In this week’s edition of Impactful Ideas, we continue our series on the pioneering work on masculine psychology, King, Warrior, Magician, Lover, by Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette.
For this series, each edition will explore one of the four major “archetypes” laid out in the book. Last week, we looked at “the King.” This week, it’s “the Magician”…
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
🎯 The Idea In a Nutshell:
We live in a world that breeds shallow thinking, but now more than ever, the world needs men who seek deep understanding.
We must cultivate the capacity to think deeply and to see past surface-level impressions.
The magician archetype drives us toward true mastery and rarified knowledge.
By learning to see what others cannot, we rise above the pack.
This is how we make the most meaningful contributions to our families, businesses, and communities.
📝 Diving Deeper
Our world is addicted to the hot take. The easy answer. The path of least resistance. Social media feeds create digital echo chambers. The world’s knowledge is at our fingertips. And it’s become all too easy to outsource not just our tasks, but the act of thinking itself.
Opinions, advice, and life hacks are shoved in our faces at every turn. Things have gotten too convenient. Too comfortable. We’re not just content, we’re complacent.
But when one thing becomes abundant, another becomes scarce; what’s in short supply today is not talking heads with one-sided opinions, but men who know how to think deeply.
The magician archetype offers an antidote. The magician is thoughtful. Reflective. Not easily rattled. While others take what is presented to them at face value, he knows intuitively that things are not always as they appear, that what we see and experience is only the tip of the iceberg.
The phrase “magician” may conjure up images of rabbits and hats and other silly parlor tricks. But this is about something deeper. Something far more serious. At its core, the magician’s act is one of penetrating insights into human nature. He knows how to do the impossible.
He is the master electrician who flawlessly executes a project others said couldn’t be done. The PhD who solves the puzzle that eluded so many before him. The entrepreneur who tirelessly executes on a vision that everyone else thought he was nuts for chasing.
We must learn not to be so easily swayed. The world desperately needs more men who can see beyond the latest trends and clickbait headlines. Men who can let go of confirmation bias and challenge their own assumptions. Who can grasp the penetrating insights hiding from others in plain sight.
👉 Why it matters:
It’s a complex time to be a husband, father, and leader.
Societal issues grow ever more complex, while attention spans and a willingness to engage in thoughtful dialogue shrivel.
The world needs more men who can grasp what is happening at a deeper level, and who seek the kind of nuanced understanding required to navigate today’s troubled waters.
🤔 Prompts for Reflection
Where are you allowing yourself to be swayed by surface-level impressions?
How might you seek deeper knowledge and insights into the issues plaguing your family, business, or community?
What seemingly intractable challenges are you facing today? Are you really so sure there’s no path forward?
Make today impactful.
~Jason