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“The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com
Segment 2:
THE 12 ASTROLOGICAL ARCHETYPES
Table of contents:
- Introduction: ---------------------------------------------1
- Part 1: Pisces-Virgo -----------------------------------3
- Part 2 Aries-Libra --------------------------------------9
- Part 3 Taurus-Scorpio --------------------------------13
- Part 4 Gemini-Sagittarius ----------------------------22
- Part 5 Cancer-Capricorn -----------------------------29
- Part 6 Aquarius-Leo -----------------------------------36
- Part 7 Further Exploration ---------------------------44
- Part 8 Closing Thoughts -----------------------------46
INTRODUCTION
These descriptions intend to provide a perspective on the 12 archetypes from an
evolutionary point of view. Many astrologers interpret any archetype as being
fixed in its behavior (i.e. “If your Sun is in Aries then you get angry easily…). We
however are learning that one archetype has a multitude of expressions,
depending on how it fits into the context of the entire chart, as well as one’s level
of awareness.
Life-Pie Visualization
Before we look at any archetype, first, let us envision life- just life as it is. Whole
and undifferentiated. Now, place on top of life a cheesy pizza pie with 12 slices.
That‟s what we‟re doing here. We‟re working with one (out of many) systems of
interpretation that provide a language for “how the oneness operates.”
If you cut out one piece of that pie, you‟ll be looking at an astrological archetype.
If you cut out the Gemini slice, you will find the people around you, siblings,
cousins, media, communication, your throat chakra, the nervous system, the
planet Mercury, the area of the sky that is an arc of 60-90 degrees below the
eastern horizon called “the third house”, hands, schools, the left-brain, language,
science, and many more correlations.
Now put that slice back into the pie. We are back to just existence.
Noumenon
An archetype itself represents an ENTIRE DOMAIN OF CONSCIOUSNESS.
Gemini represents an entire domain of consciousness. That domain of
consciousness manifests itself in various forms (such as the one‟s listed above).
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The concept I am introducing here is the relationship between “noumenon” and
“phenomenon”.
Noumenon= The isness.
Phenomenon= The manifestations of the isness.
Defining the isness of any singular archetype is a bit difficult, as its essence is
HIGHLY non verbal and non linear. However, it is absolutely possible to
understand the 12 astrological archetypes through connecting to their essence.
As a general rule, when it comes to understanding the phenomenal associations
of any archetype, it is best to ask, “Why are these particular phenomenon
associated with this archetype?” as opposed to simply reading a list of
associations. For example, we can ask, “Why are hands associated with
Gemini?” To find the answer, we must first tap into the noumenal essence of the
Gemini archetype, and then contemplate how that essence manifests itself as
what we call “hands”.
Same archetype, different expression
A natal chart is made up of signs, houses and planets. Each sign, house and
planet is a unique expression of a singular archetype. For example: Mars, Aries
and the first house all relate to the way in which a soul is meant to instinctively
insert and assert their being-ness in life.
In this segment, when I refer to an archetype I will address the sign. For
example, when speaking of the Aries, first house and Mars on a chart (which are
all expressions of the same archetype”) I will refer to all of them as “the Aries
archetype”.
In a future segment we will learn the specific meaning of signs, houses and
planets as well as the differences between them.
Each archetype is operative in every chart
Each soul experiences itself through every single archetype. We have all of them
present in our chart. The archetypes all appear differently, however they are all
present and operating all of the time. What truly differentiates one chart from the
next is the way in which the archetypes are emphasized and synthesized
together.
*****
Format of writing
I present the 12 signs through polarities. One of the easiest ways to discover
these archetypes is through comparison and contrast. In fact, the more you can
understand Pisces, the more you will understand Virgo.
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As I wrote above, each of the 12 astrological archetypes represents complete
domains of consciousness. Just as much, they can also represent 12 complete
domains of unconsciousness. Depending on one‟s awareness, any archetype
can express itself in a multitude of ways. I will often address the spectrum
between unconscious and conscious as “shadow” and “self-realization”.
******************************************************************************
Return your inner eye to the life-pie. Now sprinkle on your favorite condiment. Let
it marinate…
******************************************************************************
Part 1 Pisces and Virgo
Pisces Archetype
- The sign of Pisces
- The 12th
house
- The planet Neptune
I am starting with Pisces because Pisces truly represents the ending and the
beginning of all. Aries is what emerges from the womb; fresh, new, ready for
adventure. Pisces however is the womb. It‟s what is always here. It is where we
come from and where we are going.
Pisces represents the ultimate isness of existence. The evolutionary intention for
the Pisces archetype is to surrender to the Truth of what is. What has to happen
in order for that to occur? Nothing has to happen. That‟s the trick… and it‟s really
tricky… and it‟s also not…
Each soul is an extension of its Creator. And it is the will of Creator to experience
itself through diversity. Therefore, when a soul incarnates into a human identity,
what‟s really happening is the entire Universe is exploring itself through a human
identity.
This can create great confusion for a soul. How to reconcile the absoluteness of
one‟s being with the development of an apparently limited and challenging
human identity?
To me, the evolution of the Pisces archetype can be roughly represented in 6
stages. Of course any soul can be experiencing more than one stage at any
particular time. I credit Maurice Fernandez and his book “Neptune, the End of
Hope, Beginning of Truth” as the inspiration for these stages.
1. Innocence
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2. Hurt by existence
3. Depart from innocence- developing the immune system
4. Fame/public service
5. Disillusionment
6. Truth
1. Innocence.
When a soul comes into this world- as a newborn baby, is does not yet have the
capacity to create any kind of distinction between any two things. The innate
miraculousness and oneness of life is simply taken for granted. This is called
“pre-disillusionment purity”.
2. Hurt by innocence.
In a state of innocence, and indiscriminate trust, a soul can be let down by life as
it continually gets hurt. This can be very confusing for a soul that is experiencing
this. This happens on subtle levels for every child, such as when life doesn‟t
magically show up whenever there is a need for changing, for feeding etc. This
happens for any soul that feels confused because they were “trying to do the
right thing.” or “just wanted to trust that person”, or “trusted that God would
protect me…” or “trusted that I won‟t get sick”. The trust is in fact just hope- it
does not recognize that life isn‟t innately going to take care of us in the ways we
naively hoped it would. To quote the 2009 movie Avatar, “Aywah does not take
sides, she only protects the balance of life”.
3. Departure from innocence- developing the immune system.
A shadow expression of Pisces is to believe one‟s self to be a victim. Why? As a
result of having been previously too trusting, a soul can now become overly
protective and distrustful of life. In extreme cases, as a result of being taken
advantage of by whatever forces in life, a soul can develop an emotion of
resentment and revenge. This could lead to sadist behavior.
Eventually, a soul realizes that if effort is not made, then one‟s existence will be
extinguished. This can lead to a serious existential crisis in which one feels
dangerously “left behind” in life. This can be connected to undeveloped motor
skills, a weak immune system, lack of self assertion, undeveloped relationship
skills etc. At this realization, a soul bravely chooses to leave the innocence
behind, as innocence simply doesn‟t seem to work. At this stage, a soul starts to
develop strength and immunity.
4. Fame/public service.
In so doing, the Pisces archetype can manifest as immense skillfulness,
knowledge and talent. Even though a soul may have developed some immunity,
there will still be a lack of appropriate boundaries. A soul at this stage may wish
to save the world (savior complex). Or they may have trouble saying “no” to
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every person that wants their help. This can in turn lead to more fear- in which a
soul isolates itself from the public in order to avoid all the attention and suffering.
5. Disillusionment
Pisces shadow always lies in its tendency to get super confused about reality. It
may deeply believe that surrender=martyrdom. Or acceptance=self-sacrifice. In
that belief, it will still create over and over again circumstances in which it will feel
victimized by life. This continues to happen until a soul realizes that its underlying
pattern has been to think that it has to be something in order to live in harmony
with existence.
Originally a soul thought it needed to be pure, so it stayed in innocence. Then it
thought it needed to try harder- so it developed its immunity consciousness,
possibly to the point of sadism, becoming hyper controlling, or perhaps brilliantly
skillful. Then it thought it needed to become a bodhisattva and save the world.
And then it thought it had to run away as to not become a martyr. All this
ultimately leads to a deep all encompassing disillusionment for a soul. Finally, a
soul actually lets go and lets God. This is true surrender.
6. Truth
In surrendering to the truth, the Pisces archetype learns that indeed everything is
actually ok. A soul realizes perfection in the imperfectness of existence. Instead
of having figured out the “right way to be”- a soul becomes more interested in
living in alignment with the way things actually are. This will manifest itself as a
mimic of nature. Nature is neutral- she is profoundly kind and giving, yet it does
not assume any responsibility that is outside of her function. The apple tree is
present for all to pick an apple. It does not uproot itself to feed those who are
hungry. If it is cut it will fall. If it is fertilized with the elements, it will grow stronger.
If it is hurt, it will use its energy to grow protective bark around the wound. It is
constantly adjusting to reality- in all ways.
Nature can also be violent and destructive. Innocent people are killed, hungry
people starve, natural disasters happen, people‟s evil intentions often reign
society, and bad things happen to good people. All of life exists as a template for
all of that to happen.
A soul realizes that it itself is in fact just an extension of Life. It eventually yearns
to become just like Life. This ultimately means getting out of the way and
devoting oneself to live in Truth.
Each soul is given the tools through which it can serve life. These tools correlate
to the simple nature of who the soul is. Nothing more, nothing less. However any
laziness or false pride will result in suffering.
Enlightenment vs insanity:
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Pisces symbolizes the fine line between enlightenment and insanity. Sanity is not
really something any of us got. Sanity is really when we are at peace with all that
is. That is the essence of Pisces. It is in fact very rare to find a soul that is truly at
peace with life. How often do we attempt to fight life, complain about it, and wish
it were something else? In true acceptance, peace comes. Peace is the starting
point for living in revelation of the great mystery of life- as it is.
Further observations about the Pisces archetype:
As stated, each soul is a unique expression of Creator. As consciousness
evolves through the evolutionary stages, the Pisces archetype will manifest itself
as a transcendent impulse to serve the oneness. All of life, as an expression of
Creation from Creator, is truly of the same essence. Thus, at a certain level of
consciousness, our oneness is experienced as a tangible reality that can be
directly known.
The unifying impulse of Love ultimately drives a soul to serve the collective with
absolutely no unnatural discrimination, expectation of reward, or attachment to
outcome. Why? Because it is the nature of the one to recognize itself as the one-
everywhere and in everyone. That‟s where spiritual service naturally arises.
The Pisces archetype in a chart represents where each soul is wired to merge
with the ultimate Truth. It also represents where there is the greatest possibility of
delusion and insanity.
Adyashanti: “That Which Always Is”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yt9txkyb1i0
******************************
Virgo Archetype
- The sign Virgo
- The 6th
house
- The planet Mercury
Based on what we know about Pisces, what can we say about Virgo? What is an
archetype that represents the opposite of surrender, the opposite of complete
acceptance? The polarity to Truth? This is starting to sound depressing!
The truth is, we wouldn‟t be here, incarnated on this planet, if there wasn‟t work
to do. Our very existence denotes the potential for improvement. In Virgo, we can
experience a feeling of “lack” in being so far (180 degrees) from the Source. This
however, is exactly how the Source wishes to experience itself- through physical
existence.
