11 Trickster Archetypes That Provoke and Heighten Your

Consciousness
by Aletheia Luna / 5 min read /

Trickster is at one and the same time creator and destroyer, giver and
negator, he who dupes others, and who is always duped himself … He
knows neither good nor evil yet he is responsible for both. He possesses
no values, moral or social, is at the mercy of his passions and appetites,
yet through his actions all values come into being. ~ Paul Radin
When Trickster archetypes prance and prank their way into your life, it’s
time to pay attention!
Tricksters defy duality: they are both light and dark, heroic and villain-
ous, foolish and wise, benign and malicious. At the same time they’re
lovable, they’re also hateful. At the same time they’re friendly, they’re
also fearsome. If you feel drawn to, or repulsed by, the Trickster arche-
type, this is a clear sign that you need to explore the hidden parts of your
nature more.
In mythology, Tricksters are portrayed as the jokers, pranksters,
clowns, rule-breakers, alchemists, magicians, truth-tellers and wise-
fools. In psychology, Tricksters are the mischievous archetypes of the
collective unconscious that shatter old paradigms and gleefully poke
sticks at our sanctimonious beliefs and stiff pretensions.
These days, Trickster archetypes still appear in our cultural myths and
dialogues. Tricksters continue to incarnate as characters such as Puck (A
Midsummer Night’s Dream), Beetlejuice (Tim Burton classic), The
Mask, Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland), the Mad Hatter, Jack Spar-
row, The Joker (from Batman) and Rumplestiltskin. And in our own
lives, Tricksters are represented by the class clowns, the anarchists, the
comedians and the rule-breaking harlequins that defy all worldly decrees
and decorum.
In a sense, Tricksters are the ultimate pot-stirrers and “trolls” of life. As
destroyers of duality, Trickster archetypes expose illusions, challenge
worldly rules, and celebrate holy madness. For every likable trait within
them, there is an equally disturbing trait. For every form of provocation,
there is a hidden lesson.
We’ll explore these lessons today.
11 Trickster Archetypes and Their Crazy Wisdom

My first ever Shamanic encounter in the spirit world was with a Trick-
ster. Tricksters, like any archetype in life, are powerful spirit guides and
facilitators of conscious expansion.
In my case, the Trickster I encountered was the ancient goat-man God,
Pan. Guiding my vision, Pan’s face changed drastically every few mo-
ments to happy-angry-sad-gleeful-suspicious-thoughtful-wizened-neu-
tral-blissful-ferocious. As I focused on the ever-changing nature of his
face, I was guided deeper and deeper into my own inner Underworld,
my own hidden Shadow. Ever since then, Pan has remained my primary
spirit guide, reminding me of the importance of embracing my own in-
ner Trickster and multi-faceted nature.
Trickster archetypes aren’t just limited to Ancient Greek mythology,
however. In fact, they entertain a place in almost every civilization
known to man. Tricksters are both man and anthropomorphized animal,
half-man-half-beast, worldly and spiritual, god and goddess. They bring
with them the gifts of illumination, playfulness, revelation, truth and
balance.
Eleven of the most common Trickster archetypes known to man include:
Loki (In Norse Mythology, he was the shape-shifting god who is por-
trayed as playful, nihilistic and self-serving)
Anansi (In African folklore, he was the sneaky, sly, but ultimately be-
nign spider god of mayhem)
Kitsune (In Japanese mythology these are trickster-spirits that often
appear as intelligent and mischievous foxes)
 Eshu (In Nigerian tale, he is the sneaky god of uncertainty and
change)
Krishna (Hindu god portrayed as seductive, entertaining Supreme
Being)
Saci (In Brazilian folklore he is portrayed as a one-legged malevolent
prankster dwarf)
Hermes (In Greek myth he was the cunning and thieving messenger
of the gods)
Trickster animals include:
Coyote (As seen in Native American mythology)
Rabbit (Like “Br’er Rabbit” who features in African-American folk-
lore)
Fox (Like “Kuma Lisa” in Bulgarian folklore)
Raven (Famous among the Native Americans)
Coming across multiple Tricksters on your path through life is inevita-
ble. But while the self-serving, deceptive shadow side of every Trickster
is extremely apparent, it’s also important to be receptive to their lessons
– to their crazy wisdom.
The truth is that we all have a hidden Trickster inside whether we are
conscious of it or not. That is perhaps why we’re so enamored and in-
trigued by figures such as The Joker or Mad Hatter.
We’re all a little bonkers inside.
Deep down, our inner Trickster craves to break taboos, revel in the de-
struction of the known, and shatter decrepit ideologies. If there is any-
thing Trickster archetypes teach us, it is to “lighten up” about life and to
not take ourselves so seriously. However, when we deny the crazy wis-
dom of the Trickster both within and without ourselves, we find our-
selves becoming rigid, bull-headed, narrow-minded and humorless. The
cracks in our perfect facades begin to shine when we intentionally take a
nasty kind of pleasure in others pain and failure.
When we fail to embrace the lessons of the Trickster archetype, we deny
ourselves frivolity and the capacity to experience our Shadows. When
we get lost in superficial appearances, the Trickster holds a mirror to our
faces. When we get stranded in the ignorance of egotism, the Trickster,
through his antics, lays out our faults on a platter with a smile.
It was once said that Krishna secretly stole all the clothing from a few
milk maidens that were bathing. When they realized what happened,
they begged for their clothes back. Krishna reprimanded them for break-
ing the vow about bathing nude. Then, he made them ascend from the
water nude to find their clothes. In this way when interpreted, the wom-
en were forced to abandon their sense of shame or ego (clothing), allow-
ing them to realize their ultimate divine union with Krishna. This story,
like many others, represents the powerful unpredictability of the Trick-
ster.

The power of the Trickster is in his (or her) ability to help us question
life, embrace uncertainty and become receptive to seeing everything
just as it is.
It can be so easy to fall into dogmatic traps and small-minded ideologies
on our paths of soulful expansion. When a Jester, Clown or Trickster
comes into your life shaking up all the pretensions, lies and illusions that
you cling to … pay attention! Your anger, sanctimony, and exasperation
can be alchemized into humor, acceptance and even curiosity if you let
it.