Archetypes, part VI - The Way of Phi in Practice -

The Servant & The Traveller – Can you be both humble and curious at the same time?

Dear friend,

This is the last issue about archetypes, at least for the time being. If you are new to this newsletter and want to read up on the previous ones, here's a link.

Today we look at the Servant and the Traveller.

The Servant

Being a Servant is a very beautiful thing. However, in this hyper-individualised time and culture we live in, the Servant is often dismissed as a lowly figure seemingly without any real goal of his or her own. That is unfortunate. Just as it is very unfortunate that a hugely important job like a kindergarten teacher is considered low status. If we zoom out but a little, it is quickly obvious that the people who shape the first seven most formative years of our lives have an enormous long term influence on our societies. Being a Servant means bowing to someone else's wishes, needs or desires. It means setting oneself aside and giving to the other.

I think one of the reasons the Servant has a low status is that we have all but forgotten our connection to nature and spirit. That we behave as if we were just individuals, and that the highest "level" we can hope to achieve is self-realisation. Me, me, me. Open any social media channel and it's rife with it.

When we say 'yoga', most people seem to think of some form of physical regimen, doing more or less contorted postures or breathing exercises. However, physical yoga, or Hatha Yoga as it is called in Sanskrit, is only one of several types of yoga. And while Hatha Yoga has many benefits on its own, it also helps prepare the body for higher forms of yoga. Now, another form of yoga is Bhakti Yoga, or the yoga of devotion. The yoga of being a servant of God, if you will. With such an attitude behind the serving, abiding in an understanding that I am not only serving the person in front of me, but that by serving this person I am serving God, things shift completely.

I think by now most people are either overtly or covertly starting to be fed up with the whole secularisation trend. Many are turning to some kind of spiritual practice or religion and countless people go through existential crises.

Coming back to spirit and to nature, to our bodies and to our true essence, can be a painful experience, especially for someone who has spent a long time in denial. And that is a transitional period in which having support is essential. Having someone who has advanced far enough to serve. Or someone who is currently at a place from which service is possible.

The connection to nature also helps. We are children of nature and have to learn to be stewards of nature, custodians of nature... in other words Servants of nature.

So, the next time you meet a Servant, in whatever capacity (serving you food, driving your taxi, bus, train or plane, cutting your hair, giving you a massage, taking care of your children etc), why don't you take a moment to reflect on what it means to serve and give gratitude to that person. If you can tell him or her, by all means, do so. But even if you cannot, extend thoughts of gratitude. That will do wonders – both for you and for the other. And if you can, give something back. And give generously. For we are all struggling in one way or another, and even for the person serving you from a noble place, it feels good to be appreciated in words and actions.

The Traveller

One thing that signifies the Traveller is movement. Whether far or near, the Traveller moves. Even if the movement isn't even physical, but metaphorical, the travelling implies some kind of movement. Why am I emphasising this so much? Surely, that's self-evident! But alas, movement has so much more depth than merely shifting locations. Indeed, in classical music, the different parts of an opus can be referred to as movements. And there are spiritual practices called movements. We also say that we feel "moved" if for example a work of art has evoked emotions in us, especially emotions of beauty or sadness.

When I was in my early 20s and moved to London, I soon met a group of "Travellers" who invited me to join them. This journey taught me many things. One of them was the beauty of travelling not for the sake of getting to a certain destination, or even to see certain sights, but rather as a way of opening up to the Providence to guide my steps. As a meeting with the Divine through different places and people.

Then there is the travelling that is all about going from A to B. Of making itineraries. Of looking at timetables and planning and going, going, going. To start me off, I have found that it usually helps to have a destination, but once I have come sufficiently into the flow of travelling, destinations become arbitrary, and what remains is a sense of connecting with the inherent movement of everything.. By embracing the flow of movement, I become more alive, as the more alive something is the more movement there is in it. Being alive is not a binary either-or state, but rather a gradual deepening seemingly without end. Instead it turns into a question of commitment and courage – how alive do I dare to be? How alive do you dare to be?

Humility & Curiosity

Let's apply these archetypes to the terminology of The Way of Phi, i.e. the Circular, the Linear, and Dynamic Balance!

As usual, there are no clear-cut correlations, and that is not required. For this is not that time of knowledge. This is about understanding psychological and philosophical principles by reflection and application to our own lives. To illustrate this, let's consider the following:

The Servant holds space for someone else, offers nourishment or caring – all Circular qualities.

The Traveller goes on adventures, explores, decides on destinations and reaches them – all Linear qualities.

However, we could also think of the Servant as someone who is deeply devoted to one cause and one alone (God) and as such, that is more of a Linear mind.

Conversely, the Traveller could be a free spirit, who roams and wanders where the winds may carry him, allowing himself to be moved, thus being more of a Circular mind.

Dynamic Balance then. How deeply can we be anchored in both the Servant and the Traveller at the same time? To what extent can we hold space for others and their needs, while moving? – Considering that travelling brings a whole host of our own needs to the forefront. I am thinking of spiritual wandering monks, e.g. Sadhus in India. They are travelling. And they are also at least seeking God, and in doing so, I suppose in a sense serving God. As Paramhansa Yogananda supposedly said "Everything else can wait, but your search for God cannot".

If you are ready to travel like a philosopher, I am here to serve you. Click here to book an exploration call!

With gratitude, 

Christopher