The King Within: Accessing the King in the Male Psyche

Having set the stage with their book King Warrior Magician Lover, our two authors delve deeper into what they call the central facet of a healthy male psyche, the King.Copious examples of King qualities ranging in leaders from the Far East to American shores are given in the middle of the book which are actually quite enlightening and though similar to one another, not redundant.Some time is spent, thankfully, explaining Jungian Archetypal theory, and the role said theory plays in the authors' development of their central argument, that a man desires to access the Archetypal King without completely identifying with the role. Again, thankfully, the authors make it clear one should 'access' the King energy without completely identifying with the Archetype...which could land one in a psychiatric ward in short order.In addition, chapters are devoted to the Shadow sides of the King, the high chair Tyrant and the effete Weakling. So our two writers do us justice by pointing out the complexities one faces when attempting to access this King energy.So, the goal ultimately becomes not to be King (which after all, in the day and age we are living in, would only last one day) but rather to be a 'Generative Man' who, accessing King energy, empowers and inspires those around him and uses the destructive energy of the King to aid those who most need help.It is said when one is ready, the Teacher(s) will arrive.I was ready. Are you?

This King, Warrior, Magician, Lover series is the best self psychological development material I have ever gotten my hands on. Ever. The King Within is a deep dive into the energy which, when properly accessed, organizes and leads the rest of our internal guides. As I read I sometimes question if the role of the Queen (female lead) could vary greatly and I honestly know I can't answer that question as a male, but there has not been a single sentence in this book which would not be beneficial to consider as a developing human being of any gender.

Product in great condition and as described. Very fast shipping. I would buy again from this seller.

A must-read in this era of gender dysphoria. Moore spoke out at a time of male-bashing and male identity flux with a Jungian/Depth Psychological answer like few, if any, before. More important now in our trans-generation than ever.

Brilliant on many levels. Read with patience and take in all he addresses. Our current day political absurdities parallel many of the insights and dangers that Moore so eloquently illuminates. I understand Moore recently passed away last month, we are lucky to have his perspective and wisdom at our disposal. RIP R.L.Moore.

This book seems to address two different audiences simultaneously. It speaks to the general reader as a pop-psychology/self-help book that assists in developing shadow aspects of the psyche. Also, and probably for the most part, it speaks to a more academic audience of practicing depth psychologists and scholars who are more familiar with the technical aspects of analytical psychology. This double-tongued character of the book makes it somewhat difficult to navigate, particularly because the subtitle, "Accessing the King in the Male Psyche," suggests that it's addressed solely to lay people trying to summon their inner king.In spite of the frustrating double-audience flaw, The King Within is a fascinating, groundbreaking work of Jungian scholarship on the male mind. Building on their original work, "King, Warrior, Magician, Lover," Moore and Gillette examine the king archetype in depth, looking at neuroscience and the history of world civilizations to support their theory, and then discussing how healthy and unhealthy aspects of the archetype manifest in daily life. At the end, Moore and Gillette return to their four-fold model of the male psyche and, considering many developmental configurations, they show how individuals can overcome their weaknesses and progress toward wholeness.Sometimes the book feels too academic to be useful, but then a chapter later there are incredibly powerful tools that can motivate profound growth.The final model of wholeness that Moore and Gillette put forth--the "Optimal Personality," where all four archetypes are smoothly integrated--is a massively inspiring goal to move toward, and it's humbling yet helpful to identify how far I have to go and where I come up short in this system. It's also fascinating to consider the four archetypes at work in family and friends, and how their strengths and weaknesses might affect me.Flaws aside, this is a powerful series. I'm reading "King, Warrior, Magician, Lover" next, and I'll be keeping a close eye out for reprints of the other three works.Moore and Gillette are onto something big here.

A fish doesn't know water until it's taken out of it! This is the kind of book that provides insight into what it is to be a man. That insight distinguishes aspects of masculinity from the background of existence. Once distinguished, we get some power over them, and the ability to change, improve, grow. Much recommended.

