King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine

In this contribution to the emerging men’s movement, Jungian analysts Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette argue that mature masculinity is not abusive or domineering, but generative, creative, and empowering of the self and others. They clearly define the four mature male archetypes – the king (the energy of just and creative ordering), the warrior (the energy of aggressive but nonviolent action), the magician (the energy of initiation and transformation), and the lover (the energy that connects one to others and the world) – as well as the four immature patterns (divine child, oedipal child, trickster and hero). The authors propose the idea of a “man psychology” that is the key to true, mature masculinity.