Here is a short excerpt from an article I wrote on Virgo in my blog:
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Virgo has to do with the self-improving function of consciousness. All
aspects of existence are fine just the way they are (Pisces). However
there is a continual and universal imperative to participate with life in such
a way that all aspects can be properly maintained and improved upon.
Have you ever noticed how many times a day your cat or
dog licks their butt? Apparently cockroaches are the cleanest insects
around- spending a good portion of their day cleaning themselves!
We can look to our body and pay attention to what can be better. For
some it will be the waist line, for others it will be the skin's complexion,
good bowel movements, exercising every day,
proper hygiene, healthier food, meditation, breathing exercises, yoga. We
can also look towards the work we do, or the relationships in our life and
find something to improve.
Virgo's gift is the ability to fix things; to help foster more improved
conditions for life- such that everything can operate at its maximum
capacity.
This implies a very cerebral nature to Virgo. Virgo represents the ability to
notice the way things are and participate with life in such a way that one
can study how life works and make it work even better. The mind of the
Virgo archetype is always measuring and adjusting.
The primary contrast between Virgo and Pisces is DISCERNMENT. Virgo
evolves by developing its capacity to discern. Through the skill of discernment,
Virgo can help improve life without getting freaked out by how f‟ed up everything
already is.
A shadow expression of the Virgo archetype is masochism. Masochism is based
on an inner anger and guilt for not being good enough. This could express itself
as overworking oneself, not knowing how to relax, taxing the body/mind/nervous
system, neglecting basic chores and routines that are necessary components of
life. Virgo can become intensely neurotic and obsessive compulsive, or intensely
neglectful- two sides of the same coin.
When that masochism is projected outwards it can manifest as an attempt to
control all of life. The need for inner perfection can express as a need for
everything in one‟s environment to be perfect. This could lead to very controlling
and judgmental behavior of others.
This shadow of Virgo can often express itself as a false surrender to the already
existing perfection, “eh, I don‟t need to bathe, I‟m fine”, as a cover up for actually
feeling too lost for the cause. For this reason, in a state of distortion, Virgo can
seem very Piscean. Just like Pisces, when it is striving for some more control
over life, might look very much like Virgo.
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In the same way that Pisces is learning that surrender doesn‟t mean sacrifice,
Virgo is learning that discrimination doesn‟t mean control. Things have to be ok
the way they are. Change can only happen if we are patient and meticulous in
our approach.
Holding back:
As Virgo has an evolutionary imperative to develop self-accuracy in all aspects of
a soul‟s life, it can become easily overwhelmed with a strong feeling of “not being
ready” enough to put to use all the gifts it may have developed. As a result, Virgo
will hold back from speaking it‟s truth, applying it‟s knowledge, seeing clients,
practicing their healing work, setting up their business etc… because it is so
starkly aware of how much more work there still is to do.
Thus, the self-realization for Virgo is when a soul makes a commitment to a way
of living that allows for a constant development in the context of complete
acceptance of the way things currently are. Commitment is a key word here, as it
implies that the soul recognizes its innate ability to be of service. If a soul‟s
commitment to self improve comes from a true desire to be closer to the truth,
then it will be able to focus on the proper maintenance of its own body, mind
psyche, as well as the ways in which it can be of service to others.
Routine:
Ultimately, through the Virgo archetype a soul learns that routine is a crucial
component of physical existence. Routines that include all the necessary aspects
of a person‟s life (ie yoga and meditation and sun rise, a time for working on
one‟s business, time to relax and do nothing etc…) allow the important work to
take its place as important and the less important to take its place as less
important. Otherwise, based on a perpetual inner restlessness and a guilt that it
is never doing good enough, Virgo can easily be swayed from one direction to
another taking care of the non important tasks that other people ask of them.
Spiritual masochism:
Because masochism is such a significant psychology in this archetype, I want to
focus on a particular kind of masochism, called “Spiritual masochism.”
Spiritual masochism is based on religious or cultural conditioning that dictates an
ideal of “purity” as a goal to reach. This ideal of course being a negation of who
one currently is. An example of this would be the consensus Judeo-Christian
religions whereby God is regarded as perfect, and human beings are regarded
as innately sinful. And thus the need to atone for one‟s sinfulness. This can
generate intense guilt.
Step by step:
The self realization of Virgo occurs through developing a deeply self loving
acceptance of oneself, and step by step, making efforts towards life-long
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improvement. Through persistent and relaxed efforts, a soul can serve an
increasingly purposeful and self honoring function for the whole.
The Virgo archetype on a chart represents where a soul is wired to be an active
participant in improving the quality of life. It implies where there is a need for self-
accuracy. It dually represents where the greatest amount of improvement and
discernment can be developed, as well as were there exists a tendency for
stress, sickness and neurotic behavior as a result of feeling burdened by guilt
and the obligations of existence.
[A note on the planet Mercury. Later we will take a look at Mercury’s dual
association with both the Virgo archetype and the Gemini archetype. For more
perspective, read the complete blog: “A Treatise on Virgo Rulership”
http://astrologywitharimoshe.blogspot.com/2009/12/virgo.html]
Part 2 Aries and Libra
Aries Archetype
- The sign Aries
- The 1st
house
- The planet Mars
Every child is birthed. Everything has a starting point. Be it the start of a project,
or the simple act of getting out of bed. Our relationship to the impulse of
“starting”- is found in the Aries archetype.
All soul‟s have a need to discover themselves through the active process of
awakening to what it‟s like to be who they are. Like a child discovering its own
hands- the need to apply those hands in life, as a means of establishing a
relationship to its own individuality, is absolutely necessary. No soul can stay in
innocence forever.
Aries contains a fascinating psychology because in essence, it represents
“separation from source”. Look at the glyph for Mars. It is an arrow (masculine-
direction) coming out of a circle (feminine, wholeness). Aries creates imbalance.
That is its purpose.
Therefore, the self-realization of Aries is the alignment of mind and body to be
completely present in the moment, with whatever one is doing. Cutting wood,
writing a book, making love. Aries learns how to align with the instinctive impulse
to be completely focused on its purpose, on the direction it is currently moving.
Because of this, the Aries archetype can also relate to an impulsive need to be in
constant motion. And in that, feel threatened by anything that impedes on its
direction. This quality can express itself as always being like an immature child-
refusing to learn the necessary lessons of cooperation and compromise.
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In the Aries archetype, we learn the difference between instinct and frustration.
Aries can initiate movement (be it an immature burst in the wrong moment or a
business entrepreneurship) by always starting something new- yet find that life
offers continuous blows of resistance. The key to becoming actualized in Aries, is
learning how to align one‟s sense of purpose (Aries) with consideration for others
(Libra polarity) such that while a soul is following its destiny to discover itself
through constant motion (disrupting the status quo)- it‟s also allowing others to be
exactly who they are at the same time.
The shadow of Aries is in fact a lack of consideration for others. There can be a
deep angst in Aries that requires its individual freedom at all costs. The thing is,
that need for freedom, if it is an angst, is only a defense mechanism - a fearful
need to protect one‟s purpose in order to establish one‟s identity in life.
Therefore, Aries can create conflict (intellectual, physical, emotional- any) with
other human beings solely on account of its need to be in constant motion on
account of its need to defend it‟s individualism at all costs.
The natural Aries expression is raw, therefore, the Aries archetype symbolizes
where there is a great potential for accidents and violent confrontation with
others. An accident can happen not because of recklessness per se- but
because of a lack of proper presence and intention in the channeling of one‟s
energy.
The learning curve for Aries is to be raw- yet to refine that rawness by developing
immense certainty about itself, as well as a simple awareness of the realities that
exist outside of its self. This allows a soul to be completely present and sure
about whatever it is doing/wherever it is going/whatever it is planning etc.
In learning that every human being has their own path- Aries can develop a
wisdom of appreciation- the ability to recognize its own uniqueness in the context
of a world full of other people who have their own work to do. In that realization,
Aries is then fully capable of becoming a leader in any field. The qualities that
emerge are focus, stillness, readiness, bravery, and a skillful awareness of how
one‟s own actions intercede with other people‟s lives. In the end Aries can
emanate a quality of inner self-clarity and be an example for others.
Realizing the soul‟s desire:
It is through the Aries archetype that a soul actualizes its highest purpose. This is
so, because in a chart, the Aries archetype in essence paves the road for each
soul‟s evolutionary intentions. The Aries archetype defines the path of action that
each soul must take towards its own self-realization.
It‟s important to clarify that the Aries archetype always operates instinctively. And
thus it correlates to the desires of the soul that are leading the soul to new
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horizons moment to moment. Therefore, immense freedom and independence is
necessary in order for those desires to be acted upon.
The Aries archetype in a chart represents where a soul is wired to realize its
evolutionary purpose through action; through focused awareness of one’s
movement, moment to moment. It also represents a great potential for chaos,
accidents, confrontations with other human beings, and hapless irresponsible
action.
***************************************
Libra Archetype
- The sign Libra
- The 7th
house
- The planet Venus
Libra is just as instinctive as Aries. However, it is instinctive about OTHER
PEOPLE. In Libra, a soul evolves through exploring the wide and exciting world
of “other.” If Aries is developing self-determination, self-confidence, alignment
with instincts, instinctive impulse to enact one‟s own path in life- what is Libra
developing?
Confusion? Lack of confidence? Lack of direction? Well sometimes- but that‟s
just the shadow.
The archetype of Libra represents the natural truth that we are always in
relationship with each other- moment to moment. We each have our own unique
path (Aries) however, in following that- other people are deeply interwoven with
our own process both as integral players in our own story, as well as everyone
else that just happens to be sharing the same stage.
Libra is learning how to know itself through comparison and contrast. This
archetype forms relationships with realities outside of its own as a means to gain
more objective self-knowledge. “Oh you like sprouted oats? I tried that- and in
fact, I don‟t like it. That‟s so cool that you like it and I don‟t…” Things like that are
really exciting for the Libra archetype.
The shadow of Libra is in fact to not honor its own needs, its own boundaries- to
be over consumed with other people as a means of establishing a sense of self
worth. Libra is wired to be attracted to all different kinds of people. Because of
that, it will know exactly how to please others- how to objectively hear another,
how to listen to another. However, it can easily turn manipulative by using their
own “listening” abilities to make another feel loved as a way for them self to feel
loved.
Here is a story:
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You are sitting with a new friend at a coffee shop. You notice how wonderful of a
listener he happens to be- how much he nods his head when you are talking,
how skillfully he “replays” back to you the words you have spoken. It‟s a little
much, but you still feel very “heard” by your friend.
Your rambling on and on about something or another. At some point you subtly
mention a cat you used to play with when you were a child. To you, it was just a
passing thought. However your friend really really needs you to think that he is a
good listener. While you were rambling, he began to loose interest, yet continued
to feign attention. He happened to catch that comment about that cat, and so he
says,
“Oh cool. So what was that cat‟s name?”
“Oh, um- I don‟t remember.”
“Ok. Well, I really hear you about how you used to enjoy being with that cat. That
must have been really important to you back then.”
“Dude- c‟mon…”
This is called “the need to be needed” syndrome. Libra is really looking for
acceptance. In striving for that, Libra can easily project that need onto other
people, in completely unnecessary and unrealistic ways.
This is a big issue for Libra- as it can loose touch with who it is- independent of
other people. Patterns of co-dependency, fear of being alone, constantly needing
to feel validated by anyone other than themselves.
