Advocate (Attorney, Defender, Legislator, Lobbyist, Environmentalist)
Coming to the defense of others is one manifestation of what Ram Dass calls
"Compassion in Action." The Advocate embodies a
sense of life-long devotion to championing the rights of others in the public
arena. People who relate to this archetype have
recognized early on a passion to transform social concerns, specifically in
behalf of others. Symbolically, they are dedicated to
inspiring the empowerment of groups or causes that are unable to be empowered
on their own. By comparison, archetypes such
as the Hermit are clearly more personal and lack the Advocate's fire for furthering
social change. The Advocate needs public
expression, even if only through writing or artwork.
The shadow Advocate manifests in false or negative causes or in committing
to causes for personal gain. In evaluting your
connection with this archetype, you should ask yourself how much of your life
is dedicated to social causes and a willingness to
take action.
Films: Paul Newman in The Verdict; Spencer Tracy in Inherit the Wind; Julia
Roberts in The Pelican Brief and Erin Brockovich;
Robert Duvall in the Godfather trilogy (shadow).
Television: Perry Mason; L.A. Law; The Practice.
Fiction: The Devil and Daniel Webster by Stephen Vincent Benet
Fairy Tales: Puss in Boots.
Religion/Myth: David (in the Hebrew Bible, the Jewish champion who slew the
much larger Goliath); Hakuim
(a pre-Islamic deity of southern Arabia who administers justice and oversees
arbitration).