The dictionary definition of sabotage references the phrase “deliberately and maliciously destroying property.” But did you know that the word sabotage is from the French word saboter, which literally means “walk noisily,” directly related to sabot or saboton, meaning wooden shoe?” As I was researching this column, I came across an archived story that shows that the modern meaning derives from labor disputes where strikers used the purposeful tactic of throwing shoes into machinery in order to stop the factories from producing without paying the workers what they were owed.

And isn’t that exactly what Saboteur energy does in our lives? Physical property is not destroyed, but what about our plans, hopes, and dreams? Saboteur can have a tricky way of “walking noisily” in our thoughts and wreaking havoc with our goals and intentions.

According to author Caroline Myss, the purpose of this archetype isn’t to sabotage us, but to help us discern the many ways that we undermine ourselves.

I am finding it helpful, as I learn more about this archetypal Saboteur energy, to think of Committee parts who are related to and under the influence of Saboteur. Some of these are: Inner Critic, Fear, Judge of Others, Procrastinator, Self-Doubt, The Excuse Maker, The Complainer, and the One Who Thrives on Drama.

As you take a look back at your own life’s choices and patterns, you may get in touch with some others as well. The important thing is not to get down on yourself for any times that Saboteur energy has wreaked havoc on your dreams and goals. It is crucial, first of all, to become aware of those times when you are heading toward self-sabotaging behavior. Caroline Myss says: we need to face this powerful archetype that we all possess and make it an ally. When you do, you will find that it calls your attention to situations in which you are in danger of being sabotaged, or of sabotaging yourself. Once you are comfortable with the Saboteur, you learn to hear and heed these warnings, saving yourself untold grief from making the same mistakes over and over. Ignore it, and the shadow Saboteur will manifest in the form of self-destructive behavior or the desire to undermine others.

As you begin to identify your own Inner Committee parts that are related to the Saboteur archetype, honor each one with a SoulCollage® and do the basic journaling exercise as well, in order to establish open-minded, compassionate relationships with them. If Sabotage or Self-Sabotage has been a theme or pattern throughout your journey, consider creating a Council card for that archetype as well.

Here are some questions that you can journal with in order to make these Neters more understandable and relatable:

Anne Marie Bennett is a SoulCollage® Facilitator / Trainer, published author, website goddess, and two-time cancer survivor who was mentored directly by Seena Frost. In 2005, she fell in love with SoulCollage® and was inspired to use her professional experience along with web technology as a means to serve the world by putting SoulCollage® "out there" in a really big way with KaleidoSoul. Anne Marie lives in eastern Massachusetts with her middle-aged husband, one adolescent feline, and a treasury of birds, squirrels and chipmunks who keep them hopping. Her other books about SoulCollage® are available here.

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We often acknowledge our tendencies to self-sabotage, but we may not have considered how sabotage can serve as a strategic ally. While self-sabotage is fed by our fears and low self-esteem, the bright side of the saboteur comes forth as we welcome our own capacities, beauty, worth and power. While we make self-destructive decisions when the saboteur is in the shadows, sabotage at work in the light can guide us to beneficial actions.

The saboteur’s inherent gift of change-making can guide us to make empowered, authentic choices and to take actions that lead us to our highest potential. Sabotage is certainly an agent for change. It’s also an agent of agency. It can deliver us from our traps and lift us into a conscious place of healthy self-determination.

Sabotage’s subversions can present in many ways. A direct disruption can protect us from an “opportunity” that is actually contrary to our well-being. Such interventions may seem divine, but they may also be the protective saboteur at work. Have you ever experienced an incapacitating cold or a flight delay that kept you from what would have been, in retrospect, an unpleasant or even disastrous experience? Perhaps your internet connection magically fails during an interview with someone you don’t want to work with, or your intuition tells you not to accept an invitation to a party that you later learn was a disaster.

Sabotage can work quietly; it doesn’t always involve physical obstruction or destruction. Some of the best saboteurs undermine their adversaries’ activities through observation and information. Plots are often foiled with exposed secrets alone; an attack plan is discovered and thwarted, for example. We gather “intel” (intelligence information) in the course of making routine plans and major decisions. The saboteur provides awareness, strategic information, and navigation options. As a master strategist, it can keep us in motion and on track, removing obstacles when appropriate and subverting our potential missteps.

As we ponder our propensity for self-sabotage, we may also take the opportunity to discover the flip side of that saboteur energy and befriend it. We can peruse our SoulCollage® cards to identify the parts of us that contribute to sabotage. Committee cards are particularly helpful, as they reflect our psyche’s unique tendencies. Council cards may also be informative, with archetypes that may influence our expression of the saboteur. Perhaps there are Community members that have impacted us through sabotage’s bright or the dark side. We may already have cards that are specific to sabotage, perhaps a self-saboteur Committee card or a Council card for The Saboteur archetype.

Preparing this article, the term “secret agent” came up on a synonym search for saboteur. The idea of the spy, the secret agent, the sleuth, the strategist all resonated with me. Thus, I share my Council card for The Sleuth (above). This Neter speaks of collecting information at all levels and in dark places (such as the sewer!). I look forward to exploring the gifts of sabotage with him. Another important Council member will be my Destroyer, who carries the force of large and drastic change.

In my Committee suit, I discovered more Neters related to sabotage: Discernment, Scientist, Observer, and Decision Maker. My Expect the Unexpected card (at left) told me: Anticipate sabotage and disruption from elsewhere. You cannot control it, but you can be prepared.

Dr. Michele Manos lives in Marin County, California and is the developer of SoulCollage® Card Games and Playing with a Full Deck Retreats. She trained as a Facilitator in 2008 with Seena Frost and has enthusiastically shared the magic of SoulCollage® ever since. Learn about her upcoming virtual gatherings and courses on her webpage. 

Join us for a sweet time as Spring arrives to use your art, inquiry, and wisdom, to reveal where deeper healing is needed. This powerful creative journey brings a new way to savor the potency of life, in the hive of the heart, while mapping a path that brings past, present and future into a new whole.

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