I once had a friend who told me he has secretly desired to be kidnapped. I
wondered how the Libra archetype manifested in his chart. It ends up he had lots
of planets in the 7th
house, as well as a few inner planets in Libra. Why from a
Libra point of view would a soul wish to be kidnapped? First of all, they don‟t
have to make any decisions for them self. Someone is willfully taking them
captive- all Libra has to do is kick back and be passive. With no decisions to
make there is no possibility of being rejected or disapproved of by anyone.
Second of all, it‟s a distorted way of feeling needed.
Therefore, another shadow of Libra is laziness in relationship. If we do not accept
and love ourselves, what is it we are gaining from another? How truly available
can we be for another? Libra needs intimacy- but is often too afraid of rejection to
actually do the work of cultivating intimacy.
The famous indecisiveness of Libra is rooted in a deep need to make decisions
in such a way that they will please everyone. Confusion about any decision is
subconsciously rooted in a need to be please and thus be accepted by other
people. When Libra realizes that any decision it makes is fine, that they are
worthy of love and acceptance no matter what choices they make, then they can
develop the Aries polarity and learn how to trust their own instincts.
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The other side of Libra:
Another shadow expression of Libra is actually to become controlling and
manipulative. Through the Libra archetype, a soul can develop a false sense of
esteem and power as a means to “balance out” for being too passive. This can
happen in a singular relationship, as well as in one relationship to the next. For
example: forming a relationship with a controlling person, thus holding the space
for Libra to be passive. And then forming a relationship with a passive person,
thus holding the space for Libra to be aggressive. This will keep on happening
until Libra learns to stop filling the spaces that other people create for them out of
sheer circumstance.
In order to successfully emerge with actual self-awareness, Libra requires a
commitment to LEARN balance. How much to give to whom and when. Each
circumstance and each relationship presents a unique imperative to adjust
(Libra) to the current reality that is.
Ultimately, a soul, through the Libra archetype, has the potential to discover who
it is by developing deep intimacy with other human beings, IN A WAY that is
unique and supportive to its own path. Libra has the potential to create harmony
and balance between itself and its social environment, in all circumstances- and
to even help others honor and respect themselves in order to do the same.
Unconditional acceptance:
The self-realization of Libra is actually enacted through being accepted
unconditionally by an other(s). The paradox of course, is that self-acceptance is
required in order to be receptive to the love of another. Through experiencing
another‟s unconditional acceptance- a soul emerges with a nurtured sense of
worthiness to simply be who it is and feel inwardly affirmed about that.
Relativity:
Libra naturally understands and validates the phenomena of “relativity”- that each
soul is on their own path, and has their own nature. Libra is instinctively
interested in learning about other people, and has the natural ability to help other
people feel accepted in who they are.
The Libra archetype on a chart represents where a soul is wired to awaken
through the journey of relationship. It represents the greatest potential for
balance and harmony, as well as the greatest tendency to fluctuate between
extremes, indecisiveness, and lack a false sense of balance.
Part 3 Taurus and Scorpio
Taurus Archetype
- The sign Taurus
- The second house
- The planet Venus
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Taurus correlates to the survival instinct. All souls incarnate with a need to
preserve and sustain their own life. This manifests on both gross and subtle
levels.
On a gross level this manifests in the need for water, to eat, to build a shelter, to
have the proper resources in order to survive. On a subtler level- each soul uses
senses as means to navigate through its earthly existence. Our capacity to taste,
to smell, to physically feel the life around us are all crucial survival tools.
Venus:
You may have noticed that Venus is both an expression of the Libra and Taurus
archetype. What is that all about? Venus is the function of our femininity. It
relates to how we create relationship. The Libra side of Venus is relationship to
the outer. The Taurus side of Venus is relationship to the inner.
Inner relationship:
Taurus represents our capacity to be in the body, alive and receptive to our
physical existence. For that reason, the cultivation of a healthy self-esteem is
crucial in Taurus. Let‟s look at a scenario.
You are sitting on a bench on a sunny day- relatively content, enjoying the
moment. Someone comes to you and offers you a piece of chocolate. What is
your instinctual response? How do you relate to that response? What kind of
choice do you ultimately make?
If you have negative feelings about your body, about your eating habits, about
your sugar addiction, then you may not experience that offer as a joyful moment-
it may be a stressful moment. You may unconfidently accept the chocolate, or
you may repressively turn it down.
If you tend to be addicted to pleasure, to the point of lacking healthy boundaries-
you may follow your instinct and immediately eat it. You will experience a
temporary mouth orgasm! However, once you are finished, you will feel
incomplete- with an insatiable desire for more.
If however you value pleasure, love and balance, and you know yourself to be
worthy of those things; then you will consider the offer from a place of
equanimity. You may or may not eat it. Your decision will not be based on a need
to fill a lack.
This scenario points to the fact that our relationship to the physical senses
directly correlates to our inner relationship with our own self. Our self-esteem.
The Taurus archetype represents the need for each soul to internalize what
makes its human life worth living.
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Pleasure:
There is a very strong link between pleasure and survival. If a soul is not
receptive to pleasure, it indicates that its relationship to life is cut and dry. That
says a lot about how it internalizes its sense of self: who it deeply feel itself to be,
at a core level.
On the flip side, if a soul is excessively open to the pleasures of the body, to the
point of being a pleasure addict, it indicates that its relationship to life is one of
lack- “always needing more”. There exists for that soul an ancient cellularly
based fear of “not having enough”. That fear manifest itself as needing constant
sensual gratification.
Self trust:
The shadow of Taurus is in fact distrusting one‟s innate connection to physical
life. In that distrust- one can hoard, steel, accumulate money, food, wine,
pleasure, sex, possessions, or any object that symbolizes survival to that soul- to
the point of stagnation. Stagnation is like a lake that‟s been filled with too many
obstructions- blocking the flow of chi, of life force.
Sexuality:
Taurus and Scorpio are the “sexual” axis. Sexuality for Taurus is connected to
the procreative instinct of human consciousness. Often times, sex can be a
means through which Taurus grounds out, and reconnects to its own body.
It is for that reasons that masturbation, and self-pleasure in general is a very
important component for the development of the Taurus archetype. This
represents an individual soul cultivating intimacy and love with the body- a very
important relationship for each soul‟s evolution.
A shadow for Taurus however, is living life like a masturbation. Constant self-
pleasure to the point of needing more stimulation, more orgasm, all of the time.
From that state of consciousness- pleasure becomes a goal, not something that
is innate to living.
Look for the garden!
Another tendency of Taurus is to be intensely blind to seeing anything beyond
what it has already identified as a personal resource. Here‟s a story to describe
this:
A man is house-sitting in his friends cabin. His friend says, “Eat whatever is
here”. She then proceeds to show him all the food in the refrigerator and in the
pantry. Once his friend leaves, he thinks that he is aware of all the food sources
(as this is what he was told: refrigerator and pantry). And so, he regularly visits
the kitchen, and when seeking to feed himself, he sources those known
locations.
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He expects food to be there, and yet is also unaware of other potential food
sources. When the pantry is empty, or the frig runs dry- he is then confronted
with a typical Taurus lesson: The need to look at life with a little more depth
(Scorpio polarity). Perhaps if he opens up that cabinet door, he will find some
crackers. Perhaps if he considers the fact that veggies grow from the earth, he‟d
check the backyard to see if there‟s a garden.
Every soul has the capacity to become resourceful. In so doing, each soul is
capable of receiving and sustaining the very resources that make its life livable,
and worth living. If there is a feeling of lack, then another shadow expression of
the Taurus archetype is constant dependence on others to get what it needs. If
Taurus is not in touch with its own capacity for survival, it may be perpetually
dependent on what it already knows; which could be grossly limiting in some
cases.
Receptivity:
The evolutionary intent of the Taurus archetype to develop self sufficiency often
times creates a conflict in making oneself available to receive from others, when
in fact one doesn‟t have what they need. Learning receptivity is a key lesson in
developing true self-sufficiency, as ultimately a soul realizes that it is self-
sufficient through its ability to receive- from all sources. This brings a soul to a
state of deep presence in which wherever a soul goes, it feels grounded and at
home. A soul can then be graceful and comfortable in its own human skin.
Portal or Veil:
The self-realization of Taurus is when a soul experiences itself through the
intelligence of the body. This is a profound experience as all the senses are
experienced as vehicles of consciousness.
Art- anything beautiful and harmonious is a natural expression Taurus, as that is
what life naturally does when it is just present- it is art. However it is meaningful
to note that the senses can serve as either a portal or a veil to higher
consciousness.
The Taurus archetype on a chart represents where a soul is wired to evolve
through the physical senses- how a soul can create stability within itself and
internalize its own personal meaning of life. This will always manifest itself
gracefully and artfully. Taurus also symbolizes the potential for manipulation,
stagnation, greed, selfishness, poverty mentality, addiction to pleasure of any
kind, and a lack of self-love.
[A note about Venus. Venus, wherever it is in a chart, represents the evolutionary
intentions of both Libra and Taurus. We can understand Venus as our “inner
ear”. It is how each soul listens to its deepest needs. The way in which it listens
within (inner relationship= Taurus) is then the determinant for the kind of
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relationships it will attract to it’s self (outer relationship= Libra). This will be
discussed in further detail in a future segment].
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Scorpio Archetype
- The sign Scorpio
- The 8th
house
- The dwarf planet (or whatever else they decide to call it) Pluto
If Taurus is learning self-reliance, developing sensual awareness, is in the body-
then what can we say about Scorpio? It wears black all the time and stays out of
the light?
Yes, sometimes…
The evolutionary intent for a soul evolving through the domain of Scorpio is to co-
operate with the transmutational tendency of existence.
The Scorpio archetype correlates to the universal truth of impermanence.
Everything ends. However, no ending is ever really an ending in an ultimate
sense. It‟s just an ending of a form- of a circumstance- of a relationship- of an
addiction- of an identity. After each ending, a new form emerges- which itself will
endure yet another short life cycle.
Life time to life time, each soul creates an identity structure that serves as a
vehicle for its evolution. As a soul increases in awareness, its sense of identity
gradually moves from its human identity to include self as one with Creator. This
is what Scorpio is about- it is the archetype that actually symbolizes The
Evolution of Consciousness.
Here is an excerpt from segment 1:
Two people can have the same chart and have completely different
experiences. This is based on the fact that all human beings are vibrating
at different levels of awareness. Understanding these natural levels of
awareness is a key first step in interpreting a chart.
I feel this youtube flick is an exemplification of what I am about to explain:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YedgubRZva8
As awareness increases, the sand pattern breaks down. What then
follows is a new sand pattern- and it just keeps on going. Breakdown,
reformulation. We can liken that to what we all personally know as "death
and rebirth". Each time we "die", we are reborn at a new level of
awareness.
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This very process of breakdown and reformulation, or death and rebirth, is the
essence of Scorpio.
Consider this scenario:
You are a little girl shopping with daddy at the food store. What catches your
eye? The chocolate covered almonds? The dried mango? How badly do you
want it? What, Daddy won‟t buy it? Are you yelling now? You see, you‟re
throwing a huge fit because you really want dried mango.
Your act of crying, in this case, is a form of manipulation- you know it will work-
because you know your father‟s soft spot. He feels like a bad parent when you
cry in public. You‟re very astute! So you get the dried mango. This is indeed the
9th
time you have pulled this trick. It takes a lot of energy to get what you want
doesn‟t it?
