Rulers and Magicians want to control things and fix problems. Sages don’t care about that. They just want to figure out how the world works. Their journey is about finding the truth—about themselves, the world, and everything else. At its best, this isn’t just about knowing facts but about getting wise. The Sage in us believes that understanding the truth can make us free.
The Sage Archetype
The Sage archetype can be summarized with the following characteristics:
Goal: Truth, understanding
Fear: Deception, illusion
Response to Dragon/Problem: Study, understand, or transcend it
Task: Attainment of knowledge, wisdom, enlightenment
Gift: Skepticism, wisdom, nonattachment
Every day, Sages ask, “What’s really true here?” They’re like detectives looking for what’s real. Doctors and therapists need this to figure out what’s wrong with people and how to help them. Managers and consultants use it to find out what’s really going on in a business. Scholars spend their lives hunting for new knowledge, which is a big Sage thing.
One of the best moments in life is when everything suddenly makes sense. It’s like when someone who drinks too much finally sees they need help, or when a guy realizes he’s been too selfish to love anyone. These moments show us how our ego—our idea of who we are—holds us back. The Sage helps us drop that ego and find a bigger truth. Facing these truths makes us feel strong but also small.
Sage as Sleuth
The Sage’s job is like solving a big puzzle. They look for clues to understand life’s mysteries—about themselves, others, or the universe. But if we’re too stuck in our own heads, we might miss what the Sage is saying. Sages often share truth through tricky stories, riddles, or pictures, like wise teachers or poets do.
There are lots of ways to find truth, and the Sage picks the best one for each problem. That’s why school teaches us different ways to learn about science, art, or religion. We also figure out how our own brains work and how to use them to learn better.
Sages know that how you search for truth changes what you find. It’s tough to see things clearly because our own thoughts and feelings get in the way. The Sage works hard to care more about truth than about being right.
As we grow, we see that we don’t always get things as they really are. We’re stuck in our own way of looking at stuff. Therapy can help us break free and really feel things.
People who search for spiritual truth try hard to get past their ego and feel what’s real. It’s not easy, though. Many traditions, like Yoga or Sufism, say to take it slow so our minds don’t freak out.
In meditation, the Sage is the part of us that watches our thoughts and feelings without jumping in. This helps us see we’re not just our thoughts or emotions, so we don’t have to follow every fear or want. Sometimes, it even lets us feel something deeper than our regular mind.
These practices help us touch more truth—about the world, ourselves, or something bigger. But first, we have to admit we see everything through our own eyes. We can’t see past ourselves until we know our own limits. That’s why we need our own journey to figure out who we are.
So far, the journey has been about finding our own truth and sharing it. Now, the Sage looks for truths bigger than just us.
In meditation, the Sage is the part of us that watches our thoughts, feelings, and wants without getting caught up.
Once on a radio show, I talked about how heroes find their own truth. A guy called in and said he didn’t want “his truth”—he wanted “The Truth.” That’s what the Sage in us all wants. Young or simple Sages think it’s easy: just find a good teacher or belief and stick to it. Like a bumper sticker that says, “God said it. I believe it. That’s it.”
But as the Sage grows, truth gets trickier. Sages learn to stay humble because they know they only see a tiny piece of the puzzle. We’re all just small parts of something huge, and no one can see it all.
Stages of the Journey
William Perry made a plan with nine steps to show how college kids learn to think. It’s a good way to see how the Sage grows. In the first two steps, called “dualism,” we want one big Truth, and we think we can find it. We believe some answers are right and others are wrong, and we trust grown-ups to tell us what’s what.
Levels of the Sage
Your inner levels of the Sage archetype go through the following stages:
Shadow: Cut off, unfeeling, "ivory tower," "above it all"; critical, judging, or pompous behaviors and attitudes
Call: Confusion, doubt, deep desire to find the truth
Level One: Search for "the Truth" and for objectivity
Level Two: Skepticism, awareness of multiplicity and complexity of truth, all truth seen as relative; acceptance of subjectivity as part of the human condition
Level Three: Experience of ultimate truth or truths; wisdom
If we keep looking, we notice that smart people don’t always agree. We might learn this in school, from TV, or when our parents fight. Soon, most of us figure out there might not be one true answer. At Perry’s steps three and four, we might think everyone’s truth is equal, or we just try to tell grown-ups what they want to hear.
