We tend to think of Liberators as great military and political leaders who free an entire country or people from servitude, such as
Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, SimCn Bol_var of Venezuela, Nelson Mandela, and, depending on your politics, Lenin, Castro,
and Che Guevara. But in everyday life, any number of people can play a similar role on a smaller scale, helping to liberate us
from the tyranny of self-inflicted negative thought patterns and beliefs, spiritual sluggishness, poor nutrition, destructive
relationships, or addictive behavior. This archetype can be an invaluable ally in helping to free us from old, entrenched beliefs and
attitudes that have been inculcated from without, much like colonial occupying armies. Jesus, Muhammad, and the Buddha were
Liberators in this sense, offering options to the violence, suffering, and spiritual stagnation of their respective times and places.
You do not have to be a charismatic leader to have this archetype, however. Thousands of people have taken part in long
campaigns to win freedom from various kinds of oppression, from the Freedom Riders of the Civil Rights movement in this
country to the Freedom Fighters of the Hungarian Revolution.

The shadow Liberator manifests in those who would liberate us from one tyrant only to impose their own tyranny over our
lives--corporate, political, religious, and spiritual leaders who speak of freedom as a way to their individual aggrandizement.

In evaluating whether this archetype belongs in your circle of twelve, ask whether you have shown a life-long pattern of helping to
free others from injustices, from adverse economic or social conditions, or simply from their misconceptions.

Films: Anthony Quinn in Zorba the Greek; Rosalind Russell in Auntie Mame; Ingrid Bergman in Joan of Arc; Tom Selleck in In and
Out.

Fiction: Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse.

Fairy Tales: Belling the Cat

Religion/Myth: Dionysus and Eros (both bore other names meaning "the liberator").