Now let‟s take this to the next level. One of four things happen:
1. You realize solely on your own that there is no meaning in this mango.
You decide to shed yourself of this attachment. However each time you go
to the store you find yourself craving again. You realize your obsession
and all the pain it causes; yet don‟t know how to overcome it… you don‟t
understand why it exists in the first place. Therefore, you will become
increasingly more aware of your psychological addiction, and over a long
period of time, you will gradually release it, as you will consciously and
unconsciously continue to attract various circumstances into your life that
will lead you to the awareness you are seeking.
2. You keep on trying for that mango each time you shop until Daddy goes to
a support group and learns better parenting skills. He stops giving in. You
are then thrown back on your face. You try everything- denying him love,
embarrassing him more, acting like a victim. Nothing works. Finally,
feeling powerless, you let go and decide that life will be better if you shed
this obsession.
3. One day someone comes up to you with a child friendly pamphlet on
“kicking sugar addictions”. You read this pamphlet and become lucidly
aware of the reasons behind your own psychology. In this awareness, you
are then easily enabled to end your manipulative and obsessive
behaviors.
4. You consciously form a relationship with an organization that provides
services and training for people whose lives are dominated by compulsive
addictions (ok maybe you are not a child). This puts you on a path that
totally refocuses your energies to penetrate deeply into your own very
consciousness as path towards evolving beyond your obsessive patterns.
These four scenarios describe four different ways in which evolution can happen.
Archetypically, scenario 1 symbolizes a soul‟s awareness of its patterns, yet the
inability to stop the patterns. Therefore, the soul will become totally fixated on its
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own evolutionary blocks until they are finally released. This process can be very
intense, emotionally consuming and at times confrontational.
Scenario 2 is an “evolutionary catalyst”. Something had to happen to enforce
change. This can often be quite cataclysmic.
Scenario 3 symbolizes a gift or an event that awakens in the soul latent
knowledge, skills, or self awareness that, previous to the gift or event, was not
known or accessible to the soul.
Scenario 4 represents a chosen, willful evolution. The soul recognizes it‟s
attachments and wishes to evolve beyond them, and thus chooses to form a
close relationship to an organization, practice, teaching etc that will assist the
soul to look deeply within its own self.
These 4 ways in which evolution occur are explored in more depth in Jeff
Green‟s Pluto book, on page 27.
Jeff Green also shares a brilliant exposition on the nature of the soul. This is from
the reading list of segment 1:
http://schoolofevolutionaryastrology.com/school/essence-of-ea/evolution
The essence of his teaching is this: Inherent in every soul are two antithetical
desires: One to return to the source from which it came, and the other to
separate from that source.
The desire to return to the source expresses itself each time we shed a layer of
our identity that truly doesn‟t serve our evolution. The desire to separate from the
source manifests each time we form an attachment to anything other than our
Source.
Of course, it is naïve an unrealistic for us to be monks, seeking to transcend all of
our gross desires- to be pure enough to only crave God‟ess. There is in fact no
way “out” but “through.” That‟s why the Scorpio archetype symbolizes the need
for each soul to participate in the process of transmutation. Having desires, being
engrossed by them, releasing them etc…
There‟s no way around that. This is why I put such an emphasis on evolutionary
states. There is a natural progression of evolution that occurs for all souls- and
that takes a very long time.
***
Another word for the soul is DESIREOUSNESS. Desire isn‟t an action the soul
takes, desire is the nature of soul. The desire nature of each soul is the bottom
line reason for each incarnation.
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There are 6 general stages I observe that are inherent to the process of evolution
for any soul, as symbolized by the Scorpio archetype. They are described below
in more depth.
1. Feelings of disempowerment
2. Finding empowerment
3. Confronting the limitations of power
4. Surrendering the power
5. Seeking a higher, more conscious source of power.
6. Sharing.
1. Feelings of disempowerment.
The Scorpio archetype can manifest as a deep feeling of emotional loss as a
consequence of some sort of disempowerment. Be it being born with particular
genetics that create particular limitations, having been abused, manipulated, or
blocked by other people in some impactful way, or natural circumstances that
create great loss or devastation in one‟s life.
2. Finding empowerment.
As a result of that, it becomes necessary for a soul to find empowerment. This
may be learning how to use words in a defensive way, learning how to fight back,
becoming more manipulative in financial dealings. Or in a positive way, learning
martial arts, becoming financially independent, learning how to read and write
against all odds etc…
3. Confronting the limitations of power.
That gained power however has its limitations. Why? Because it is not absolute.
Eventually, due to the necessity of every soul to keep on evolving (it has no
choice); each soul will experience a confrontation with their sense of power. They
may get into a fight with someone who is far superior in strength and skill. They
may loose all their money based on an unexpected market crash (all cataclysmic
evolutionary catalysis). Or in a non-cataclysmic way- a soul may confront the
limitations of their power through self-awareness practices.
4. Surrendering the power.
Based on that confrontation, there is a need, and in fact a growing desire for that
soul (it may take some time though) to surrender any attachment to that power.
At this point, a soul is willing to die to itself. This is a very brave and powerful
state of awareness. At this stage the soul has developed an intensely focused
self awareness whereby it accept responsibility for whatever has happened and
is happening in its life. It recognizes that there is an evolutionary purpose behind
its constant gain and loss of power.
5. Seeking a higher, more conscious source of power.
As in the dried mango example- a soul may be very aware of the need to
change, but not know how to. At this point, it becomes more and more humbled
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as it begins to consciously create relationship with teachers, objects, symbols,
practices, schools, organizations, herbs, mandalas- anything that can assist that
soul in an actual transmutation of consciousness. The result of this is an actual
metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly.
6. Sharing.
Eventually, each soul recognizes that it has to be constantly open to letting go in
order to continually evolve. This is a challenge, as it is natural to form
attachments while in a human identity- yet due to evolutionary necessity, all souls
will at some point lose the objects of their attachment. The whole process puts
the soul into a very acute state of awareness. Thus a soul develops the ability to
identify other souls‟ patterns of disempowerment, and where they are being
limited by their own unconscious psychology. At this stage, a soul can assist
other souls in evolving beyond their psychological limitations. This will often
manifest as becoming a psychologist type healer, or a soul worker of sorts.
Of course, every soul can be experiencing all of these stages at the same time,
in different areas of its life.
Resistance to change:
The shadow expression of the Scorpio archetype is in fact any kind of behavior
that arises from resistance to change. Deep feelings of emotional abandonment
are often times strong in the Scorpio archetype- this is because abandonment
has an evolutionary purpose to lead a soul back to itself. However, feelings of
abandonment will often result in deeply manipulative behavior, controlling
tendencies, emotional manipulation of others, vindictiveness, evil,
possessiveness, emotional protectiveness etc.
A lesson for the Scorpio archetype, throughout any evolutionary journey, is to
realize that all change happens within. Through that awareness, it is drawing
upon the Taurus polarity. Even though it is often necessary to form relationship
with people, things or ideas, to assist a soul in its evolution, Scorpio ultimately
leans to become reliant on itself (Taurus) as the only one who can really do the
hard work of evolving.
A note on sexuality.
Sexuality is 100% an emotional phenomenon. When a soul wishes to make a
sexual connection with another soul- it is very important to understand the nature
of that desire. Scorpio can crave and obsess over its attraction to another person
on a sexual level. All of this arises from its inner need to transmute its own
consciousness to a higher level. Instead of transmutation, Scorpio can attach its
empowerment to “attracting” someone who symbolizes the power Scorpio is
wishing to realize within. This will often create a karmic situation in which two
souls will be engaged in a perpetual power struggle; such as the cycle of “using”
and then “being used”.
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A lesson for Scorpio is to realize that sexual arousal has nothing to do with other
people. I‟m not implying here that the Scorpio archetype has to repress its sexual
urges. Rather, it has to be willing to actually look inside of itself and analyze the
nature of its desire, on its own (Taurus polarity). If there is inner willingness to
internalize one‟s desires nature, then Scorpio can actually manifest deep,
healing, and transmutational sex with another mutually self reliant soul.
The Scorpio archetype in a chart represents the desire nature of each soul to
evolve closer to Source. It dually represents where there is great potential for a
transmutation of consciousness, as well as great potential for darkness as a
result of choosing the impulse for ephemeral, meaningless power.
Part 4 Gemini and Sagittarius
Gemini Archetype
- The sign Gemini
- The 3rd
house
- The planet Mercury
If you haven‟t noticed- I‟ve been doing all this articulation. Often times organizing
words in such a way that when synthesized in the mind, form sentences and
paragraphs… which in turn provide definition.
If you look all around you, you will find life in its rawness. Everything just exists
as it is. However, you will probably (whether you like it or not) naturally identify
what you see according to the classifications you have already established about
them. This isn‟t a bad thing. Classifications are a necessary component of
existence.
This is a chair- this is a hand- this is a desk- this is a sentence. In truth it just is-
however, in order to make the isness relatable in as many ways as possible we
have given it various classifications. The more we build classifications, the more
we are building premises from which we can all agree about certain facts of
existence. Those premises are the basis for building more connections, and
ultimately understanding more about how existence operates.
The essence of Gemini is to perceive. The ability to recognize various stimuli,
identify them, notice how they all connect with each other, communicate with the
stimuli- this in turn creating a feedback loop of constant interaction.
Evolution of culture:
In every culture, no matter where you go, there exists some form of language.
Language in terms of speech, eye contact, dance, body movements, song,
dress, styles, trends, media, and the natural environment (i.e the trees). All those
things adopt and evolve according to each other, and in so doing evolve the
worldview of the people.
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For example- in an African land in which there is a great expanse of dessert- the
culture will obviously have adopted over many many years to living in the
dessert. That will reflect itself in the language, clothing etc…
To contrast that- in a western city- cement, parks, and tall buildings- the culture
will of course adopt to that. In this example, human beings have actually built a
complete environment around them (big city) to reflect a pre-existing culture
(linear, goal oriented western culture), which in turn has again re-shaped the
culture (big city culture).
It‟s a chicken/egg type of thing. The Gemini archetype represents the mutability
of the mind- how it can adopt to any circumstance. At the same time, it is through
Gemini that we see the creative potential to create new social circumstances.
Consider this story:
You are sitting in a group discussion. The topic is “Are all-purpose napkins really
all-purpose?” On the surface, everyone is really into it. One person asks, “Well,
define „all purpose‟- all purpose in terms of what? Cleaning things? Wiping
things?” Another person argues “It‟s an all purpose napkin- so it‟s all purposeful
according to the function of a napkin- it can achieve all the purposes of a napkin,
just more than other napkins.” She spills juice on the floor, “See, its super
absorbent…”
You recognize the thermostat in the room- its set towards “act interested”. Some
people are clearly really into this discussion, however most people you observe
are just playing along with the current culture. You know how to nod your head
and pretend you are there- it‟s a survival mechanism you have been developing
for many life times. In this situation there are 3 paths you can take.
1. You check out. To the point of not being able to hear, process, or respond
to anything. In checking out you then find you have to draw upon your
capacity for superficial “route behavior”- as to not seem checked out.
2. You are anything but checked out. You happen to be the organizer of this
meeting- and you are doing most of the talking. You are totally in your own
head, exploring all of your mental associations. You are listening carefully
to all ideas being presented, however, according to the crazy monkey
whim of your mind, you interrupt everyone- even yourself. You actually
think you are learning something (you might be).
3. You really don‟t want to be there and you don‟t want to fake it. This is
when the magic happens. You create a trend that others can adopt to.