If we’re scared, we might grab a new “truth” and hold on tight until that gets shaky too. Like, kids who stop believing in God might start believing in politics just as hard. But then that belief might break too.
If we keep going, we realize there’s no one perfect truth. This is tough, and not many people can let go of wanting a big Truth. When we do, we see that what’s true depends on the situation. At Perry’s step five, we get that some answers are better than others, but not because they’re perfect—just because they fit better.
Now we see that someone from another place has their own way of looking at things, and that’s okay. We judge a book by what the writer meant and when it was written, not some fixed rule. We see that lots of religions might have some truth, and we figure out what feels right to us.
In Perry’s last steps—six, seven, eight, and nine—we wrestle with how to pick something when everything depends. At step six, we see we can choose for ourselves even if there’s no one truth. We might pick a job, a partner, or a spiritual way because it fits us, not because it’s best for everyone. We’re cool with others choosing differently.
At step seven, we start choosing. At step eight, we feel what it’s like to live that choice—like being in a certain job or with a certain person. We might try a few things before sticking with one. By step nine, we make solid choices, but we also see that choosing itself lets us be ourselves in a world where truth shifts.
A Final Stage
I think there’s one more step after Perry’s plan, one that comes later in life. It’s about looking for big truth again, but in a spiritual way. Jung said this is for older folks, not kids. Now, searching for forever truths is different because we know how hard it is to see past ourselves.
We learn about this from wise teachers. In Sufism, a spiritual way, they say real truth isn’t far or hard—it just feels that way because we don’t see our own blind spots.
Sufis say figuring out that truth changes is the brain’s biggest job. But there’s more. We need to watch our thoughts and feelings without holding on to them. This shows us we’re not our thoughts or emotions. When we don’t need the world to be a certain way, we can feel real truth—but it’s a truth you live, not one you measure.
Idries Shah says our smart thoughts are just ideas that take over our heads. So, thinking alone isn’t enough, and neither are feelings, because they’re tied to what we want. In Sufism, there’s a “true mind” in everyone that lets us feel connected to everything—a kind of love that ties us to all.
But the Sage says we don’t get there by ditching our brains. First, we have to grow our minds and hearts as much as we can. We need to see that truth shifts with both our heads and our feelings. Only then can we let go and open up to something new. It’s when we know we can’t be sure of anything because we’re stuck in our own view that we can stop trying so hard and let truth come to us.
At some point, the Sage stops chasing facts and gets wise. That’s what this path is about. The Sage also says we can’t be free until we let go of fake ideas and wants and line up with truth. Sages don’t fight what’s real—they try to understand it more.
This wisdom shows up in books like The Tao of Leadership by John Heider, which says we should live with what’s true instead of fighting it. It’s also in ideas about being real with ourselves—our hopes, fears, and weak spots. If we pretend to be something we’re not, we won’t get wise.
The Sage says we can’t be free until we let go of fake ideas and wants and line up with truth.
The problem isn’t that big truth isn’t there—it’s that we’re not ready for it. Like a camera needs to be good to snap a great sunset, we need to grow our minds, hearts, and souls to see what’s real. That’s why Socrates said, “Know yourself.” If we don’t get how we see things, we’ll always twist the truth.
We need each other because alone, we only see our own side. When the Warrior in us is strong, we might argue over our truths. But when the Sage is strong, we listen and put together a bigger picture.
Beyond that, feeling truth past our five senses is a gift. We can’t force it—we can only get ready and wait. Great Sages know that new ideas and real truth come like surprises.
The Negative Sage
When the Sage goes wrong, we feel cut off from everything. Stuff happens around us or inside us, but we don’t connect to it. We notice things, but we don’t feel them. We’re numb.
We’re so into not needing anything that we can’t stick with people, projects, or ideas. We might think this makes us free, but really, we’re just too afraid to care.
The bad Sage gets hooked on being perfect and right and can’t handle normal feelings or mistakes. This Sage might be super hard on themselves or others, always pointing out what’s wrong. Nothing’s ever good enough.
