I write this article with tongue in cheek and yet with a certain sense of seriousness. As with all types, there are stages of growth and development as we evolve into the highest version of ourselves.
When I look at INFJs in their entirety, I see a number of stages of development.
- The undeveloped (immature) INFJ
- The developing INFJ (INFJ Padawan)
- The developed INFJ (INFJ Knight)
- The self-actualizing/Universal INFJ (INFJ Master)
The Undeveloped INFJ
These are the seeds of greatness and Darkness/Light that are germinating in the world today. Many of these INFJ seeds are either unaware of who they are or they have just discovered that they are INFJ.
It is a stage of confusion, frustration, love, hate, anger, peace, comfort yet needing to be comforted. It is a perplexing state of contradicting confusion. INFJ seeds are people with the cognitive abilities that make them a unique type unto themselves from between 1-3% of the human population (a generalized statistic).
At this stage, many INFJ seeds are lost to the world. Out of the entire INFJ population,only a minority actually discover the truth about themselves. When they find out their true nature, they realize they are not alone, but part of a very rare and unique breed of beings that walk the planet Earth.
It’s a pity that so many are lost, but yet it is part and parcel of how nature operates. Many INFJ seeds are dragged down by the world around them, lost to their spirit guides and angels fighting to get through their fogs of darkness, confusion and despair.
It is at this stage that INFJs are most vulnerable. Scattered across the globe in small numbers, it is difficult for them to come across another INFJ in their lives. Many times INFJs feel alone and misunderstood by the world around them.
Lacking understanding of their true nature, these undiscovered INFJs are so torn apart by their inner turmoil that they may sometimes be diagnosed with personality disorders or depression. In other cases, these INFJ seeds have learnt to suppress their true nature in order to survive in society.
Who wouldn’t be depressed if they could sense the whirlpool of thoughts and emotions that surround them all the time?
Some actually go on to successful lives and careers in society without ever knowing their true nature, but others fall to the wayside of life to be forgotten and treated as outcasts of society.
The Developing INFJ
For those who have discovered the truth about themselves as INFJs, they are initially caught up with discovering the truth of being an INFJ. It can be a moment of pride when they discover they are a rare breed, and then they are hit with the fact they still have to live out their physical realities.
At this stage, a lot of their past behaviors, emotions and insights into the world around them start making a lot of sense. They see why they have been the way they are in the past. But even though understanding finds them, productive changes are still elusive as they continue (even against their wishes) in their past patterns of behavior.
Still caught up in the inner worlds that exist within them, they find it hard to release their grip on the inner places that have sheltered their hearts and souls for so long. But it is something they need to learn in order to progress on their path of life.
This is a time when they must venture outside their inner worlds into the physical reality of external form. It is a time where they must test themselves to develop the necessary skills for surviving and thriving in society.
Alternating between the shelter of their inner worlds, they make the occasional excursion into physical realities to test out their newly learned skills of human interaction. They may also find they have the talent for sensing the intangible, which can further confuse their socially reinforced notion of reality.
How do you balance out your interactions with society when the majority are unable to experience the metaphysical or walk among the spirit worlds? It can seem a case for the mental hospital!
It is at this stage that the INFJ needs to find the balance between walking the metaphysical world and the physical realities that dominate this dimension.
Some choose to give up their metaphysical connections in order to fit in and make a living in society. Others may choose to go entirely mystic and become a minority. Others yet choose to master both sides of their nature, mystic and human, as they move through human society attempting to evolve beyond their present state of being.
During this stage, many developing INFJs are still learning about themselves and what they can or cannot do. It is an exciting yet arduous stage of growth. It is challenging and exhausting to master the self and their inner energies, while trying to find a place for themselves in the world around them.
It is also in this stage they start to develop their potential in many aspects of their lives. They often get the comment that they have so much potential, if only they were to …(do this, be that… etc).
Developing INFJs can find themselves stuck in this stage and never really getting anywhere in their lives. They can end up feeling sorry for themselves, or in other cases, make peace with who they are and settle for their present place in life.
But for the INFJs that persevere, they eventually reach maturity and place of being a developed INFJ, where they have developed their talents and abilities.
They have attained INFJ knighthood.
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