The Thief Soul group is characterized by bringing in that which is new.  Thieves work best with that which is not, rather than that which is.  By their very nature, Thieves work against the crystallization of society by constantly challenging reality and finding alternative methods for performing action.  If there is a loophole, an escape clause, or a back door anywhere, you can bet a Thief will find it.

The word "Thief" in our society tends to have the connotation of being a criminal or someone of a lower order.  Thieves are very necessary in the balance of all things, and have just as much importance as the other three soul groups.  Thieves with lower inclinations will tend to gravitate towards criminal activities, but anyone of lower inclination will do so as well, regardless of their soul group.  In criminal activities, Thieves would more than likely choose fraud, swindling, or conning over more overt activities such as burglary or violence (which is actually a Warrior activity!)  Even more evolved thieves look for the quickest way out; the line of least resistance, the shortest distance between two points (and most of them realize that it is rarely linear).  Thieves love to see what they can get by with.

Thieves tend to be on the cutting edge of society; bringing in that which is overshadowing and disseminating it to the rest of the soul groups.  You can tell who your Thief friends are; they are the first ones on the telephone to you with new gossip or news.  Thieves are the first to try any new innovation or gadget.  While the other soul groups are saying "It can't be done," Thieves say "Yes, it can."  They don't know the meaning of the word "no."

Among the various soul-groups, Thieves have the fewest boundaries of all, if any.  Consequently, they may relay to you extremely embarrassing or intimate personal information, and be surprised at your mortification or shock.  It's best not to trust a lesser-evolved thief with intimate secrets.  Thieves are the last to learn the meaning of "mine and thine," be it physical objects or shared thoughts or feelings.

Needless to say, Thieves are some of the most joyous beings to have around.  They practically bubble over with fun.  Refusing to take anything seriously, they gravitate naturally to the professions of comedy, the performing arts, and the written word.  Speaking of words, Thieves LOVE word-play and twisting around meanings.  A Thief as a lawyer can twist the finest points of law to their own (or their client's) end; they can prove anything as a statistician or a logician.  They trip up others on their own words, using their thoughts and words against them.

Thieves can perform well in any vocation; however, some vocations they find stultifying and drab.  If a thief goes into business, it's generally for himself or herself, and it's definitely to bring something new into the world.  Thieves are excellent in all of the communication arts, but rarely succeed in the news world because of their lively imaginations and their tendency to "add a sauce" to everything.  The Thief is the ultimate D.J.; spinning other people's records and supplying irreverent comments in the background.  Thieves have the ability to think on their feet, and do well in any occupation that requires this.

Most thieves do not have the determination to apply themselves to highly demanding fields such as Medicine.  If they do, they are likely of a highly evolved nature and are in the process of karma-dissolving.  Freedom is essential to a Thief; they detest 9-to-5 work schedules and would much prefer working in a more flexible environment.

Thieves tend to flourish in the area of sales.  More evolved Thieves are able to "read" their clients better and can create an aura of desire around an object or idea, to where it practically sells itself.  Thieves are very good at anything involving promotion of an idea or public relations work.  They work well at advertising, because of their innate knack at building up an image around anything they set their mind to.

As writers, Thieves enjoy writing fiction, enabling them to create fantastic worlds and situations.  They are excellent storytellers, and people overlook their untruthfulness in recounting a tale because the fantasy they create is so delightful.  They are less adept at writing nonfiction, because of their innate tendency to embellish (and, also, because they find it patently boring).  Obviously, Thieves make great children's authors because of this wonderful knack of creating fantasy.  Some famous Thief authors are:  Anita Loos, Lewis Carroll, Mark Twain, J. Barrie (author of Peter Pan), Roald Dahl, the brothers Grimm, and James Thurber (author of Walter Mitty).

As artists, Thieves tend toward the avant-garde, bringing in outrageous ideas.  Because of this tendency, they excel in the creative fields of fashion and design, where the cutting edge is the norm and trends change at the drop of a hat or hemline.

Obviously, Thieves make some of the best comedians and entertainers.  Natural clowns at heart, they can't help but be funny and they help lighten the spirits of the rest of us.  Their humor tends toward the outrageous, and they are the ones most likely to take prat-falls.  They also make great mimics, and can actually make us laugh at ourselves as well.  Some of the famous Thief entertainers are:  Judy Tenuta, Jerry Seinfeld, Red Skelton, Buster Keaton, Fanny Brice, Carol Burnett, Ed Wynn, Rip Taylor, Jim Carrey, Groucho Marx, Henny Youngman, Eric Idle (Monte Python), Lucille Ball, Art Carney, Robin Williams, and Bob Hope.

