The Wood Archetype: A Thick Forest

To understand the wood archetype think of the metaphor of a forest thick with trees. Like trees, wood people are determined, perseverant, and aggressively competitive with others. This makes them quite successful in business but, when imbalanced, can lead to workaholism and prioritizing success at any price, even if it means being unethical. Naturally Type-A, wood people love to tackle challenging tasks and work very well under pressure, though their strong sense of purpose can lead them to become overly driven, craving alcohol or other unhealthy ways to relieve their building stress. Just like forests grow step by step over time, wood people have a strong work ethic and are excellent at setting and reaching long-term goals. However, they tend to think things over too much.

 

The main emotion associated with this archetype is anger, and wood people with their strong drive and lofty goals can easily become irritable, argumentative, impatient, and snappy under pressure, even if it is self-inflicted. Though their physical strength is poor, wood people have a highly developed intelligence, making them apt at brainstorming and thinking outside the box. Physically wood types are lean and lanky, with a slight green tone to their complexion and long oval faces. They have broad shoulders, a straight back, and a sinewy body. Spring is the season of this archetype, and wood people love its promise of fresh beginnings and renewed growth, the perfect opportunity for new projects and goals.

 

Because they run high stress, wood types suffer from diseases of tension like high blood pressure, neck and shoulder pain, and headaches. The liver is the main organ associated with this archetype so toxicity and digestive issues are a common complaint. Wood people need to take care to balance their tendency toward workaholism by making time to unwind and do other things. Since they run high stress, flowing exercises like walking and tai chi are ideal. Because they spend so much time thinking and planning for the future it is also important to do activities that require them to be in the moment, like creative arts and meditation. As for diet, it is best to avoid things that stress the liver: intoxicants like coffee, stimulants like alcohol, and unhealthy fats like deep-fried foods and hydrogenated oils. Leafy greens are excellent for the liver as is a little sour: lemon water, cranberry, and pickles.