The Orphan
The Orphan - As represented by the determined and resilient Sea Turtle
If you took the path toward the campfire, hoping to find the belonging you seek, then congratulations, you are what is known as the Orphan. As represented by the determined and resilient sea turtle, you are driven by a need for belonging, gifted with the resilience needed to find it. But in your journey to find belonging, do not deny others that same gift.
One of the greatest gifts of an Orphan is in their ability to survive great hardship. This resilience can occasionally instill in the Orphan the belief that they deserve their hardships, that they must have done something to have all of this difficulty. But remember that the greatest stories ever told in the Hero’s Journey tell of an Orphan who started with nothing, faced the difficulties of the world head on, and freed themselves and others from hardship.
The greatest challenge for the Orphan is to find the balance between striving for something new and accepting their place in the world. This type of acceptance is essential in helping the Orphan to transform from the victim into the hero of their own—and others’—story. Remember that as with all archetypes that are focused inwardly, the Orphan must often look externally for the things that help them balance their life. As you seek meaning, do not lose sight of the nuances in the world that bring you joy.
The life of the Orphan has been romanticized more than any of the other archetypes. They are the true underdogs of the world. They are the nobodies who rise up and inspire generations to make great change. They are the small hands that move the wheels of the world - not because they can, but because they must.
The path of the Orphan is a vulnerable one as it is driven above all by the desire for acceptance and belonging. Acceptance can be found in almost any situation, but the wise know that finding true belonging can be like trying to capture smoke with your hands. The more desperate your attempts, the more it evades your grasp. The Orphan who truly lives in balance will come to realize that belonging must first be given to one’s self before finding it from others.
Each archetype must find balance, but great imbalance can happen to the Orphan if they strive too hard for the very thing they were denied growing up. Think of how you first came to be known as the Orphan - by choosing the path of belonging in the ritual. This deep longing often comes from a lack of safety when the Orphan was young. But this longing can lead them toward being either too cautious or too trusting. This can also lead to setting up the Orphan for heartbreak, if they are denied acceptance and security by people they hope will give it to them.
This is why the Orphan must learn to grant that security to themselves. The disappointment of people not giving us what we want will still cause anguish, but the balanced Orphan knows it is a privilege to be in almost anyone’s life for a time. They can find gratitude in having had any time with that person, even if it had an expiration date.
Lastly, Orphans must learn to not sacrifice who they are to please others. It is easy to lose oneself and values when the Orphan is chasing acceptance and belonging. But remember, when you are true to yourself, and extend that same acceptance and belonging to yourself that you seek in others, you honor the universe that created you. Stay true, Orphans. Beware the path you trod that was started down for the wrong reasons. You have the power to bring down empires within you - don’t sacrifice your heart for the promise of belonging.
REMEMBER – The great Orphans of the world often find what they’re striving for when they first give it freely to themselves and others. In Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Rey, an Orphan, seeks out the guidance and acceptance of Luke Skywalker, someone who belongs to the Magician archetype, but was once of the Orphan. His finally helping Rey to find that acceptance and belonging in herself, was what reminded him of how to do so for himself too - giving him the strength to what needed to be done for the good of others. Do not be afraid that you’ll never find acceptance or belonging as the Orphan - your path may lead you on strange roads, but no one can belong on a path they did not choose for themselves.
Other Notable Orphans in Fiction: Rey (Star Wars), Simba (The Lion King), Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender), Mariana (Mariana the Moon Girl), John Locke (Lost).
To continue to the second part of the ritual . . .