You actually change the thermostat. It‟s like planting new trees- thus
attracting new species of birds that nest in those trees. A new social
climate is born as you skillfully turn the discussion towards „deforestation
practices in the Amazon‟. And you are very successful.
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In the third scenario, how is it that you were so successful? Simple- you were
aware of what was going on. You knew half the people weren‟t interested, a few
people were interested, and a few people it seemed would jump on any
bandwagon for the sake of belonging.
This is why Gemini is the magician. In drawing from the faculties of mental
awareness, Gemini can experience the fullness of this phenomenal world. It can
really learn a lot and have fun in the process.
The mind:
The Gemini archetype represents where each soul is wishing to know itself
through the mind. This requires the ability to skillfully adopt to every environment
in order to acquire the specific information that each soul wishes to obtain.
Gemini represents the information we each are looking for, as well as the ways in
which we learn (acquire that information) as well as the ways in which we
communicate with the world around us in that process.
The essence of this archetype is to discover that all of life can be understood
according to logical rules. The study of any science, be it astrology, physics, or
language- is in actuality a path of mentally locating and deciphering the way in
which Existence works. Depending on evolutionary state, the Gemini archetype
can take an empirical study of existence into some pretty far out realms- that for
some may seem metaphysical, but for Gemini is truly just an empirical study of
what is. Gemini does not function operating through beliefs or philosophies; it‟s
operating out of a very straightforward and logical orientation to learn about life.
Because of that, one of the shadow expressions of Gemini is to become
identified with the connections they have already made in its mind to the point of
feeling threatened by new information. In this case, Gemini has replaced the
desire to learn with the desire to feel secure, and is not truly willing to challenge
its conclusions. This could lead to a striking deafness in which it only hears what
makes logical sense, and will easily disregard the rest as “myth” or “pseudo
science” or “irrational” etc…
Furthermore, another shadow expression of Gemini is to get lost in the search for
more data. This can result in a meaningless accumulation of facts that lead to no
connections. Gemini can loose itself and become identified with having
knowledge. When it is needing to know more all the time, it will create a reality in
which it is digging many holes, but drawing no water from the earth.
Synthesis:
The key for Gemini is to recognize that all things are indeed interconnected, and
that interconnection can be studied and ultimately known. With that awareness,
nothing becomes uninteresting- all streams of information flow to the same
Ocean. In this state of self-realization, Gemini then has the ability to learn as
much as possible with out loosing its soul to the search. It‟s not necessary for
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Gemini to finish reading a book, or know any particular topic really well- it‟s
necessary for Gemini to keep its mind calm, so that it can dance through its life
long learning process like a happy hummingbird.
As the mind makes more and more connections, a soul will naturally begin to
focus on particular areas of study. It is the fascination of the soul with the
information it encounters that will create a focus. In so doing, Gemini discovers
that depth (focused learning) creates a container for breadth (expansive
exploration of everything). It is crucial that Gemini create a focal point for its
learning experience. Otherwise there will be no grounded reference point for the
endless expansion of the mind.
The Sagittarius polarity signifies the need for Gemini to recognize that all pieces
of information are connected, and have to be synthesized via the faculties of the
intuitive mind in order to be properly understood. Without embracing the
Sagittarius polarity, Gemini could burn out on an endless search for knowledge
without learning anything of meaning.
Honesty:
Furthermore, based on the mental flexibility of Gemini, it knows how to skillfully
adopt itself to various environments, cultures, circumstances in order to fit in.
This can lead to an utter lack of “moral ethics” by which a soul may lie about itself
or steal. In such a case, a soul can become lost in a shallow and dishonest life. A
soul can logically rationalize the case for anything to the point of losing touch with
natural ethics (Sagittarius polarity) which should be intuitively self evident.
The Gemini archetype in a chart represents where, how and what a soul is
wishing to learn. It symbolizes the nature of the left-brain, the logical mind. It
represents where there is the greatest potential to empirically understand
existence, as well as the potential the get lost in the maya of mind.
[There is a very enlightening, long, and perhaps at this point a bit heady of an
article that explains “the nature and function of Mercury”. He’s talking about
Mercury, but of course he’s describing the “Gemini archetype.” By Jeff Green.
http://schoolofevolutionaryastrology.com/school/articles/mercury-and-its-role-in-
consciousness]
[A note on the planet Mercury. Later we will take a look at Mercury’s dual
association with both the Virgo archetype and the Gemini archetype. For more
perspective, read the complete blog: “A Treatise on Virgo rulership”
http://astrologywitharimoshe.blogspot.com/2009/12/virgo.html. All of this will be
discussed in greater detail in a future segment]
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Sagittarius Archetype
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- The Sign Sagittarius
- The 9th
house
- The planet Jupiter
Well if Gemini is curious, open minded, inquisitive, full of information, learning
how to learn- what does that make Sagittarius?
Close minded? Ignorant? Dogmatic, and uninterested in learning anything new?
Hey there!
There is probably no other astrological polarity other than Gemini and Sagittarius
that are so easily explained in words- this is because both archetypes deal with
the nature of mind- just in two different ways.
Whereas Gemini represents rational and logical thought, Sagittarius represents
intuitive and non linear thought. The essence of the Sag archetype is to
understand the essential nature of life. This is about understanding.
It is natural for all souls to develop a framework through which it can make sense
out of everything. Without the ability to synthesize and find an underlying
meaning in life, then there is no context for all the details of existence. In every
culture there is the language, customs, clothing, trends etc (all Gemini) and in
every culture there are the myths, philosophies and world-views that co-exist with
all of that (Sagittarius).
For example- take the dessert Africa culture. We explored what their life may
look like- what kind of food, clothing, dress, customs, language etc… but what is
their relationship to the great mystery?
In the large western city example we have business suits, fast walking,
Starbucks, public transportation, tall buildings. What is this culture‟s relationship
to the great mystery? The western big city culture has a cosmology- it is a
cosmology of consumerism, capitalism, time=money. All these are religious belief
systems, and there are myths that have been born from them. Of course I‟m just
generalizing here.
(Generalization, by the way, is something common to the Sagittarius archetype.
Generalization provides a sense of what something is about in its essence. Of
course, Sagittarius can over do it when it generalizes to the point of ignoring vital
detail or data).
We all arrive at certain conclusions based on what we sense about reality. We
are walking around all of the time with those conclusions running through our
awareness.
***
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The Sagittarius archetype is seeking to directly know the isness. In that seeking,
it is very much disinterested in the details.
That is a chair and it‟s made from this kind of wood from this kind of forest, which
was harvested by this kind of culture that smokes this kind of herb that my cousin
bought as a gift for me last Christmas, but I don‟t smoke because I have weak
lungs- which is why I do lots of breathing practices- on that chair…
… OK Gemini, but what‟s the meaning of life?
The intuitive knowing that there is MORE to existence beyond just what we see-
beyond just the mere observations of our mind and senses, inspires Sagittarius
to explore their intuition and discover exactly what the “moreness” is.
The more impassioned Sag becomes in its own intuition, the more it becomes
excited about its own journey. However, a shadow expression of Sagittarius is to
assume everyone is as interested in what they are discovering about existence
as they are. “I just discovered that each of us is a solar system!” Oh, that‟s nice.
“I know! Isn‟t it so cool! Let me tell you the whole story that lead to that
realization. And while I‟m telling it, I‟m going to talk very loudly and use big hand
motions.”
Sagittarius can easily lack tact- tact is simply a social awareness of one‟s
surroundings. In seeking higher understanding, a soul can lose touch with the
here and now. Missing details, missing body motions, missing communication
cues (social tact is Gemini).
Seeking the Truth:
In the Sagittarius archetype, a soul desires to understand the universal truths of
existence that gives birth to our reality. Therefore, Sagittarius will seek a way of
living that expands its awareness to achieve that understanding. The Sagittarius
archetype points to what kind of lifestyle, philosophy, culture, spirituality etc… a
soul will adopt in order to live in awareness of the Truth.
A big lesson for Sag is to evolve out of “belief systems”. Since the evolutionary
intent for Sagittarius is to understand, it will often become pre-maturely sure that
is has figured it all out. If you believe that you know the truth, you are quite
wrong! Sag can interpret new information to fit in with what is already known.
Evolving out of belief systems means clearing the mind such that new
information, new experiences, new challenges can appropriately re-shape Sag‟s
cosmology.
In learning that lesson, a soul will face its tendency to push and persuade (or as
Jeff Green calls it: “convince and convert”) other‟s to its own beliefs. “You ARE a
solar system… and here‟s why (hands out pamphlet, gives monologue). Good,
now you have converted to MY truth. I‟m happy…”
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On the flip side, another shadow expression of Sag is to perpetually believe that
the Truth is outside of itself. This can manifest as seeking but not integrating,
restless traveling. Like eating mindlessly, Sagittarius can take in lots of
experiences- ideas, political opinions, foreign cultures, teachers, practices, lands,
spiritual or philosophical books- yet chew too quickly to properly digest
everything.
Discipline is key. But not in the way we may typically think of that word. Until Sag
finds the truth within- it will be seeking the “right” discipline. It may force itself to
study something very intensely, or sit in a certain posture… all with the
supposition that this will bring more awareness. The discipline Sag is finding is
the discipline to devote their entire life, moment to moment, to the internal
discovery of the Truth. It‟s the discipline of sincere devotion more than anything
else. Ultimately, Sagittarius is learning that understanding with the mind is a false
security. Understanding is only possible through demonstration. This is why
Sagittarius will often learn while it teaches.
If Sagittarius has a philosophy, a higher understanding of life that makes more
sense out of everything, it will naturally wish to share that with others. The key in
this case, is not to be merely telling others the Truth, but to assist others in
finding it out for themselves. Sag learns that Objective Truth (Sag) is a subjective
experience (Gemini). Therefore, truth can only be found through each soul‟s own
experience.
Expand perception:
The intent of the Sagittarius archetype is to expand the ways in which a soul has
established meaning in any area of life. In the same way, it intends to reveal, like
a magnifying glass making an object easily apparent, the simple unifying truths of
existence.
Sag will always confront the fact that the Truth is something that is revealed. That
it always has more to directly discover. As Sag becomes more and more
conscious, it adopts to its polarity (Gemini) through appreciating the subtle
mystery of all the details. It humorously begins to appreciate the all-
encompassing nature of Truth.
It is important to note that Sagittarius itself symbolizes natural law. What is the
meaning of life? The answer is in nature herself. Aligning with it and finding
oneself to be one with it will directly reveal to a soul the truth of its actual nature,
as well as the truth behind manifested creation.
The Sagittarius archetype in a chart indicates how a soul can come to
experientially know, in its own natural way, the true nature of things. It also
represents where there is a potential to be dogmatic, close-minded, insistent on
already knowing, or philosophically scattered, and too “in the head”.
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Part 5 Cancer and Capricorn
Cancer Archetype
- The sign Cancer
- The 4th
house
- The Moon
Home is absolutely a necessary experience for any soul that has chosen to
intentionally forget who it is. The home that each soul creates for itself is an
energetic expression of how it feels nurtured and safe while it‟s here on earth.
The evolutionary intention of Cancer is for a soul to know itself through the
wisdom, information, and lessons of the emotional body. On a deeper level,
Cancer symbolizes the very fact that evolution itself occurs through the emotional
body.
When a child is born, that child requires certain constants to be there, such as:
mother and her breasts. At attachment is innate. This attachment is the most
precious and important bond any incarnated soul could ever experience. This
attachment nurtures the soul as it acclimates itself to the limitations of a human
identity.
