The Creator - Jungian Archetype Explained

When we find or create our real selves, we also connect with the universe's creative power. This helps us understand our role in making things.

James Hillman called this "Soulmaking." As we shape our own souls, we also help shape the world's soul. So, by creating our lives, we're helping to create the universe.

The Creator Archetype

The Creator archetype can be summarized with the following characteristics:

Goal: To create a life, work, or new reality of any kind

Fear: Being fake, creating something bad, or not having enough imagination

Response to Dragon/Problem: Accept that the problem is part of you and what you've created; be willing to create a new reality

Task: Create yourself and accept who you are

Gift: Creativity, knowing who you are, finding your purpose

Creativity

But it's our souls, not our egos, that create our lives. For example, our souls might choose to go through sickness or loss to learn deeper wisdom. Our egos, which want us to stay healthy and successful, feel bad when this happens. On the other hand, our souls feel bad when our egos focus only on safety and status.

Many modern thinkers say our surroundings shape us. But some New Age leaders believe that deep down, we choose everything that happens to us. They say we can create our own lives, including our health, by understanding our unconscious thoughts. In other words, we can make our ego and soul work together instead of against each other.

The more we connect with our souls and the natural order of the universe, the more we can tap into our creative and transformative side. Hugh Prather says we don’t even need to believe we have this power—we just need to imagine it, and it will come. The key is to see that the universe’s creative source is not separate from us. We are part of it, so we help create our lives with God and each other. Realizing this can be very empowering.

We can do this by imagining the future we want. In Wishcraft: How to Get What You Really Want, Barbara Sher says it’s important to have a clear vision of your ideal life. This vision should be specific and match your true self. If it doesn’t, it might just be a daydream. For example, if you’re 40 and have never danced, dreaming of becoming a professional ballerina isn’t realistic.

A positive and realistic vision helps us enjoy life now and make our dreams come true. When a group shares and supports your vision, it’s even more powerful. But the most important thing is that your vision matches who you really are and what your life should be about.

Conditioning and the Shadow Creator

Even if we are true to ourselves, most of us are still limited by our upbringing, society’s rules, and natural laws. If we haven’t explored our inner selves or developed a strong ego and soul connection, we aren’t creating our lives on purpose. We feel like life is happening to us, shaped by our surroundings. This is the shadow Creator—creating without knowing or taking responsibility for what we’re making.

Not all feelings of powerlessness come from the shadow Creator. Sometimes, we really aren’t in control, like in unfair social systems or dysfunctional families. And while you might have chosen to break a law and go to jail, you didn’t create the prison system! Much of our lives are created by groups, not just by us alone.

How much piecin’ a quilt is like livin’ a life.... The Lord sends us the pieces; we can cut ’em out and put ’em together pretty much to suit ourselves. —Eliza Calvert Hall, Aunt Jane of Kentucky

Even if most of our life is given to us, we still have a unique way of putting it together if we’re aware. In the 19th century, people talked about life being predestined, but it’s the same idea—balancing what we create and what is created for us.

Beyond Self-Improvement

Whether or not we fully create our lives, we are responsible for using the power we do have. This power varies based on our social and economic situation and how much we’ve grown psychologically and spiritually.

Creativity is key to living well. We all create our lives through the choices we make, even if those choices are limited. Some choices feel free, and some feel like they choose us. But either way, we shape our lives by how we live.

Our imagination helps us find meaning and beauty in life. That’s why James Hillman says we’re alive or dead based on the state of our souls. The boredom and disconnection in modern life come from not using our imagination enough.

Imagination helps us see the world in an artistic way. Great artists and writers show us how to find beauty and meaning even in terrible things, like in Sophocles’ plays about incest and murder.

Transformative ideas often help us see the beauty or importance in our lives or others’. Archetypal psychologists might find the myth or archetype behind an experience, even a bad one. Good friends see value not just in our successes but in our efforts, even when we fail. The artist in us sees the true self beneath the surface and shows it to us. These truths are always meaningful, beautiful, and touching.

Creating a life means accepting our experiences honestly, without denying them, and seeing them as valuable. This means accepting your life, body, mind, and even your flaws as right for you. It means recognizing your own kind of beauty, whether in your body, mind, or character.

In our culture, it’s hard to feel what you feel and think what you think without worrying about what you’re “supposed” to feel or think. We live in a society that values self-improvement, so we judge ourselves constantly: Is this good? Is this bad? Is this manly enough? Is this feminine enough? What will others think? Just being yourself can feel rebellious and scary. When the Creator archetype becomes active, we often feel both excited and afraid.

In innocence, we learn to fit into the world as it is, starting with our family and then schools, work, and community. We take on roles and are defined by them.

But when our soul is reborn, we start being honest and true to ourselves wherever we are. This process can be painful. As our true selves emerge, the world might not know how to react, and we might not be graceful about it at first.

Becoming co-creators of our world takes real courage. This isn’t the courage of a warrior with weapons; it’s the courage to be vulnerable, open, and true to yourself, knowing who you are and what you’re doing.

