From Stereotype to Sacred
From Stereotype to Sacred: Reclaiming Black Archetypes
As we begin our work of transforming colonial narratives into Authenticated Black Archetypes, I invite you to consider what powerful archetypal energies you've seen reduced to stereotypes or caricatures in mainstream culture. At our Early Bird Cohort meeting last week, one desire was shared from a cohort member to reclaim the Madea archetype - the wise, no-nonsense matriarch figure that has been reduced to Tyler Perry's cartoonish characterization. This powerful example reminds us how archetypal energies that could serve as sources of wisdom and strength are often flattened, exaggerated, and stripped of their complexity and sacredness.
- Ar·che·type
- /ˈärk(ə)ˌtīp/
- noun
- a very typical example of a certain person or thing.
- "the book is a perfect archetype of the genre"
- an original that has been imitated. [BLACK folx are the BLUEPRINT! We are the Source]
- Ster·e·o·type
- /ˈsterēəˌtīp/
- noun
- a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.
- "the stereotype of the woman as the carer" [This is a copy of the source in bad-faith]
An example of a Black Archetype might be [The Preacher Man] [Mother] [Grand-Nana/Ma-Dear] [Bestie] [Teacher] ...each of these types hold lessons to learn, and lessons to teach us.
Your Reflection Invitation
Take a moment to consider:
- What Black archetypal figures have you seen reduced to stereotypes? Consider characters in media, historical figures, or cultural references that began as complex archetypal energies but became flattened caricatures.
- What is the authentic power in these archetypes that gets lost in the stereotype? Beneath the exaggeration or simplification, what wisdom, strength, or healing capacity exists in the original archetypal energy?
- What would it mean to reclaim this archetypal energy in its fullness? How might this archetype serve our community when honored in its complexity and power?
- How has this stereotype affected your own expression or suppression of this energy? Have you ever hidden aspects of yourself that might be associated with these stereotypes?
Sharing Your Reflections
If you feel moved to share your reflections on archetypes you wish to reclaim, please:
- Post in our Discord's #archetype-reclamation channel
- Bring your thoughts to our next gathering
- Email or direct message me on discord if you prefer a more private exchange
Your insights will help shape our collective work of transformation as we move forward.
Leaning into tropes can have us turning ourselves into sanitized, exaggerated characters that lose their meaning and power. Reclamation begins with recognizing what has been distorted and reduced, then breathing life back into its authentic expression.