Naturally, through the consistency and dependencies of its attachments, a soul
gradually becomes more self-reliant. She eventually ceases the need to breast-
feed; she eventually ceases the need to be held most of the time. As long as the
basic human securities are present for as long as they need to be, a healthy ego
can be formed.
As the ego forms, it continues to form attachments to particular forms of security.
This is my family; this is what I call home. This is my religion, this is my bed,
these are my friends, this is my teacher. All aspects of a soul‟s life are
emotionally internalized in such a way that it defines its very self image.
And as the ego continues to form, a soul continues to release old attachments for
new ones. Teddy bear may go in the closet as the soul realizes that it doesn‟t
need one to feel safe. However, in a process of healthy emotional development,
letting go of teddy bear isn‟t a sudden break. Rather, the child‟s relationship to
teddy evolves slowly and gradually to the point where it will naturally, on its own,
decide it doesn‟t need teddy anymore.
Due to purposes of evolutionary necessity- pretty much all souls incarnate into a
human existence in which there will be some form of trauma, abandonment,
abuse, emotional deprivation, that will shock and stunt a healthy ego
development.
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This then puts all of us in a tricky situation. A soul through the Cancer archetype
is learning how to create and identify fully with just the right attachments so that it
can create a feeling of home for itself, wherever it happens to be. At the same
time, it is learning how to let go of whatever attachments are no longer necessary
for its development. This means the ego is in constant re-definition.
In fact, the challenging truth about the Cancer archetype is that there is nothing
definable about the ego. The ego is always changing according to what currently
constitutes a sense of security for the soul.
I should clarify at this point that the words “ego”, “self image”, and “identity” are
all interchangeable and all correlate to the Cancer archetype. These words
describe the emotional make up of a soul, which defines the subjective filter
through which it will view itself and thus life.
Safety in the familiar:
A shadow expression of the Cancer archetype is in fact to resist letting go of the
familiar. To hold on to known forms of security- as a means of staying in the
known, staying in the safe. In this, Cancer forms serious addictions to
relationships, foods, routines, really anything at all that is already familiar to the
soul and provides a feeling of safety. Be it a blanket, or an attachment to
wandering the streets aimlessly, walking into same store twice a day and buying
the same foods.
There are two ways the unhealthy attachment patterns of Cancer can manifest:
1. Remaining a child by maintaining the status quo of the familiar. This will
usually occur when there was any degree of loss that has impacted a child
to the point that it has learned to perpetually stay safe by “not leaving
home”, whatever home might be.
2. Growing up to quickly. This can be the CEO who, as a child, was forced to
“skip the steps” of healthy emotional attachments, and had to push its
vulnerability deep inside.
The Cancer archetype reveals where a soul will feel great fragility, and where
there is a tendency to run away from that fragility through known forms of
security. A soul can be devastatingly aware of its fragileness, or be coldy
detached from that reality. Two sides of the same coin.
Seeing clearly:
Through Cancer, a soul is forming a conscious relationship to the ego. This
means learning how to dwell in a state of presence; at the shore, where the
waves of the ocean of consciousness meet the sand of ego.
To do that, implies the ability to see clearly as opposed to seeing the reality that
produces security.
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Consider this scenario:
You are sitting on the side-walk. Across the street, you witness a family waiting
for the bus. The father is a vulgar angry man. His little boy exclaims, “I don‟t want
to stand next to you.” Mother, who is clearly in a subservient dis-empowered
state, says firmly, “Don‟t talk to your father like that. You hurt his feelings.” To this
Daddy hits the child and threatens, “You will stand next to me son.” All the while,
the second child, a little girl is witnessing everything.
There are so many emotional dynamics taking place in that scene. From the
perspective of any one of those souls, what they perceive to be going on is light
years away from what is actually going on.
Cancer represents the filter through which a soul perceives its reality. That filter
is determined via what constitutes security for the soul. In this example: mother is
scared because daddy is unhappy, and when daddy is unhappy mother is
unhappy because mother has to exert so much energy just to make him happy.
And this is linked to her childhood- during which she was hit whenever she cried,
and as a result learned to be afraid of any kind of emotional confrontation. As a
result, she has attracted a man who easily gets angry- in order for her to face her
fear of emotion etc…
So mother isn‟t seeing reality, that‟s quite impossible for her. She is seeing the
story that makes her feel safe. And this is true for the entire family, each in their
own way. A whole bunch of ego‟s projecting their own story of reality onto each
other; and in so doing, needing to constantly re-assert their story in order to
maintain their security.
Now what about you? You are watching this scene. What story do you create?
What emotions are arising in you? Do you want to go and say something to
them? Do you feel sad, do you feel angry? Perhaps you try to block this out.
Perhaps you don‟t feel any emotions at all.
The Cancer archetype teaches us to take responsibility for our own emotional
response. To recognize that the ways in which we participate with existence is
highly dictated by the emotions we are either trying to avoid, or are identified
with.
Emotional response=self identity:
The emotional body is what defines a soul‟s sense of self. What else is there that
provides a personal self definition to any soul? Our emotional response to life
defines our identity.
Home:
In Cancer, we learn that all beings need a home. Through that realization, natural
empathy is developed. In nurturing other beings, Cancer learns self-compassion,
realizing and connecting to its own need to be nurtured.
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As Cancer continues to connect to its own needs- it learns how to create just the
right boundaries in its life. Too much unfamiliarity at once is shocking for a soul.
However, there is a constant imperative to challenge those boundaries and
adjust to the continual process of ego development.
Time:
The Capricorn polarity represents emotional self-reliance. Cancer learns from
Capricorn that in order to be in the world, and feel safe enough to function, it
cannot stay in the known forever. Capricorn also correlates to time. Cancer
learns to allow time into its life as a natural remedy for healing wounds,
developing inner security, forming and releasing emotional attachments in an
appropriate way. In fact the self identity itself evolves over time, as it takes time
to emotionally integrate one‟s evolutionary journey.
Interestingly, when a soul is abiding in who it are (ie its emotional state of being-
as it is) there is no longer any fear of the outside world, as everything becomes
“ok”. In such a state, time also ceases, as there arises a deep, moment to
moment intimacy with one‟s fluctuating identity.
The Cancer archetype on a chart represents the nature of human identity, ego, or
self image of a soul- that serves as a vehicle for the soul’s evolution. It signifies
the experiences of spirit incarnating as an individual human ego, and the
profoundly mysterious relationship between the two. It dually represents a soul’s
capacity to care for itself and other beings, as well as the capacity for a soul to
create an illusory world based on its fears of truly facing its own emotional reality.
[We can now understand more clearly the importance of the lunar nodes from an
evolutionary point of view. The lunar nodes represent the nature of the ego
identity a soul has created in the past (south node of Moon) and can naturally
develop in the future relative to its choice to evolve (north node Moon). This is
course will be explored in more depth in later segments].
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Capricorn Archetype
- The sign Capricorn
- The 10th
house
- The planet Saturn
If Cancer is nurturing, emotionally oriented, creates home and security for itself-
is Capricorn cold, emotionally ignorant, only concerned with goals and
achievement?
Well it can be…
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In totality, the Cancer Capricorn axis represents the entire spectrum of a soul
coming into a human experience. From the Cancer point of view, we are looking
at the actual human identity- the emotional component. From the Capricorn point
of view we are looking at how the human identity places itself in society- the
social component.
Simultaneous to the experience of becoming intimate with our ever-changing
identity (Cancer) we exist in a reality in which there are basic rules that are
entirely outside of the domain of our personal ego.
These rules are literally anything that defines the structure of our human
experience. Our skin, our bones, the law of gravity, social rules, government
laws, community rules, etc. We also have spiritual laws like angelic hierarchies.
At each level of structure, there are specific rules that apply. It is necessary to
perceive the appropriate scale in order to understand the context of the rules. For
example, at the level of the body basic rules exist. At the level of any particular
culture at any particular time, certain social rules exist.
The Capricorn archetype symbolizes the need for each soul to realize, learn,
adjust, and align with the rules that exist in its reality.
This can certainly be a heavy process. It is for that reason that the Capricorn
archetype symbolizes “being realistic” as there is a constant imperative to realize
that the rules exist, whether we like them or not, whether we are going to change
them or not, and whether we will even follow them or not. Ignorance of the law
ultimately makes functioning in life a lot harder.
Try speeding 40 miles above the speed limit- who‟s going to catch you? Try
spending all of your money whenever you earn it- what will that do for you?
The Capricorn archetype symbolizes responsibility. Each soul learns how to be
responsible relative to the rules that exist in its culture/reality- on all levels.
Becoming responsible requires each soul to repress certain urges. Peeing
outside may be appropriate in your cosmology. However, in the midst of
downtown Olympia, 4th
ave, during the day- not a good idea! Not a good idea for
obvious reasons. You may not care, but the police do. And they‟ll want some
money from you- such are the rules, such is this social structure.
Following the rules means being willing to go slower than we may like.This way,
we can pay more attention to what works and what doesn‟t work. We can watch
those who are successful, and notice those who seem to be perpetually
struggling.
Success and failure:
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The Capricorn archetype symbolizes where each soul will be naturally inclined to
test the boundaries of the parameters of their life. In testing the boundaries, a
soul is thrown back on themselves each time they fail. And it is failure that
provides a very important and humbling lesson in maturity for each soul. Failure
means a soul can learn from its mistakes and in the future develop more a more
noble and conscious approach.
A shadow expression of the Capricorn archetype is indeed a fear of failure. In
that fear, there is a constant attempt to “do it right” all the time. Capricorn can be
profoundly self-conscious of how credible it is in the eyes of its
culture/family/society/work environment etc… When failure is feared, Capricorn
stunts its own opportunity to learn how to actually do things right. Eventually,
Capricorn can accept that mastery takes time. In doing this, through the
Capricorn archetype, a soul can actually seem to grow younger as it increases in
age.
Another shadow expression of the Capricorn archetype is to be perpetually
irresponsible. This is the “eh” syndrome. Not paying bills on time, not completing
a training, never being on time, breaking the rules to the neglect of what is
naturally right and wrong. Again, as the awareness of time develops in a soul‟s
consciousness, an existential awareness of death arises. This could be a family
member dying, physical signs of aging, turning a whole new age that is divisible
by 10, or simply feeling left behind in society via unactualized potential. This
awareness teaches Capricorn that time is a friend. If a soul gets serious about
what it takes to responsibly manage its existence here, then it can indeed
actualize its potential.
Repression:
Another shadow expression of Capricorn is to be so highly concerned with its
social image that it may lose touch with its human needs. This could lead to a
distorted psychology of repressed sexuality, repressed emotions, repressed
desires of any nature. These desires will become very exaggerated and “wrong”
relative to the extent that Capricorn is subconsciously pushing them down.
For example, IF you are working at a restaurant, and are expected to put on a
smile all of the time- you will naturally repress what ever is going on for you at the
time in order to do your job well- according to the dictates of your boss. If by
chance you are highly identified with doing this job well- so that you can get a
good recommendation when you apply for your next job- which is higher paying-
which you will really want to do well so that you can take that money and move to
this other place where you can buy a boat and travel the ocean so that one day
you can build a home on the shore, teach people how to surf, and enjoy life…
THEN you will be creating a great degree of stress, you will age rather quickly,
and you will have to find some outlet for all that human emotional stuff.