Inventions fascinate Thieves; however, they rarely create the invention.  Instead, they introduce the idea, wait for it to sink in, and are off to the next thing.  Consequently, there are few Thief scientists and inventors.  Two notable exceptions are Alexander Graham Bell (inventor of the telephone) and Albert Einstein.  In antiquity, the Greek inventor Archimedes was a Thief (who else but a Thief would run naked through the streets shouting "Eureka!").

As a general rule, Thieves respect the armed services but detest the idea of participating in them.  If they go, it's as a last resort or because they were drafted.  There are no real notable Thief generals as very few ever make it to that level.  Most thieves find unique ways to avoid being drafted or recruited.  If a thief does actively pursue a military career, its for a specific purpose, such as recognissance or espionage.  Obviously, Thieves do well in special government agency work and make great secret operatives.  The infamous Mata Hari, for example, was a Thief.

Politics appeals to the Thief, for in that arena they can "sell" an image or concept to the general public or usher in new ideas and concepts much easier.  The political Thief above all must be wary not to fall into corruption, graft, and using unfair advantages or inside knowledge during elections, which are tempting options with the way our particular political system is set up today.  Thief president Richard Nixon found this out the hard way in the Watergate fiasco.  A similar fiasco threatened to collapse the Thief president Bill Clinton, but he was able to sidestep the trap and appears to be carrying forward the thief energies that Nixon was attempting to embody.  The thief rulers Nicholas and Alexandra Romanov were examples of the "tragic clowns"; their preoccupation with the welfare of their family and, specifically, their Wizard son, the crown prince Alexis, that they were unable to perceive or control the overwhelming social upheavals threatening them and their realm.  They played directly into the hands of the infamous wizard Gregori Rasputin, which helped bring their downfall, albeit ushering in a "new order" into Russia.  Other famous Thief politicians and statesmen include Henry Clay, Benjamin Franklin, John Tyler, Thurgood Marshall, Calvin Coolidge, Gerald Ford, Edward (Ted) Kennedy, Gary Hart, and California governor Jerry Brown.

Musically, Thieves tend to run in "packs."  This is true of thieves in any profession, but especially in music.  With notable exceptions, one will generally not see any one Thief musician become noteworthy, but will rather see Thief music bands arise that achieve a considerable degree of fame.  Most noteworthy among thief bands are:  Steely Dan, Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), The Allman Brothers, Lynnrd Skynnrd, The Go-Go's, The B-52's, Metallica, KISS, ABBA, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Clash, Smashing Pumpkins, Stone Temple Pilots, Real McCoy, Journey, and Styx.  Famous Thief musicians include Alice Cooper, Meat Loaf, Michael Jackson, Joe Cocker, Melanie, Boz Skaggs, Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks, and most recently, Lou Bega.

The challenges Thieves work to overcome are greed and escapism.  In their early cycles of incarnation, Thieves work strongly with greed, which helps create karma for their future incarnations.  As they mature, Thieves must overcome a tendency towards escapism, or shirking their service.  Of all the soul groups, this is the one that is most likely to manifest this condition.

Some mythological archetypes for Thieves are:  Mercury (Hermes), Loki, Coyote (Native American), Anasasi, Prometheus, Eris, Gullveig, Morgan Le Fay, Robin Hood, Scheharezade, Scarlett O'Hara, Walter Mitty, Willie Loman (Death of a Salesman).

Other famous thieves include:  Jonah (the Bible), Samson, Mark Antony, H. D. Thoreau, John Wilkes Booth, Lenin, Juan Peron, Al Capone, Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller, Theodore Roosevelt, Abby Hoffman, Harry Truman, Martin Luther, Rene Descartes, Rosa Parks, Hillary Clinton, Emma Hamilton (mistress of Lord Nelson), Shelley Winters, Will Smith (Fresh Prince), L.L. Cool J, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Sheena Easton, Peter Fonda, Jane Fonda, Walter Matthau, Brad Pitt, Winona Ryder, Ally Sheedy, Phyllis Diller, Roger Moore, DeForest Kelly, Nichelle Nichols, Ellen Degeneres, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Nicholson, Maria Callas.

Keyword of the Thief:  I CAN.

Return to The Four Soul Types.