The Act of Helping Others and the Archetype of the Knight

I frequently reference archetype work within my blogposts. I think of archetypes as universal energies that we can focus on and bring into our lives to help us navigate life's twists and turns. This week, I'm wanting to focus on my recent experience with exploring the archetype of The Knight.

Think about all the references of The Knight within our society. We see it everywhere, from Batman to dating. King Arthur and the round table. People looking on the horizon for their "knight in shining armor." Talks of chivalry. Someone taking a stand for their faith. Someone taking a stand for someone else. Someone taking a stand for change.

But what exactly is The Knight archetype?

When I think of this archetype, I imagine someone willing and ready to lay down their own purposes, energies, or lives to support a cause. Someone willing to tap into the energy of helping others to bring about change. It's selfless. Caring. Courageous. Driven. It's someone ready to channel their own passion and energy towards some greater purpose.

In the world of tarot, I have always associated knights with the element of fire. And fire is certainly something that plays into the archetype of The Knight. It's an archetype of enflamed passion. It's an archetype of fiery purpose. It's an archetype of blazing forward.

It's an archetype within all of us.

I appreciate Kim Krans' interpretation of The Knight archetype (she refers to it as The Warrior). She defines The Knight as standing "precariously at the edge of life and death, trusting the eternal to guide the sword's blade."

So wait--- The Knight demands life/death situations? No.

This archetype doesn't necessarily mean life/death in a physical sense, but more of a figurative analogy: oftentimes, something must die for The Knight's journey to be completed. What must die? Your time. Your energy. Your sleep schedule. Your work schedule. Your plans. Rigid rules. Expectations. Societal standards. What you thought you knew about yourself. What you thought you knew about someone else. What you thought you knew about the world.

When we experience a run in with The Knight, we are often left inspired by humanity and the experience of helping others. I remember one time when Jamie and I were in a line at a candle store in a mall in Florida, and a woman in front of us had a gift card that she was using. Upon realizing she would still have some funds left over on the card, she turned around and told the clerk she wanted to use the rest to buy the candle in our hands. We ended up paying nothing for that candle. We talked the rest of the day about how inspirational this was--- a simple act of helping someone buy a candle suddenly lit a blazing fire of inspiration and connection. That woman tapped into The Knight archetype and gave up her gift card balance in order to pass some good energy on to two strangers she didn't even know.

And that is the nature of a run in with The Knight. It leaves you feeling connected, inspired, and enlightened, whether you are the giver, the receiver, or the onlooker. The Knight has a way of bringing fire and energy and inspiration into the lives of all who come in contact with them.

Kim Krans also brings up another piece of The Knight archetype: The Knight's work "requires presence, alignment, and purpose." This is necessary. If The Knight loses any of this, it is suddenly left stranded, it's action tarnished, bent, or broken. Why does presence, alignment, and purpose matter?

When I think of presence, I think of the occurrence of being in a certain place at a certain time. We've all experienced this. Your path just happened to cross the path of another at just the right time. Maybe you even said "That's crazy that we just happened to run into each other."

When I think of alignment, I think of a calling. A calling to action. When in alignment with you and your energy, it will feel right to sacrifice for someone else in that moment. Who does the calling? Depends on your belief structure. Maybe you call it Karma. The Universe. Great Spirit. Jesus. Allah. Gaia. God of the Forest. Goddess. God. Ancient Ones. Powers that be. Coincidence.

But one way or the other, you feel that it aligned with your life. You feel The Knight awakening.

When I think of purpose, I think of knowing what you need to do. You see the goal. You see the action needed. You see the reason. To help someone buy a candle. To help someone get to the ER. To pay it forward. To help the person's wallet get back to the individual. To help bring about awareness for societal change. To help make the world a better place. To be the change you want to see in the world.

Think about if one of those pieces are lacking. Without presence, you never see the circumstances around you that need The Knight. Without alignment, The Knight never awakens--- it never feels right. Without purpose, The Knight never knows where to send the energy of change. Their weapon flails and swings without purpose and without calling. The energy is wasted.

At the beginning of this week, I was struggling with understanding how The Knight functions within my own life. I struggled to find an understanding of what it even means to tap into this archetype, and how to tap into the presence, alignment, and purpose. But then events happened on Tuesday that spiraled me into the world of witnessing The Knight, feeling The Knight, and ultimately, experiencing The Knight. The presence was undeniable. The alignment was obvious. The purpose was clear. The fire caught within my soul. And then I saw it continue to spread through an entire group of people, all of us feeling The Knight, all of us passing on the energy of The Knight.

When The Knight comes into our lives, we know it. We feel the pull. Then it becomes important to honor the archetype. Acknowledge the presence. Answer to the alignment. Establish the purpose. Allow the sacrifice to happen. Give up your time. Abandon your plans. Let go of who you thought you were.

And you will feel your soul become inflamed, capturing the fire of The Knight. The alignment will feel beautiful. And all around will feel the inspiration of The Knight, leaving you awe-inspired, connected, and amazed at the beauty of life, love, and humanity. And it will spread. Others will feel the energy. Other people will experience The Knight waking up within their own lives. The fire of passion and empowerment and connection will burn. The fire of passion and empowerment and connection will spread.

We need more of that in the world right now.

We need more of The Knight.