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If it‟s really suppressed, then Capricorn can find very unusual ways to get in
touch with its emotional needs. Sometimes a soul will actually need to form a
conscious relationship with an organization or a practice that gives it access to its
human needs. For example sexual practices like “bondage and sado-
masochism”.
Depression:
Depression can occur for many reasons. From a Capricorn point of view, it can
either be based on a complete avoidance of the rules, thus reaching a point
whereby “life just doesn‟t work very well”, or on the other end of the spectrum, a
repressive adherence to the rules for the sake of success which may require
immense repression as described above. In both cases, the soul is out of touch
with its emotional reality.
The evolutionary purpose of depression is to foster a deep introspection upon
oneself and one‟s relationship to the totality of their life. The results of this
introspection will yield a stronger resolve to “be here” in a healthy and more
functional way.
The Cancer polarity teaches us that while Capricorn is developing itself in a
social context, and thus has a tendency to get lost in that world, one way or
another, there is a constant need to be in touch with one‟s emotions- such that a
soul doesn‟t loose touch with the fact that it is still a fragile beings that needs to
give and receive love in every aspect of its life.
It’s very interesting to note that because the Capricorn archetype deals with the
nature of the rules that exist in one’s reality, the expression of the archetype is
obviously something that will drastically change from time to time, and place to
place, as is true for all astrological archetypes. In our world today, we are living in
a patriarchal society which is an immense distortion of natural law. Thus the rules
and laws of our times, and for the past 6 thousand years or so, have required a
suppression of our natural human needs.
If we were living in a matriarchy- the social rules would of course be based on
inclusive nurturing principals, and the ways in which humans serve and co-
operate with natural law. The way it is now, on a status quo level at least, natural
law and human law are not harmony.
Final thought on Capricorn:
All the rules are here for a reason. We chose to be human- and so we chose to
be limited in our capacities. It is important to realize that our limitations are not
absolute. They exist only for evolutionary purposes. Gravity is A law- not THE
law. According to one‟s state of consciousness, a soul will be limited by certain
boundaries that are appropriate for that state of consciousness.
Here is quote from a post of mine from an Evolutionary Astrology forum:
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In the totality of creation, there are natural structures set in place by
creator. An example of this would be the spiritual reality of angels, devas,
nature spirits etc. Also all the various saints and spiritual guides that serve
a unique function and role in creation, and this includes the natural
wisdom of any soul who has lived a full life in alignment with natural law.
Capricorn teaches the appropriateness of time and space. Different "rules"
operate at different size scales. The only law that does not change is the
law of Love. Love is the guiding motivation of creation itself. I feel in
essence, the Capricorn archetype reveals how we are meant to
appropriately structure our existence in alignment with natural law, which
is an expression of Love, as human beings here on earth.
The Capricorn archetype correlates to the physical parameters and limitations a
soul faces in a human incarnation. It dually represents where each soul can find
“the key” that allows for harmonious co-operation in social existence within the
context of the physical parameters and limitations, as well as where there may
immense emotional repression or great resistance to taking one’s time.
Part 6 Leo and Aquarius
Leo Archetype
- The sign Leo
- The 5th
house
- The Sun
The Leo archetype represents the natural centrality of every soul within its own
experience. The evolutionary intention of the Leo archetype is for a soul to
realize itself as the center of existence, and through that, as a unique expression
of creation.
The Leo archetype evolves via the realization of its uniqueness. This archetype is
required to recognize and subsequently, actualize its very nature- in the same
way that a tree will actualize itself as a tree, or a lake will actualize itself as a
lake. Just by being who it is.
Through the Leo archetype, each soul has the imperative to realize its own
specialness by developing an awareness of its self as center. Notice how radiant
and powerful the Sun is. The Sun has a special purpose- it is to be the center of
gravity for the entire solar system. This means, by just being what it is, it then has
the experience of being at the center.
If the Sun was trying to be an orbiting planet, then it would not be serving the
unique function that it has. This is true for every soul. There is a natural function
and purpose that needs to be realized and actualized in order for any soul to
experience its centricity in life. This doesn‟t mean a soul has to make itself seem
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any larger or smaller than it actually is. It means it just has to be who it is, and
fulfill its unique function.
To illustrate this point, consider these two scenarios:
You are a natural musician. You have a passion for music and you play the
piano. Right now you are playing the piano, alone in a room. Notice what
happens when you realize that a bunch of people are watching you.
1. You clam up. Suddenly the flow is gone. You either stop playing, or you
continue to play what you know you can “play well” so that your image is
maintained.
2. You feel deeply validated by the presence of this attention. Therefore you
do everything in your power to entertain those who are watching you. You
become like a child, acting joyful and playful. However, it is really all an
act- you are very much dependent on their attention. And so you are in
fact manipulating the energy in the room to take attention from them.
When they suddenly pick up and leave, you are either relieved that you can just
be yourself again (1) or you are sad that they didn‟t like you (2).
Those scenarios are two sides of the same coin. When the Leo archetype has
not developed a grounded sense of “self as center” then it will need to
manipulate its environment, one way or the other, to make up for its lack of
healthy self centeredness. In scenario 1, you stopped being yourself on account
of other‟s seeing you. This implies that your self-centricity is dependent on other
people. In scenario 2, you only knew yourself to be special relative to the
recognition you were receiving from others.
Being at the center doesn‟t mean other people think of you as the center, or
recognize you as such. It means you experience yourself to be at the center.
Through that experience, you naturally emanate a presence that couldn‟t exist
without you.
A shadow for Leo is gross and subtle manipulation to the point of doing anything
in order to gain attention from others. This could be “look at how beautiful I am.
Look at how smart I am…” or, “look at how sad I am. Look at how hurt I am…” It
doesn‟t matter what kind of image Leo is creating of itself during its manipulation.
It‟s still creating an image.
Leo can recognize that it is unique and has a special role through objectifying
(Aquarius polarity) it‟s perception of reality. Through objectification, it can notice
that everyone in fact is unique- and everyone seems to have something to offer
according to who they are. This awareness serves two purposes:
1. It allows a soul to recognize that they are no different than any other soul-
other than how they self-actualize.
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2. A soul is then capable of being detached from the need to self-actualize.
Instead a soul can innocently explore what makes itself unique and
special.
Creator/Creation:
Leo can realize itself as a microcosmic exemplification of Creator. When all of life
is experienced as orbiting around a soul, a soul can step up to the plate and
firmly stand its position. Like a wise king, taking his natural place on the throne.
For each soul the Leo archetype symbolizes the nature of its throne- where it is
meant to stand in the glory of its being.
Most children are naturally ecstatic about life. For a child, life is experienced as a
continual revelation of creation. This is because life is a continual revelation of
creation.
As a soul awakens to it‟s self as creator, a soul then has the opportunity to
realize life as a mysterious template of creation. Therefore, it is through the Leo
archetype that a soul can get in touch with the feelings of awe, ecstasy,
inspiration, and all around love of life.
If a soul is in love with life, it is in love with all of life‟s creations. The Leo
archetype symbolizes the potential for a soul to see the creative genius in all of
life‟s manifestations. The recognition of life as creation can lead a soul into a
state of great generosity, love and appreciation for all of creation.
The essence of self actualization:
Each soul has the potential to realize its profound uniqueness in the context of
humanity. Through that realization, the Leo archetype represents where each
soul can emanate love and inspiration through the actualization of who it is.
When I speak of actualization, it is important to understand what that really
means. Actualization requires effort. However, the effort required here isn‟t the
effort to become somebody- each soul is already wired to be exactly who it is, the
template already exists. Rather, it means that each soul has to do the work of
seeing and then embodying the somebody that they already are.
On a deeper level, the Leo archetype symbolizes the life purpose of each soul. In
the same way that the Sun makes possible the orbit of all planets, the Leo
archetype serves as a central focusing point through which the entire
evolutionary journey finds expression.
Through self-actualization, the Leo archetype has the potential to leave behind a
legacy. This can happen as a natural consequence of any soul creating
something that then lives on after the death of the identity (i.e. a work of art, or an
organization, or co-creating a human being). The constant imperative for Leo is
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to detach from the creation, so that it can remain centered in its own uniqueness,
as it is unfolding.
The Leo archetype on a chart symbolizes how a soul can experience itself as an
expression of Creator. It corresponds to the Life purpose of any incarnation by
acting as a focusing agent for the entire chart. It dually represents where a soul
can experience all of life, including oneself, as an expression of creation-
moment to moment- as well as the tendency to see one‟s specialness only
through the reflection, encouragement, or manipulation of other life forms.
******************************************
Aquarius Archetype
- The sign Aquarius
- The 11th
house
- The planet Uranus
If Leo is excited, creative, inspirational, seeking radical aliveness- is Aquarius cut
and dry… boring… emotionally inaccessible?
Could be- but it doesn‟t have to be that way!
The evolutionary intention of the Aquarius archetype is to constantly embrace
freedom. Freedom from the past, freedom from the known, freedom from
convention, freedom from anything that has already happened.
Freedom is the intent. What results from that freedom is always a surprise- as
the manifestation of the Aquarius archetype is naturally meant to express as a
revelation of what is not yet known.
In order to experience freedom, each soul may come into a life with strong
feelings of “being different” than the status quo of one‟s
family/culture/environment etc. That feeling of being different is not a Leo
experience of “I am different because I am special in my own way” but rather “I
am different because I do not seem to operate via the same convention as
everyone else.”
The differentness that a soul experiences through the Aquarian archetype can
breed a feeling of aloneness, alienation, and even depression.
Aquarius is learning objectivity. It is learning how to see clearly, with increasingly
less interference from any subjective consciousness. In developing an objective
awareness it has the ability to reflect on the totality of its reality and simply walk
away from what is outdated and non evolutionary.
 The 12_astrological_archetypes
 The 12_astrological_archetypes
 The 12_astrological_archetypes
 The 12_astrological_archetypes
 The 12_astrological_archetypes
 The 12_astrological_archetypes
 The 12_astrological_archetypes
 The 12_astrological_archetypes

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The 12_astrological_archetypes

  • 1. 1 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com Segment 2: THE 12 ASTROLOGICAL ARCHETYPES Table of contents: - Introduction: ---------------------------------------------1 - Part 1: Pisces-Virgo -----------------------------------3 - Part 2 Aries-Libra --------------------------------------9 - Part 3 Taurus-Scorpio --------------------------------13 - Part 4 Gemini-Sagittarius ----------------------------22 - Part 5 Cancer-Capricorn -----------------------------29 - Part 6 Aquarius-Leo -----------------------------------36 - Part 7 Further Exploration ---------------------------44 - Part 8 Closing Thoughts -----------------------------46 INTRODUCTION These descriptions intend to provide a perspective on the 12 archetypes from an evolutionary point of view. Many astrologers interpret any archetype as being fixed in its behavior (i.e. “If your Sun is in Aries then you get angry easily…). We however are learning that one archetype has a multitude of expressions, depending on how it fits into the context of the entire chart, as well as one’s level of awareness. Life-Pie Visualization Before we look at any archetype, first, let us envision life- just life as it is. Whole and undifferentiated. Now, place on top of life a cheesy pizza pie with 12 slices. That‟s what we‟re doing here. We‟re working with one (out of many) systems of interpretation that provide a language for “how the oneness operates.” If you cut out one piece of that pie, you‟ll be looking at an astrological archetype. If you cut out the Gemini slice, you will find the people around you, siblings, cousins, media, communication, your throat chakra, the nervous system, the planet Mercury, the area of the sky that is an arc of 60-90 degrees below the eastern horizon called “the third house”, hands, schools, the left-brain, language, science, and many more correlations. Now put that slice back into the pie. We are back to just existence. Noumenon An archetype itself represents an ENTIRE DOMAIN OF CONSCIOUSNESS. Gemini represents an entire domain of consciousness. That domain of consciousness manifests itself in various forms (such as the one‟s listed above).
