No matter what you do, think of yourself as the Chief Executive (CEO) of your life. I am referring to that part of you that consciously makes all your strategic decisions. Hopefully a Visionary Decision Making practice is helping you make the right moves at the right time.
Archetypes play a critical role in Visionary Decision Making. If you’re new to the concept, a couple of chapters in Great Decisions, Perfect Timing, will help. Archetypes are “patterns of thought or image that are collectively inherited and universally available to us via the unconscious” mind. You can connect with archetypes whenever you need support; more specifically when you need to make an important decision.
The Sovereign is an archetypal persona central to Visionary Decision Making. This is your inner ruler who makes sure that his or her decisions support or protect all the members of your realm – everyone you take care of or manage. As a leader, you are called upon to exercise authority and allocate resources so that everyone you are responsible for, including yourself, will benefit. The primary qualities of the Sovereign are wisdom, compassion, and responsibility.
In history, there are many instances of benevolent rulers – men and women – who supported the collective good, sometimes with great sacrifice. The Buddha abdicated his entire throne – with pleasures abounding – to resolve the problem of human suffering. King Solomon was invited by God to choose any power he wanted. Rather than taking more power, he chose to become the Wise Ruler/Elder, and became renowned for his enlightened decision-making.
When you invoke or channel an archetype, you are drawing from a realm of limitless power, so don’t let it go to your head. Those who get greedy for power run the risk of turning into petty tyrants or manipulators. As noted in my blog post on the Tragedy of the Commons, tyrants hoard power and try to put themselves above the law. My book shows how to invoke archetypes in such a way that you are siphoning the generative aspects of these powerful energies to inform your conscious mind and improve your decision-making.
When I was an entrepreneurial employer, consciously connecting with the Sovereign archetype helped me better run my startup company – a small “kingdom” that eventually included thirty employees and millions of members. I made a conscious daily effort to invoke the calm power of the Sovereign. Every morning I would recite an invocation like this: “Today I call upon the powers that be to help me do a good job taking care of my people.” I took this role seriously; in fact, I once mortgaged my home (hardly a palace) to make sure I could pay my people on payday!
My Builder stage is over, but I make strategic decisions as the director of the Divination Foundation during this new Patron stage of life. There are several people involved with Divination Foundation, and part of my “job” is to make sure that they – as well as my extended family – have all the support they need.
Never forget that you are the CEO of your own life. Connecting with your inner Sovereign will help you make the right moves at the right time in the most generous way.
