Metaphors have a life of their own. They are living entities in and of themselves, like Jungian archetypes. The metaphors create behavior. The way they interact with each other depends on the behavior created. These are called structural or archetypal metaphors.
Operational metaphors are how the archetype operates.
They describe how behavior plays itself out. Suppose there is someone whose reverse speech has three structural metaphors that say wolf, goddess and Satan. The wolf is a hunter and protector. Satan is aggressive and angry. Goddess is hope for the future.