Great book

Another superb book in the series by Moore & Gillette illuminating basic archetypal patterns that define human potential in all walks life, from career to personal development to family and friends. Those unfamiliar with ‘KWML: Rediscovering the Archetype of the Mature Masculine’, having an overview of this book first would be ideal. Whereas ‘Accessing the King Within’, as the title suggests, goes into much more detail about the king archetype; anthropologically, in relation to past societies; theoretically, drawing upon current psychoanalytic-related literature; and diagnostically, in applying a multiplex set of personality parameters that does assume a basic appreciation of the four masculine archetypes and their polar shadows. To assist with these underlying axioms, there is a brief introduction into Jungian psychoanalysis - though it is my guessing even if new to the subject and reading this review, then Jung’s impact on modern psychology might be sufficient enough to bridge a lot of the material covered by osmosis alone!A review of some of the historic images of the sacred-King or King-God archetype offers a rich, sophisticated and thought-provoking set of parallels into the four major arcana of King energy ‘in His Fullness’ as important cultural constructs in ancient and modern civilisations: the introverted centerer and transformer; the extroverted procreator and structurer. Rather uniquely it would seem -as well as possessing specific qualities of heart-focused vision and purpose - the king archetype contains attributes of the other three archetypes. For example, as a transforming vessel, he “renders divine energy humanely usable” - which is also an expression of the Lover archetype.In bygone civilisations, the king’s task was to “steward the creation the gods had entrusted to him.” For example, the Egyptian self-rejuvenation festival of ‘heb sed’. Adopting a Star Trek trope, it is rather blankly suggested the king could “beam himself up or down along the axis of radiant energy (axis mundi or celestial pole) that bound the levels of reality.” As the “foremost inter dimensional voyager...and portable constellator” it is not too hard to perceive how a cultural class once saw themselves as a rarefied elite simultaneously maintaining their exclusive status through rituals of distinction while reinforcing the social hierarchy.Gilmore’s concept of manhood as “protector, provider or procreator” and Erickson’s concept of the “Generative Man” as a ‘confirming face’ that “mirrors and blesses," while “providing a safe, containing space where people around him can flourish” buttress the argument for a modern-day king archetype. Coincidentally or not, Dilts and Gilligan have named their NLP coaching and therapeutic initiative the International Assoc for Generative Change, which has at its heart the mission statement “that life will always teach us all that humility is at the heart of sustainable creativity. Humility means that. However, powerful a person is, real change comes from a deeper shared consciousness.” In a similar fashion, kingship as ‘Servant Leadership’ (Greenleaf) is mentioned in the chapter ‘Dancing the Four Quarters.’The real meat of the book discusses the journey to reaching one’s ‘optimal system-self’ by going on a path in life to embody all four quadrants: “welcoming the King’s energy, along with the three other foundational archetypes into a relationship with our Egos. Channeling these powers with care, we become generative men with order and so the ability to bring order to our worlds...no matter how much trouble we have had in our development, we can always begin again making progress in our spiral [through the quadrants] toward our true centre.” The mapping of a psychic spiral is a route which winds as a tightening curve up a “pyramidal form as independent aspects of the single masculine self” until reaching the summit of one’s personality in a closer relationship to the cosmos. As an allegorical journey, its remnants can be observed in significant monuments left by a number of ancient civilizations, for example, in the stepped architectural forms found in Mesoamerica. To the authors, such an endeavour signifies the potential for ‘Ego-Self Axis’ accomplishment (individuation) and an understanding of the different cosmic layers of reality. To explain this somewhat mystical notion further, reaching one’s optimal system-self is anticipated by a mythical narrative: that of an individual ego’s quest to ascend out of chaos through the wasteland, behold an epiphany, become an arc of creativity in order to harness a community, and thereby channel (procreation) “a new transfusion of sacred energy into the profane world and the regeneration of creation.”The phenomenon of transmuting archetypal energy for society, as bestowed upon kings throughout the ages is defined as “incorporating the sacred in the profane, the infinite in the finite, the potential in the actual, and the unconscious in the conscious.” One of the big takeaways from reading this book is that if a profound dedication to exploring king archetypal energy were applied and regulated in one’s own life it has enormous growth potential as a force for healing and beneficence - not to be confused with narcissism. It is just so hard to come by modern-day examples of this type of king energy when a sizeable proportion of the planet’s role models is political careerists or cult celebrities, as prone as the rest of us to exhibit the shadow poles of the king archetype: the tyrant or the abdicator. However, there is probably little doubt - in my mind at least - great historical figures like Gandhi or Nelson Mandela availed of this inspirational energy; and especially one assumes Carl Jung himself!Last but not least, an exciting aspect of this book is the possibility it offers to measure one’s quotient of Ego-regulated archetypal energy, and therefore, to optimise the structure of one’s personality “by assuming progressively more responsibility for the structuralisation and creative organisation of the energies and agendas of KWML.” As well as being a fascinating model for the exploration of ‘psychic aneurisms’, that is, where archetypal intrusions or deformations are likely to contaminate ego consciousness in one’s life (Jungian complexes), it can also show unregulated archetypal self-potential and what is necessary for integration towards each archetype’s fullness. Maybe achieving 100% optimal fulfillment in all four archetypal energetic manifestations is a feat that can one day be envisioned more widely?

If you're familiar with Robert Moore's work, this book adds to the in depth series about the King, Warrior, Lover, Magician series. A profound work, and compulsory reading for anyone who wishes to understand how Men in their inflated/deflated and balanced Leadership qualities express themselves.

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