The Lover

We continue with our new series of blogs looking at the Archetype’s. Here we explore The Lover. 

Can you find a love for life amidst its current challenges?

This year will always be remembered as the year the Coronavirus hit and disrupted all our lives.

By now, perhaps we all have a list of things we once took for granted.

Absence make the heart grow fonder and I now realise how much I love my family, social occasions, my freedom to travel and having fun with my friends and am slightly remorseful that perhaps I didn’t appreciate those things as much as I could have. I won’t make that mistake again.

So, perhaps the pandemic has provided us all with the precious gift of time to reflect on what we truly love and treasure?

Our appreciative consciousness is at the core of the Lover archetype. The Lover takes time and awakens in the “now moment” – from that point of view, our Lover is ever present, always available – just waiting to be stirred like Sleeping Beauty in the fairy story.

The Lover relishes time – to savour and enjoy the moment. So, instead of bolting down coffee before rushing out the door, I have relished the time to sip it on my balcony while allowing the morning birdsong to entertain me as I contemplate the flying geese and the crows squabbling in the trees along the river. My heart roused on the few occasions I even spotted a kingfisher.

One particular busy friend told me he has been able to recharge his batteries through working from home and, significantly, going on long walks with his wife has rekindled their romance.

Early morning bike rides into the city have been a revelation – hardly any traffic brought a sense of urban peace and high- quality air I had never experienced before. Wheeling freely along, I was able to gaze above the gaudy shop signs and notice much more of the exquisite architecture that is the legacy of London’s Victorian and Edwardian artisans.

I have greatly enjoyed the sheer luxury of diving into and losing myself in those books I’d been meaning to read but never found the time – without that nagging feeling that I “should” be doing something more useful.

I’ve also had time to savour, take pleasure and revel in music – all kinds of music – including the corny old staff I’d forgotten I loved – jumping and jiving around the living room like a 2-year old.

Years from now maybe we’ll look back on this strange time and remember it fondly – at least in part – as an unexpected chance to reconnect with the Lover – an awareness of life’s beauty and moment- to- moment qualities.

Above all, as I scan the news, I’m aware of how fortunate I am when so many are experiencing suffering and hardship. I truly appreciate how lucky I am.

You can learn more about The Archetypes in our online immersion training taking place across November. You can sign up to deep dive into all Archetypes or just concentrate on this one, find out more.