, a deflated Sovereign energy that speaks of a man’s low self-esteem and low belief in his capacity to impact the world around him.
This is a tragedy at all ages, for Sovereign energy needs to begin to develop in a man’s 30s and 40s so that he is ready for a transition into full Kingship and Elderhood when he can no longer be a Warrior in the world. What to do about this? Well, shadow work is a great way to overcome limitations in the Queen or King archetype and integrate the wholesome energy of the King or Queen back into the psyche.
The King in his fullness, and the Queen in her fullness, always have a vision and mission to give them purpose. In many ways the values of Elderhood, of joy and blessing, of acceptance and tolerance, of wisdom, of mentorship – and more – are the values of the King and Queen in their fullness.
For many male elders, mentoring younger men can be a meaningful mission and purpose in later years. Yet in my work I see many men over 50 who seem to be struggling to understand the concept of Sovereign energy, to touch their power; part of this struggle seems to be that they have no mission or vision in the world.
No wonder MKP places such emphasis on the power of vision and mission in men’s lives! For the Sovereign in his fullness requires a vision for his kingdom, underpinned by a mission of service in the world.
And when he steps down from the Way of the Warrior, perhaps to give way to younger men, he needs a mission of service to support him emotionally, spiritually, and perhaps even physically, so that he feels purposeful and fulfilled.
That way, when he becomes aware of his impending death, he can say “I made a difference. My presence on the earth made a difference. My existence was worthwhile. I am fulfilled.”