Or, the bad Sage gets lost because truth changes so much they can’t decide anything. They think, “How can I do anything if I don’t know what’s true?” They can’t pick a partner or a job because they’re not sure it’s right. This can make them bitter because they see flaws everywhere.
The bad Sage gets hooked on being perfect and right and can’t handle normal feelings or mistakes.
When this Sage takes over, we overthink everything, trying to solve it all with logic. If we can’t, we freeze. Since most big choices in life aren’t just logic, this thinking goes nowhere.
Bad Sages also try to make life less mysterious by sticking to one way of seeing things. In school, some get mad if you don’t use science for everything. They don’t see how their own ideas twist their work. In spiritual stuff, some ditch thinking and just feel, shutting off their brains.
Bad Sages want to control knowledge so it doesn’t scare them. They only like the way they learn best and use it to feel better than others.
Their goal isn’t wisdom—it’s judging people. They think their truth is the only one and guard it from anyone who disagrees. This makes them defensive instead of open.
When we’re stuck here, we feel cold, empty, and attacked by others. We might feel misunderstood, like people see us as stubborn. We might feel above others but not get why they don’t agree. Sometimes, we feel sorry for ourselves, thinking we’re protecting truth while others ruin it.
The Sage and Freedom from Attachment
The Sage’s biggest win is being free from needing things or believing in fake stuff. When we’re too tied to people, ideas, or habits, we can’t see straight. If I think I need someone to be happy, I only see them through that need. If they leave, it hurts bad.
This goes for anything we cling to. If it’s gone, we’re miserable. Buddhism says needing things and wanting them too much is why we hurt. We think we need stuff to be okay, and when it’s not, we break.
The Sage learns to not need things so much. Ken Keyes, in The Handbook of Higher Consciousness, says to turn “I need this” into “I’d like this.” It’s not about not wanting anything—it’s about not falling apart if you don’t get it. You might want a partner, a job, health, or money.
But if your partner leaves, you lose your job, you get sick, or you’re broke, it’s fine—not your favorite, but okay. In Addiction and Grace, Gerald May says we can’t totally free ourselves from needing things alone. When we see we’re stuck, it’s a chance to let something bigger help us. Ken Keyes says watching ourselves helps us see how needing things hurts us so we can let go.
If we care too much about what people think, success, or anything working out, we’re not free, and we’ll hurt. The only way to real freedom and happiness is to stop controlling everything and trust something wiser. For some, that’s God. In Twelve-Step programs, it’s a higher power. In psychology, it’s your deeper smarts.
This doesn’t mean stop wanting stuff. Actually, if you try not needing things before you’ve learned to care about people or work, you’ll just feel empty and sad.
But once you’ve learned to care, loving without needing things to go your way sets you free. You can love someone without making them stay if it’s not right for them. You can work hard without breaking if it fails. You can share your thoughts, knowing you might change your mind later.
In the end, we even let go of needing to hurt. Pain teaches us to trust and let go, but lots of people think hurting is good or needed. They think it’s wrong to feel too good or that success has to be hard.
When we stop fighting life and go with it, we don’t need pain anymore. Shirley Luthman says when we let ourselves love, be loved, and create, and stop forcing ourselves into stuff that doesn’t fit, freedom and joy can be normal.
This big letting go into happiness and ease gets us ready for the Fool’s wisdom.
Exercises
Think about when, where, how, and how much the Sage shows up in your life.
- How much or how little is the Sage expressed in your life? Has it been more in the past or present? Do you see it coming out more in the future? Is it more at work, at home, with friends, or in dreams and fantasies?
- Who are some friends, relatives, co-workers, or others who seem to have the Sage archetype?
- Is there anything you wish were different about how the Sage shows up in your life?
- Since each archetype can show up in many ways, take some time to describe or show (e.g., draw, make a collage, use a picture of yourself in a costume or pose) the Sage as it is or could be in your life. What does or would it look like? How does or would it act? Where does or would it feel most comfortable?
Daydream
Picture yourself with a younger person who thinks you’re really wise. Imagine how you meet them and why they look up to you. In your mind, hang out with them, sharing what they want to know about life. Notice how it feels to be the wiser, older guide.
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