The Sage Archetype

I’m going to place my research here on what I find in regards to the Sage archetype.  Part of my quest to understand the nature of the Sage is that I often see a lot of similarities between a Sage and a Mystic though quite honestly I think they are different.  Maybe similar goals, but definitely different ways of approaching the subject.

When I think of a Sage, I think of someone more subdued, with a quiet wisdom.  They understand the universe and their place in it.  They aren’t trying to force their viewpoint, they’d rather just share it to anyone who’d listen, but it won’t be forced.  I think they often try to find humor in dark times (a la’ Obi-Wan Kenobi) or they keep a level head in tough situations ( a la’ Kakashi Hatake from Naruto) or they have a great respect for people’s inner darknesses, often because they have traversed to understand their own ( a la’ Remus Lupin from Harry Potter).

However, I found an interesting article, which when I first read it, I thought it was a satire of what it meant to be a Sage, almost an attack on this title that I was so coveting and searching for.  But, the Universe decided there must have been something worth the article because I had a friend share the same exact link with me days later.  So, I read it…again and most begrudgingly.

What I realized is that, I think I held a Sage in such high regard, I missed the journey that one is often required to take ( even over multiple life-times, or multiple life-times worth of work).  You don’t just become a Sage over night.

From the article I learned:

• A sage is often a “wise fool”.  He, must like I was saying before, does understand his place in the Universe, and does have a sense of humor, which is often communicated with wit and wisdom.  In my case, I often share my thoughts with a sharp, sarcastic tongue, but the wisdom is still there.
• Another characteristic is that he is an actor, the world is his stage. Connor rightly pointed out that this is much like another Sage we know called Jiraya from Naruto.  This character is often comical, overly dramatic, but has a deep sense of wisdom as well.  I think this is more where I am at.  Maybe less polished, but I see similarities.
• What I found most interesting is that what turned me off to the article the first time, is what sparked my contemplative side the second time.  This article calls people like Miley Cyrus and Kim Jung Un (Baby) sages, while also putting them in leagues with Robin Williams and Whoopi Golderberg (Mature and Old Sage, respectively).  This really turned me off because, maybe in my humanness and ignorance I missed the point, but I don’t see people like Miley Cyrus a Sage.  Yes, she is comical, yes she has a certain dramatic flair, but how does that make her a Sage?  The thing is, is that this is why there are stages to being a Sage.  She might have budding wisdom (MIGHT), but its communicated through her art, through her career.  Where as, people like Robin Williams and Whoopi…well, they are more of the Sages I envision: deeper wisdom, less flair, a cutting sense of humor and wit.
• I used to want to be an actor for the longest time growing up.  I loved putting on plays for my parents, being other people and roles.  But it wasn’t because I didn’t like who I am, it was because I could communicate different energies and understanding through these characters I would play.  I gave up on that dream as  I got older, but I realized that that was the Sage in me trying to come out.  So I’d say, guessing, that I am more in the Mature Sage area.  And I think that’s why I idolize those who would be in the Old Sage, because that’s the next and last stage, but its probably the hardest leap.
• To get to that stage in my opinion requires a deep understanding of self. Their modulated speech is often layered with meaning if one will listen.  And I want to get to that point, and I think it will obviously take time.

So I learned with this article that there are Sage of all varieties and stages, and that was humbling.  It means that while I may be father along than some, there are those who are farther along than me.  And there is both humor and irony in that that is not lost on me.  It makes the Sage title something to be sought, but also something that shouldn’t be taken seriously at all.  And learning that balance for me will be tricky, but fun.