Psychedelics, and all drugs for that matter, are saturated with power. A single drop of LSD can send you on a twelve-hour voyage, a dusting of MDMA crystals can heal trauma, and trace amounts of fentanyl can kill.
Because of this, being in close proximity to this power also contains certain archetypal qualities. Archetypes, as Jung noted, are also crystallizations of power, which, also like drugs, can just as easily expand and enliven the psyche as they can overtake and consume it. Jung calls this phenomenon “archetypal possession.”
According to Jung, this occurs when the archetype unconsciously “seizes hold of the psyche with a kind of primeval force and compels it to transgress the bounds of humanity. The consequence is a puffed-up attitude (inflation), loss of free will, delusion and enthusiasm for good and evil alike. This is the reason why men have always needed demons and cannot live without gods…”
We all have seen instances of archetypal possession. Celebrities going off the rails, high on their own self-importance. Tyrannical leaders becoming even more unhinged as the walls close in. Religious fundamentalists on fire with manic zeal. We can also see archetypal possession orbit close to our own lives: a relationship dynamic that oscillates between fiery passion and toxic disdain, an inexplicable phobia or obsession, or anything that causes us to act beyond our control. All are signs that some archetypal force is inhabiting the psyche.
In the field of psychotherapy, watching one’s own ego inflation *ideally* becomes a constant practice. Being able to laugh at oneself, see parts of oneself as ridiculous, and maintain a sense of humor about one’s own life and work can be a powerful way to counter self-inflation. For many therapists and psychedelic practitioners, myself included, this often looks like a refreshingly dark sense of humor in a world that has the potential to drown you in grief and trauma.
As more people begin flocking to the field of psychedelics, the risk of inflation is even greater, as psychedelics put one in exceedingly close proximity with this very same power.
This is first in a series of three articles that will highlight various archetypes that I have observed in certain “psychedelic personas” over the years. Each article will highlight two expressions of an archetype that is really one, like two sides of the same archetypal coin.
Many of these archetypes I have seen embodied in real people working in the psychedelic world, while others are more amorphous energies I’ve felt. Just like the illuminated face and perpetually dark side of the moon, each archetype has two sides: a mature or integrated form, and an unintegrated or shadow form, resulting in six total. You may find these archetypes resonating in yourself, or you may see them in others. We are not defined by them; we simply need to be aware of them.
Let’s begin.
The Guru vs. the Sovereign
Terence McKenna famously said, “Avoid gurus. Follow plants.”
Although figures like Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert (Ram Dass) certainly flirted with guru energy, the “guru” archetype has certainly been around since well before the wild days of the 1960s. Yet unlike these early pioneers of psychedelic counterculture, who put their lives and careers on the line, the current field of psychedelics has the potential to become awash with people drunk on their own power, and possibly still tripping from the night before.
I once saw a friend who owns a psychedelic retreat center in Mexico post an ad looking for qualified facilitators. After listing the job qualifications, the ad said, “No guru complexes!” I couldn’t help but laugh.
The Guru is the shadow of the archetype of the Sovereign.
In its integrated form, the Sovereign—the Emperor and Empress cards in the tarot—is an archetype of abundance, fertility, wealth, care, support, family, safety, celebration, and blessing. The Sovereign archetype flows from our inner authority, located at the very center of the psyche, what Jung called the Self. The Sovereign is the embodiment of right relationship to power, and to other people. Like a loving parent or attentive mentor, the Sovereign watches over their realm with love and care.
The Guru, on the other hand, forces the world to conform to their will—a vision to which they are committed despite whatever harm may come in its wake. In the context of psychedelic healing, this can play out directly with clients or collaborators. This archetype can also manifest through the space where the actual work occurs. Is there a special lofty seat that the leader always needs to be in? Is there a lack of flexibility in terms of who can speak or contribute to a space? Are there certain unspoken rules, codes, or dogmas that permeate the environment? Are people vying for attention or praise from the leader? These are all signs that the Guru archetype may be present.
The Guru strongly believes that they know what is best for someone else. The Sovereign knows that within each person exists an inner healer, an emergent knowing that is directed toward wholeness, even if we don’t understand it. This is called the “inner healing intelligence,” a notion developed by Stanislav Grof and elaborated on by Michael and Annie Mithoefer in what is now the MAPS MDMA therapy training protocol and used across the world. The Guru mistakenly believes that they are the ones doing the healing. The Sovereign knows that given a safe, loving, and well-held container, they can empower people to heal themselves.
The embodied authority of the Sovereign recognizes that within each person lives another Sovereign—an inner authority that must be met in collaboration, not domination. The Sovereign archetype is about power with, not power over. In its integrated form, the archetype of the Sovereign, the King and the Queen, is highly relational. The Guru, the shadow King/Queen, or the Tyrant, is antirational and ultimately oppressive.
Jewish mystic and philosopher Martin Buber wrote about what he called the “I-Thou” relationship: a cornerstone of humanistic psychotherapy that sees the therapeutic relationship itself as an inherently loving, and therefore healing, force. Between two beings, wrote Buber, lives the divine. “Love is between I and Thou.… Love is the responsibility of an I for a Thou,” he said.
I always strive to approach my work with this “I-Thou” relationship in mind. For me, it means respect the fact that there is something much larger at play between me and my client. At the most foundational level, they are already whole. It is the job of the medicine, and at times the facilitator, to help people realize this fact.
This is an excerpt from my book, Psychedelics and the Soul: A Mythic Guide to Psychedelic Healing, Depth Psychology, and Cultural Repair, available Fall 2024.
If you liked this, please consider subscribing to, liking, and sharing this Substack.
Also, my books are opening up for the next few months and I have several spots available for 1:1 psychedelic integration and depth mentorship sessions. If you feel called to explore and understand your inner world on a deeper level, drop me a line.
I found this warm and rich Simon, I'm sharing widely, telling folks my guru wrote this about me.
You put names to things I’ve been struggling g to describe. Thank you!