Heroes often end up being true to themselves and loved by others, but only after they’ve shown the courage and imagination to shape the world to fit them. Thoreau said we should “cast our whole vote” by living the life we believe in. This is how the world changes: through all the big and small decisions each of us makes.

Inner Listening

Some choices we make on purpose, some without thinking, and some feel like discoveries. Listening to our inner wisdom is one of the most important skills we have. Some people do this through prayer or meditation, others by walking or gardening. Many discover their thoughts and feelings through art, like writing, painting, or making pottery.

People who think they’re not creative or can’t listen to their inner voice haven’t learned how yet. They might have learned to ignore their imagination early on. Not everyone draws or writes, but everyone dreams, fantasizes, and doodles. These are natural ways our imagination works.

When we stop trying to control our imagination and let it flow, we find our inner wisdom. If we’re honest, we can see when what we think we want doesn’t match what we’re actually creating.

For example, I might think I want to be friends with someone, but I never make time for them and even offend them. Maybe deep down, I don’t want the friendship as it is, and I’m creating a situation to change or end it.

Our ego often stops our natural creativity by judging and censoring it. The ego, especially when it’s focused on success, doesn’t want us to create unless we’re “good at it.” But our soul only cares if our creations are true and beautiful. If what we create comes from our soul, it will be beautiful.

Stages of Creation

At first, we create without knowing it. When things go wrong, we blame circumstances. If someone says we’re creating our lives, it sounds like they’re blaming us. We don’t understand the difference between what our ego wants and what our soul needs, and we can’t imagine taking responsibility without feeling guilty.

Next, we try to control our lives with our ego. We work hard to do the right things and get what we want. It’s a struggle, but we keep trying and feel proud of our successes.

But after experiencing loss and love, we become humble and realize we can’t control everything. We learn to trust our imagination and let our soul guide us. Our soul wants us to grow, even if it means pain and suffering. We might wish it were easier and that our conscious mind had more say.

Creating only with the ego or only with the soul isn’t enough. The ego’s way is like a warrior’s—full of struggle. The soul’s way can ignore practical things like money or how others feel. We need both.

After trying both ways, we learn to listen to both our ego and soul. Maybe this is what Jesus meant when he said to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s. At the highest level, our ego and soul work together perfectly, so we can have spiritual depth and success in life, work, and love.

Levels of the Creator

Your inner levels of the Creator archetype go through the following stages:

Shadow: Creating bad situations or limiting yourself; being obsessed with creating or working too much

Call: Daydreams, fantasies, images, or flashes of inspiration

Level One: Being open to visions, images, hunches, or inspiration

Level Two: Knowing what you really want to have, do, or create

Level Three: Trying to create what you imagine and letting your dreams come true

We need to be true to our deepest self and let that shape our lives. But we also need our ego to protect that truth and make sure it’s not harmed.

The highest level of creation, where we can choose everything that happens, is rare. It requires our ego and soul to be completely in sync. Most of us just try to use the power we have to guide our lives.

Creation and Consciousness

We all help create the world, just like plants, animals, and stars do. Everything alive helps the universe evolve by existing. We create our world all the time; the key is to do it on purpose.

James Lovelock’s book The Ages of Gaia says the earth is a living system that regulates itself, but he doesn’t say it has consciousness. Other cultures, like Native Americans, believe the earth is conscious. Jean Houston says humans are the earth’s way of being aware.

Different cultures have different beliefs, but they all agree that humans have consciousness and can create in special ways. We create by naming things and using language to shape our thoughts.

How we see and describe the world creates meaning. Psychologists know that people can get stuck in old ways of seeing things. For example, if someone was hurt as a child, they might always see themselves as a victim and others as threats. They might not notice anything that doesn’t fit this pattern, and their actions keep the pattern going.

Therapists help people break free from these patterns. The power of naming is strong. When I was a professor, I asked three students to redo a paper. One felt like a victim, another planned how to fix it, and the third didn’t seem to care but did it to please me. Their reactions showed how much our stories shape us.

Consciousness helps us escape these stories so we can write our own. After learning from pain and love, our imagination can show us our true tasks in the world. With a strong ego, we can use skills to make our visions real. Without a soul, there’s no vision; without an ego, the vision won’t happen.

The Awakened Creator

When the Creator archetype is active, we feel a sense of destiny and a need to create a vision for our lives. It feels like if we don’t, we’ll lose our souls. It’s not about physical death but about our souls dying.

The Creator pushes us to be ourselves, even if it means giving up money, power, or status. Just like artists who must create, we feel driven to be true to ourselves, no matter the cost. Usually, people who are authentic don’t suffer for it—they often end up successful and loved. But to be true, you have to be willing to pay any price.

It’s also important to feel that there’s something you must do, something that’s your reason for being here. It could be a job, a contribution to society, loving certain people, healing, or learning a lesson. It’s about your growth.

Each of us has a part in solving the world’s problems and making it better. We know our part by what feels deeply right and fulfilling. We know it by what we love and what we hold onto when everything else falls apart.

