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Inner Sage’s WEAKNESSES
The Sage personality also has limitations. On good days, the Sage infused person can be articulate & helpful. On bad days, they can be one of the coldest & most arrogant individuals. Since knowledge is their ‘god’, they can look down on others who lack it as being inferior, & critical of others who don’t agree with their ideas.

🐽 Detachment: With its strong focus on introspection & its internal world, the I.S. may become too disconnected from the external world, making it hard for the person to engage with others or be present in day-to-day activities

🐽 Inability to say “no”: the I.S. can have trouble setting boundaries & prioritize your own needs, so you often take on too much responsibility for others, risking resentment &/or burnout 

🐽 Overthinking: the I.S. can sometimes become so deeply lost in introverted thought that you get ‘analysis-paralysis’, so you struggle to make decisions or take action

🐽 Perfectionism: the I.S. can harbor such high standards —
— for yourself, so you have trouble accepting imperfections, causing self-criticism…. and
— toward others, having unrealistic expectations, frustration & disappointments

🐽 Tendency to isolate: because of its ‘private’ nature & a tendency to obsess, the I.S. can too easily withdraw from social interactions, limiting personal growth & connection with other

DARK SIDE
Because the Sage is an incredibly powerful archetype, when negative, it is very dangerous. To safeguard against grandiosity requires self-compassion, humility & self-knowledge via inner work.
Sage personalities need to be wary of slipping into ivory tower thinking, dogmatism, & coming across as being without feeling or empathy. However – you don’t want someone as smart & powerful as a Sage to be without flaws, nor should they be picture-perfect.

Shadow archetypes related to the Sage
a.  Detached Manipulator (Trickster, shadow of the Magician) – the focus is on self-deception since the Sage is associated with cognition.
This archetype has a cynical disconnection from human life & values. Instead of sharing knowledge, it is focused on controlling others, by withholding specific knowledge to hinder the progress of others.

b.  Deviant Guru
Developing true moral character requires the completion of internal alchemical processes like shadow work , where the person brings their unconscious into awareness.
While gurus & spiritual teachers may be popular, getting to know one’s dark side is not. As such, the absence of moral refinement in culture & society manifests the shadow of the sage archetype in abundance.

Actually, very few gurus know their shadow. Instead, these narcissistic leaders believe they have “transcended” their body & mind. In reality, they have just dissociated from the True Self. 

With the prevalence of false gurus also comes the popularity of cultism. “Spiritual “cults are everywhere, some in physical groups, others virtual or purely ideological. They form as a psychologically symbiotic relationship between the False Guru & confused students/devotees.  The cult leader is driven by grandiosity & ego-inflation, feeding on the projections of their followers.

c. Delusional Mystic
This version has mistaken their own fantasies for Reality, secretly believes they are the sole proprietor of truth. In their grandiosity, the basic insights they might have originally gained turns progressively more distorted – eventually becoming completely divorced from reality.
Instead of comparing their insights with a community of equals (the “sangha”), they isolate from others. If they attract followers, the group instantly turns into a cult, that eventually can become self-destructive.

d.  False Prophet – Charlatan / False Teacher
They are a peddlers of “knowledge” whose real aim is to accumulate money & physical possessions. In the West this archetype is driven by what can be called “the Business of Enlightenment”.

The main difference between the Detached Manipulator & the Charlatan is that the latter knowingly deceives others. Obviously there are far more False Prophets in today’s world than authentic Sages. 

EXP : popularization of “sex techniques” for spiritual development (Deviant Guru) was a combination of charlatans & marketers wanting to profit in the marketplace.
All genuine Sages & classical texts warn against falling for the hype.

(modified from “The Sage Archetype: Knower of Wisdom and Seer of Truth ” By Scott Jeffrey

NEXT : the DARK SIDE (Part 2)