Thread: Archetype Control: An Elegant Tool

::Part 1::

In the following thread, I'll try my best to communicate what Archetype Control is and how it can be used effectively. It will be by no means a complete guide, but it should be a useful introduction to the topic for all those unfamiliar with it.

Enough fluff, let's get down to business.

~ Pre-Reqs ~

Before we can even start this conversation, we need to establish some definitions and go over a little theory. I highly recommend you acquaint yourself with the idea of a schema. This is because archetypes are a type of schema, a very specific schema, no less.

~ Introduction ~

For the those among you who'd prefer the tl;dr version, schemas serve as a broad way of looking at the world or an idea; a lens, if you will. One that can be switched out with others on the fly to help our brains make automatic decisions on how we should act or think in a given situation. Archetypes are the magnifiers we place within these lenses in order to direct our focus onto a particular object or idea. So, for instance, everyone reading this has an established schema dealing with communication. If we were to focus in on a part of this schema, say a cellular phone, we would immediately be presented with an archetype dealing with that object. We automatically know what a cell phone is used for, where we can find ours, how to work one, etc. It's these automatic associations that allow us to use the phone easily without much thought.

I hope people are starting to see where this is going. Everything I've stated above can be directly applied to dreams. By drawing on strongly developed archetypes, anyone can achieve precision in dream control quickly and easily. The trick lies in knowing what archetypes you already have, how you can call on them, and how they'll affect your dream. Hopefully, by the time you're done reading this guide, you'll be able to do all three.

~ Examples ~

A great way of explaining Archetype Control is through examples.

I'll start by explaining how I fly:

For four years, I was fairly addicted to an MMO entitled City of Heroes/Villains. The game, as you can imagine, entails taking the role of super-powered entity and attempting to keep the peace or bring about the destruction of everything. Obviously, there are several powers that allow the user to quickly travel through the world, namely flight, teleportation, super speed, and super jump. For flight, a player would click on a toggle button that could either be on or off, and turning it on would immediately lift your character from the ground and give you free range of motion through the skies.

When I dream, all I have to do is click that button in order to start flying. More accurately, I emulate what it feels like to hit that button, no keyboard or visualization required. The steps are as follows:

1. Call on the CoH schema in order to put me in the correct frame of mind. - This can be done simply by recalling what it's like to be playing the game.
   
   
2. Focus on the flight archetype and everything that entails. - I accomplish this by directing my attention to one particular aspect of the game.
   
   
3. Emulate hitting the button that turns flight on. - Think clicking on a particular command, icon, or link. They're all distinct in their own way, and the one I shoot for here is very specific, but still easy for me to do.
   
   
4. Let the archetype take care of the rest. - It's as simple as that.

This is all very fluid, intuitive, and doesn't take any extensive thought whatsoever. More than that, it's reliable because the archetype I've already ingrained into my psyche (through hours of repetition) does everything for me. I simply need to set it into motion.

Movies, video games, and anime all lend themselves well to this form of control. I myself make use of various powers you'd find in anime and video games all the time. From DBZ style energy blasts to Bleach inspired power-ups to whipping out a gun that creates portals, it all falls under Archetype Control.

So, too, do 'techniques' like controlling your world via cell-phone, asking DCs to do tasks for you, and even the heralded belief method. If you have a firm grasp on what an archetype is, and how it works, these statements should be fairly easy to confirm on your own, but I'll go over them in the next installment. Just in case.

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Hopefully this has been enough to cover the basics and explain what Archetype Control actually is. If something isn't clear, please let me know, and I'll be sure to address it when I get around to releasing the next section of this guide.