What stage of life have you entered?
By The Mind's Journal — Last updated on Jul 30, 2023
By Mykh Goldstein
As we pass through the different phases of life, our personalities are put through many lasting changes. This is part and parcel of the human experience and none of us can avoid it even if we try to. Some may be stuck in one phase longer than others.
Interestingly, these phases of life don’t depend on how old a person is for their occurrence. You can enter into them at any age as age has no bearing here. Carl Jung, a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst from Switzerland and one of the most influential figures in the field of psychology, said these phases depend on our individual personalities and the paths we are meant to take.
To find out more about the phase of your life that you’ve entered at the moment, take a look at all these symbols and pick the one that resonates most with you.
Go with your gut and don’t overanalyze the symbols. Trust your instincts and your subconscious to show you the right choice and go with that.
Once you’ve found the symbol that feels important to you personally, scroll down to read more about its meaning.
1. The Athletic Phase
The most immature of all the different phases of life, the traits most commonly found in those who are currently going through the phase of the athlete are self-obsession and narcissism. It is a time when people are overly worried about their looks and their figure and little else matters.
Due to their immaturity, people in this phase live as if the universe revolves around them and only them. They are blind to the struggles of others and, since this is also a selfish phase, they don’t really care to know about that either.
Ironically, though narcissism is a key trait of this face, so are self-criticism and a lack of self-esteem. Though they are two extremes, they go hand in hand during the Athlete Phase.
Either the person’s ego is larger than life and impossible to deflate, or they lack confidence in themselves. They constantly think about their appearance and whether they’ve made any mistakes in the way they’ve chosen to present themselves.
Usually, people in their teens are stuck in this phase but this is also true for those who were brought up by narcissists. The former is more self-obsessed but the latter are too prone to self-criticism.
2. The Warrior Phase
Letting go of the Athletic Phase, people generally move to the phase of the Warrior. There is more maturity in this phase as they learn that they are responsible for the consequences of their own actions and also recognize their responsibility to the people around them.
The Warrior Phase is when learning begins. We learn to apply the knowledge we have been privileged to receive and use it to better ourselves and the world around us. Some of the lessons might be harsh but they are necessary all the same.
Success, ambitions, and the drive to fulfill one’s goals also characterize this phase. It is not called the Warrior Phase for nothing, as we learn to become fighters in every sense of the word. We begin to narrow down our purpose on this planet and on the ways and means of achieving that purpose.
Slowly, our plans for the future begin to crystallize and we experience great personal growth. The motivation required to push yourself harder to see those plans come to light is also found in this stage, and the wisdom you learn will be invaluable later on.
3. The Declaratory Phase
Causing us to mature now by leaps and bounds, the Declaratory Phase takes you much further than the previous two and it can be hard to digest all this change in one go. This is the stage of life that is meant for you to bring your own offspring into the world.
In the previous stage, you learned to take responsibility for yourself and others so the time is now right for you to be entrusted with the care of another life. It can be scary but it is also a very exciting time.
More than just having children and raising them right, this stage also makes you think about what you’re leaving behind for them. You will realize the importance of leaving them a legacy they can be proud of. So it is the right time to examine all your own past achievements and how they’ve affected your life, and especially the lives of those you care about.
While you want your children to be a credit to you, you also wish to ensure that you are the kind of parent they can take pride in calling their own, and you’re ready to make the changes necessary for that to happen.
4. The Spiritual Phase
Coming to the last phase to be experienced in this life, this is the phase of the Spirit. We now come to the realization that there is more to the universe than just the things we’ve found in this material world.
While wealth, relationships, beautiful objects, and successes have all been important, your spirituality begins to take precedence over everything else. Now more than ever, you feel your connection with the universe.
Our oneness with the all-pervading Spirit slowly expands in our consciousness and we become aware that we are merely beings of energy traveling through space. As it is made of energy, life too has neither a beginning nor an end. No matter what, the journey will have to continue.
Once you’ve entered the profound peace of the Spiritual Phase, your life will be focused on shining your light in the darkest of places, and offering nourishment and compassion without expecting anything in return.
You will find yourself reaching out to teach and guide others so that they too can enter this stage that you are blessed to be experiencing. It is an ending but it is also a new and joyful beginning.
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Mykh Goldstein is a writer and an artist currently working on his first novel. He is an avid blogger with a keen interest in spirituality, astrology, and self-development.
This article was originally published at The Mind's Journal. Reprinted with permission from the author.