A visionary and an illusionist archetype may share the same idea and get twisted in reality. But a visionary is not an illusionist, and an illusionist is also not a visionary. There is a difference between them and this essay will extract their essence in order to understand the difference.
“Just as all archetypes have positive, favourable, bright side, that point outwards, so also they have one that points downwards, partly negative and unfavorable, partly chthonic, but for the rest merely neutral.” Carl G. Jung, The Phenomenology of the spirit of the fairy tales.
Visionary, Illusionist and Dreamy Image
Human and dream are inseparable. In daily life, it’s easy for us to have a dream while we are sleeping or visualizing some ideal reality. This “dream” is the emphasis on vision and illusion. Its difference lies within the abstract relation between this ‘dream land’ and life.
Visionary: The Essence
Visionary is born out of as a knowing, not illusion. Though at first it may seem like an illusion. Yet, envisioning a seed is knowing that there is a seed, and plant it with time.
The Visionary woman who is intuitive and sees into the future reveals messages — sometimes dark prophecies, sometimes visions of light — and is suspect to the rational mind. Her knowledge and perception come from mysterious sources that transcend logic and empirical methods. Since her visions cannot be comprehended by rational thought alone, she threatens hierarchical thinking and is feared, ridiculed, and even condemned for her access to a realm that many refuse to experience. Poets, mystics, saints, shamans, artists, actresses, teachers, and healers, including some psychotherapists, are some of the traditional and contemporary channelers of visionary wisdom. Linda Schierse Leonard, Meeting the Madwoman
Illusionist: The Essence
Unlike vision, which makes one ‘wait’ for it, illusion makes one idealize it. Here, a dream becomes an obsession which met by a very low ‘effort’. It’s not fueled by its own transcendence, but by its ideal form. And this form will become the focus that blurring out the rest. Hence, life will distance itself from this idealize form and leave the gap to illusion for thickening its mist. Therefore, an illusionist is the one who idealizes a pebble into a seed and plants it with full of fantasy that one day, a sprout may grow. Underneath all of this, is a common phenomena called projection.
Differentiating visionary and illusionist
By imagining both cases, we can simply determine the differences between visionary and illusionist. Not only from the ‘seed of dream’ types, but also within the element of time. Time is a friend of vision and an enemy of projection.
Knowing that it is a seed and plant it with faith which won’t corrode within time. This kind of knowing fabricates unshaken certainty which won’t weaver even though many people will question it. The benefit of the doubt won’t urge a visionary to give any meaningless clarification or explanation.
In contradiction with the visionary, illusionist who idealize a pebble as a seed will plant it with fantasy and idealization itself. Hence, when the time comes and there is no growth at all, the illusionist will try harder to idealize better for the sake of defending its idealization.
As a consequence, illusionist will need affirmation in a good sense, and propaganda in a negative sense. They will view time and benefit of the doubt as an attacker. Unconsciously, the more illusionist sees the possibility of their ideal dream is going to be shattered by reality, the harder they will try to ‘protect’ the idealization of their dream. A shattered dream which is predictable is their nightmare in reality. Perhaps that’s why they refuse to ‘wake-up’ and clean their own mess.
Conclusion
A seed is a seed. A pebble is a pebble. We can’t idealize a pebble into a seed and vice versa. A visionary is the one that knowing a seed from ‘fishing’ into the unconscious and plant it to see what kind of seed it is, while illusionist is driven by idealization of the unconscious and misinterprets a pebble as a seed. Yet, to misinterpret is humane. What makes one an illusionist is the unwillingness to accept the misinterpretation so one can shatter its own idealization. As human with dreams and hopes, the willingness to have a disillusionment, is what prevent human to become an illusionist.