The seed of God is in us.... Now the seed of a pear tree grows into a pear tree, a hazel seed into a hazel tree, the seed of God into God. —Meister Eckhart

If everyone who loves beauty created it, we’d live in a beautiful world. If everyone who loves cleanliness cleaned up, we’d live in a clean world. If everyone who wants to heal the sick did so, we’d be healthier. If everyone who cares about hunger acted, no one would be hungry.

If we trust that our inner wisdom is never wrong and that what we want to do is what we’re meant to do, we can make the world better. But this doesn’t mean our conscious mind knows everything. Few of us have a clear map. By trusting our process and doing what feels right moment by moment, we grow into who we’re meant to be.

Gods, Goddesses, and the Creative Process

Religions have many images of gods and goddesses as creators. The oldest image is the Goddess, who gave birth to the universe. Ancient art celebrated women’s power to give birth, create milk, and bleed without dying.

The Goddess’s son and lover were also worshiped, showing creation as joyful and pleasurable, like great sex. Imagine living in a culture where life is seen as full of joy and love!

Later, creation was seen as a mental process. In the Bible, God created the world by speaking, “Let there be light.” This is the power of words and understanding. Similarly, Athena was born from Zeus’s head.

If each of us has a god inside, what kind is it? If it’s like the Goddess, creation is like giving birth—starting with love but then letting go. If it’s like a crucified god, creation involves suffering until rebirth. If it’s like a king, it’s all about control.

It’s helpful to imagine your inner god or goddess to understand your creative process. We can also learn from artists about how to create a life.

Life as an Art Form

In A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, James Joyce sees the artist as a god, in control and detached. But Alice Walker says her characters asked her to write their story, and she felt strong emotions trying to do it justice.

When creating our lives, we can learn from both views: one about control and skill, the other about inspiration and feeling. The Muse, or inspiration, is key, but without skill, the result can be messy. Great art comes from both hard work and moments of inspiration.

In life, our ego learns the skills of living, while our soul opens us to inspiration through love and loss. Combining both can make our lives like great art.

Artists and mystics think like children, without preconceptions. Children are naturally creative, and we can be too if we let go of the past and future and live in the now.

Some people create spontaneously, like children, and that’s part of creation. But great art also needs maturity and skill.

Seeing and naming our potential is the first step to freedom. For some, creation is a mix of control and spontaneity. Sculptors often say they free a figure trapped in stone. Therapists and teachers help uncover a person’s true self.

This ability to see potential is powerful. When we discover who we really are—beyond fears, habits, and appearances—we can act in ways that help our souls grow. Then, we learn to live and work with style and grace to help others.

Some creative people focus on invention and experiments. They have a vision, try things, see what happens, and adjust. This feedback is important for everyone because if things don’t go as planned, we might need to change our vision.

While skill is important, the ego’s arrogance must be left behind. The artistic process can help us discover ourselves. We create not to be famous but to express who we are and to enjoy the process.

Creating a life isn’t about the end result but about enjoying the journey. You don’t have to be perfect to feel joy—the joy comes from creating.

The Dance of Ego and Soul

The best art shows us what it’s like when our soul and ego work together perfectly, like dancers in sync. Creation doesn’t have to be hard; it can feel like dancing.

But creating only from the soul can be dangerous because the soul doesn’t care about the body’s needs. The ego needs to step in to keep us healthy. In the movie Amadeus, Mozart created beautiful music from his soul but ignored his health and died young.

Many of us have too many ideas and end up overwhelmed. Instead of doing more, we need to do less and focus on what’s important.

O body swayed to music, O brightening glance, How can we know the dancer from the dance? —William Butler Yeats

If we think of creation as a dance, we see that we need a healthy body, mind, and heart. A dancer needs a strong body to dance well, and the best dancing happens when the dancer feels like they’re being danced by the music or their soul. With a well-balanced ego and soul, creation is joyful, not painful.

When we experience this joy, we’re ready to bring our gifts back to the world and help transform it. To do this, we need to understand that we are the rulers of our own lives.

Exercises

Think about when, where, how, and how much the Creator shows up in your life.

1. How much or how little does the Creator appear in your life? Was it more in the past or now? Do you see it more in the future? Does it show up more at work, home, with friends, or in dreams?

2. Who are some friends, family, or coworkers who seem to have the Creator archetype?

3. Is there anything you wish were different about how the Creator appears in your life?

4. Since each archetype can appear in many ways, take some time to describe or show (e.g., draw, make a collage, use a picture of yourself in a certain pose) how the Creator is or could be in your life. What does it look like? How does it act? Where does it feel most comfortable?

Daydreams

Imagine a perfect day, hour, or week in the future when you’re doing everything you love. Picture the place, the people, and what you’re doing. Imagine how you look, what you’re wearing, and how you feel. Be specific and include details like what you see, feel, taste, smell, and hear.

Imagine you have a magic wand and can change anything in the world for yourself and others. Let yourself dream about what you’d change, and watch how it affects things. Take time to enjoy your successes and think about any mistakes.

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