1. The orphan child

Oliver Twist, Peter Pan, Harry Potter. What do these characters all have in common? They were all orphans, forced to fend for themselves. The Orphan archetype doesn't mean you have to be an orphan; rather, you may feel emotionally or spiritually abandoned by your parents or other trusted loved ones, struggle to cultivate trusting attachments to one of your parents, or just feel lonely.

The shadow side of the Orphan is a person who is too independent. You avoid relying on other people and prefer to do it all on your own. After all, you're the only one you can trust to not leave you.

2. The eternal child

Peter Pan is the iconic example of an Eternal Child. If you're an Eternal Child, you'll find yourself easily able to put yourself in the shoes of a child and relate to them. Living into the light side of the Eternal Child brings forth the best traits that children have to offer: playfulness, belief, and trust. The older people you've met who are still living life to the fullest and enjoying every minute of it are relying on their Eternal Child for its vitality and vibrant attitude toward life.

The shadow side is easy to see: it's a resistance or refusal of accepting adult responsibilities, being unreliable, and ignore the personal boundaries of other people. That thirty-year-old-man who still lives at home? Your friend who refuses to pay her taxes till the last minute (if then)? The friend who is always late or the housemate who can never quite remember to take out the trash? Probably an Eternal Child.

Living into the light side enables an Eternal Child to keep a bright-eyed, optimistic, delighted view of the world—innocent and full of dreams.

3. The wounded child

Heathcliff, Anne of Green Gables, and basically every character in Game of Thrones has aspects of a Wounded Child in them. If you have ever experienced emotional or physical abuse or experienced a trauma as a child, the Wounded Child may emerge to protect you.

I've heard friends bemoan why girls stay in abusive relationships—the Wounded archetype's shadow side emerges to keep people trapped in a self-victimizing pattern. If this archetype is active in you, you may often find yourself wallowing in grief and self-pity, telling yourself how bad you have it, and blame your past and your parents for the reasons you behave the way you do. You have a hard time letting go of your hurt feelings, you feel broken, and you feel constantly misunderstood, rejected, or like a failure.

The light side of the Wounded Child brings great empathy for and a desire to help others, particularly those in abusive relationships. Living into forgiveness and finding ways to serve others is one of the most beautiful aspects of the Wounded Child. A Wounded Child is incredibly sensitive to the emotions of others.

When a Wounded Child accepts and forgives what caused them pain, it gives them an incredibly unique ability to be there for others, help them feel understood, and be a source of strength and even healing.

4. The divine child

The Divine Child is meant to bring up memories of young Jesus as he lived with Mary and Joseph—the most marked difference in this manifestation of the Child archetype is the Divine Child's redemptive qualities. Since this archetype is marked by purity, innocence, and redemption, it is often a hard one for adults to relate to.

However, you may have more of the Divine Child inside of you than you know. Do you seek after spiritual things or yearn to redeem painful situations into places of growth and happiness? Do you tend to have faith in a divine being, or want to have faith that things will work out? That's the Divine Child.

Even the Divine Child has a shadow side. Responding to situations out of fear or with a desire to hurt someone before they can hurt you first is rejecting the faith and purity of this archetype. If you've ever lashed out at someone, felt unable to protect yourself, or felt inundated by negativity, that's the Divine Child too.

5. The nature child

The Nature Child feels--you guessed it--drawn to nature and connected to the earth. Mary Lennox, Mowgli, and Henry David Thoreau are all Nature Children. The shadow side of the Nature Child may mistreat nature, plants, and people—from something as simple as littering, to expressing disgust about animals (how about all those people who hate on cats?), to destroying plants needlessly.

Getting in touch with the Nature Child's light side is incredibly easy—just go outside! Take off your shoes like a hobbit and let your bare feet connect to the earth; breathe in the frosty autumnal air; take a few minutes to sit still and look at the beautiful fall colors. The Nature Child relates well to animals and finds harmony in nature—just like the natural world, the Nature child is emotional and gentle but also resilient and strong.

6. The magical child

Alice (Lewis Carroll's), Luna Lovegood, and Tiny Tim are all manifestations of this archetype. The Magical Child is the part that is enchanted by other people and causes people to find us enchanting as well. When Anne Frank wrote that she still believes people are truly good at heart—that was a Magical Child moment. It's magic and innocence in the face of ongoing horror, but not in a naïve way—rather in a determined and wise way. In Miracle on 34th Street, Susan Walker declared that she believed Kris Kringle was Santa Clause (even though it was silly). Believing that anything can be possible is the Magical Child.

The shadow side of this archetype is cynicism, cutting people's dreams down, and depression. Perhaps you hide from reality in fantasy worlds (such as video games or TV) or addictions, refuse to take action in your own life, and let these distance you from people in your life. If you're waiting for someone to come along and rescue you rather than determining to rescue yourself—that's the shadow side.