  • 2. 2 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com The concept I am introducing here is the relationship between “noumenon” and “phenomenon”. Noumenon= The isness. Phenomenon= The manifestations of the isness. Defining the isness of any singular archetype is a bit difficult, as its essence is HIGHLY non verbal and non linear. However, it is absolutely possible to understand the 12 astrological archetypes through connecting to their essence. As a general rule, when it comes to understanding the phenomenal associations of any archetype, it is best to ask, “Why are these particular phenomenon associated with this archetype?” as opposed to simply reading a list of associations. For example, we can ask, “Why are hands associated with Gemini?” To find the answer, we must first tap into the noumenal essence of the Gemini archetype, and then contemplate how that essence manifests itself as what we call “hands”. Same archetype, different expression A natal chart is made up of signs, houses and planets. Each sign, house and planet is a unique expression of a singular archetype. For example: Mars, Aries and the first house all relate to the way in which a soul is meant to instinctively insert and assert their being-ness in life. In this segment, when I refer to an archetype I will address the sign. For example, when speaking of the Aries, first house and Mars on a chart (which are all expressions of the same archetype”) I will refer to all of them as “the Aries archetype”. In a future segment we will learn the specific meaning of signs, houses and planets as well as the differences between them. Each archetype is operative in every chart Each soul experiences itself through every single archetype. We have all of them present in our chart. The archetypes all appear differently, however they are all present and operating all of the time. What truly differentiates one chart from the next is the way in which the archetypes are emphasized and synthesized together. ***** Format of writing I present the 12 signs through polarities. One of the easiest ways to discover these archetypes is through comparison and contrast. In fact, the more you can understand Pisces, the more you will understand Virgo.
  • 3. 3 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com As I wrote above, each of the 12 astrological archetypes represents complete domains of consciousness. Just as much, they can also represent 12 complete domains of unconsciousness. Depending on one‟s awareness, any archetype can express itself in a multitude of ways. I will often address the spectrum between unconscious and conscious as “shadow” and “self-realization”. ****************************************************************************** Return your inner eye to the life-pie. Now sprinkle on your favorite condiment. Let it marinate… ****************************************************************************** Part 1 Pisces and Virgo Pisces Archetype - The sign of Pisces - The 12th house - The planet Neptune I am starting with Pisces because Pisces truly represents the ending and the beginning of all. Aries is what emerges from the womb; fresh, new, ready for adventure. Pisces however is the womb. It‟s what is always here. It is where we come from and where we are going. Pisces represents the ultimate isness of existence. The evolutionary intention for the Pisces archetype is to surrender to the Truth of what is. What has to happen in order for that to occur? Nothing has to happen. That‟s the trick… and it‟s really tricky… and it‟s also not… Each soul is an extension of its Creator. And it is the will of Creator to experience itself through diversity. Therefore, when a soul incarnates into a human identity, what‟s really happening is the entire Universe is exploring itself through a human identity. This can create great confusion for a soul. How to reconcile the absoluteness of one‟s being with the development of an apparently limited and challenging human identity? To me, the evolution of the Pisces archetype can be roughly represented in 6 stages. Of course any soul can be experiencing more than one stage at any particular time. I credit Maurice Fernandez and his book “Neptune, the End of Hope, Beginning of Truth” as the inspiration for these stages. 1. Innocence
  • 4. 4 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com 2. Hurt by existence 3. Depart from innocence- developing the immune system 4. Fame/public service 5. Disillusionment 6. Truth 1. Innocence. When a soul comes into this world- as a newborn baby, is does not yet have the capacity to create any kind of distinction between any two things. The innate miraculousness and oneness of life is simply taken for granted. This is called “pre-disillusionment purity”. 2. Hurt by innocence. In a state of innocence, and indiscriminate trust, a soul can be let down by life as it continually gets hurt. This can be very confusing for a soul that is experiencing this. This happens on subtle levels for every child, such as when life doesn‟t magically show up whenever there is a need for changing, for feeding etc. This happens for any soul that feels confused because they were “trying to do the right thing.” or “just wanted to trust that person”, or “trusted that God would protect me…” or “trusted that I won‟t get sick”. The trust is in fact just hope- it does not recognize that life isn‟t innately going to take care of us in the ways we naively hoped it would. To quote the 2009 movie Avatar, “Aywah does not take sides, she only protects the balance of life”. 3. Departure from innocence- developing the immune system. A shadow expression of Pisces is to believe one‟s self to be a victim. Why? As a result of having been previously too trusting, a soul can now become overly protective and distrustful of life. In extreme cases, as a result of being taken advantage of by whatever forces in life, a soul can develop an emotion of resentment and revenge. This could lead to sadist behavior. Eventually, a soul realizes that if effort is not made, then one‟s existence will be extinguished. This can lead to a serious existential crisis in which one feels dangerously “left behind” in life. This can be connected to undeveloped motor skills, a weak immune system, lack of self assertion, undeveloped relationship skills etc. At this realization, a soul bravely chooses to leave the innocence behind, as innocence simply doesn‟t seem to work. At this stage, a soul starts to develop strength and immunity. 4. Fame/public service. In so doing, the Pisces archetype can manifest as immense skillfulness, knowledge and talent. Even though a soul may have developed some immunity, there will still be a lack of appropriate boundaries. A soul at this stage may wish to save the world (savior complex). Or they may have trouble saying “no” to
  • 5. 5 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com every person that wants their help. This can in turn lead to more fear- in which a soul isolates itself from the public in order to avoid all the attention and suffering. 5. Disillusionment Pisces shadow always lies in its tendency to get super confused about reality. It may deeply believe that surrender=martyrdom. Or acceptance=self-sacrifice. In that belief, it will still create over and over again circumstances in which it will feel victimized by life. This continues to happen until a soul realizes that its underlying pattern has been to think that it has to be something in order to live in harmony with existence. Originally a soul thought it needed to be pure, so it stayed in innocence. Then it thought it needed to try harder- so it developed its immunity consciousness, possibly to the point of sadism, becoming hyper controlling, or perhaps brilliantly skillful. Then it thought it needed to become a bodhisattva and save the world. And then it thought it had to run away as to not become a martyr. All this ultimately leads to a deep all encompassing disillusionment for a soul. Finally, a soul actually lets go and lets God. This is true surrender. 6. Truth In surrendering to the truth, the Pisces archetype learns that indeed everything is actually ok. A soul realizes perfection in the imperfectness of existence. Instead of having figured out the “right way to be”- a soul becomes more interested in living in alignment with the way things actually are. This will manifest itself as a mimic of nature. Nature is neutral- she is profoundly kind and giving, yet it does not assume any responsibility that is outside of her function. The apple tree is present for all to pick an apple. It does not uproot itself to feed those who are hungry. If it is cut it will fall. If it is fertilized with the elements, it will grow stronger. If it is hurt, it will use its energy to grow protective bark around the wound. It is constantly adjusting to reality- in all ways. Nature can also be violent and destructive. Innocent people are killed, hungry people starve, natural disasters happen, people‟s evil intentions often reign society, and bad things happen to good people. All of life exists as a template for all of that to happen. A soul realizes that it itself is in fact just an extension of Life. It eventually yearns to become just like Life. This ultimately means getting out of the way and devoting oneself to live in Truth. Each soul is given the tools through which it can serve life. These tools correlate to the simple nature of who the soul is. Nothing more, nothing less. However any laziness or false pride will result in suffering. Enlightenment vs insanity:
  • 6. 6 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com Pisces symbolizes the fine line between enlightenment and insanity. Sanity is not really something any of us got. Sanity is really when we are at peace with all that is. That is the essence of Pisces. It is in fact very rare to find a soul that is truly at peace with life. How often do we attempt to fight life, complain about it, and wish it were something else? In true acceptance, peace comes. Peace is the starting point for living in revelation of the great mystery of life- as it is. Further observations about the Pisces archetype: As stated, each soul is a unique expression of Creator. As consciousness evolves through the evolutionary stages, the Pisces archetype will manifest itself as a transcendent impulse to serve the oneness. All of life, as an expression of Creation from Creator, is truly of the same essence. Thus, at a certain level of consciousness, our oneness is experienced as a tangible reality that can be directly known. The unifying impulse of Love ultimately drives a soul to serve the collective with absolutely no unnatural discrimination, expectation of reward, or attachment to outcome. Why? Because it is the nature of the one to recognize itself as the one- everywhere and in everyone. That‟s where spiritual service naturally arises. The Pisces archetype in a chart represents where each soul is wired to merge with the ultimate Truth. It also represents where there is the greatest possibility of delusion and insanity. Adyashanti: “That Which Always Is” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yt9txkyb1i0 ****************************** Virgo Archetype - The sign Virgo - The 6th house - The planet Mercury Based on what we know about Pisces, what can we say about Virgo? What is an archetype that represents the opposite of surrender, the opposite of complete acceptance? The polarity to Truth? This is starting to sound depressing! The truth is, we wouldn‟t be here, incarnated on this planet, if there wasn‟t work to do. Our very existence denotes the potential for improvement. In Virgo, we can experience a feeling of “lack” in being so far (180 degrees) from the Source. This however, is exactly how the Source wishes to experience itself- through physical existence. Here is a short excerpt from an article I wrote on Virgo in my blog:
  • 7. 7 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com Virgo has to do with the self-improving function of consciousness. All aspects of existence are fine just the way they are (Pisces). However there is a continual and universal imperative to participate with life in such a way that all aspects can be properly maintained and improved upon. Have you ever noticed how many times a day your cat or dog licks their butt? Apparently cockroaches are the cleanest insects around- spending a good portion of their day cleaning themselves! We can look to our body and pay attention to what can be better. For some it will be the waist line, for others it will be the skin's complexion, good bowel movements, exercising every day, proper hygiene, healthier food, meditation, breathing exercises, yoga. We can also look towards the work we do, or the relationships in our life and find something to improve. Virgo's gift is the ability to fix things; to help foster more improved conditions for life- such that everything can operate at its maximum capacity. This implies a very cerebral nature to Virgo. Virgo represents the ability to notice the way things are and participate with life in such a way that one can study how life works and make it work even better. The mind of the Virgo archetype is always measuring and adjusting. The primary contrast between Virgo and Pisces is DISCERNMENT. Virgo evolves by developing its capacity to discern. Through the skill of discernment, Virgo can help improve life without getting freaked out by how f‟ed up everything already is. A shadow expression of the Virgo archetype is masochism. Masochism is based on an inner anger and guilt for not being good enough. This could express itself as overworking oneself, not knowing how to relax, taxing the body/mind/nervous system, neglecting basic chores and routines that are necessary components of life. Virgo can become intensely neurotic and obsessive compulsive, or intensely neglectful- two sides of the same coin. When that masochism is projected outwards it can manifest as an attempt to control all of life. The need for inner perfection can express as a need for everything in one‟s environment to be perfect. This could lead to very controlling and judgmental behavior of others. This shadow of Virgo can often express itself as a false surrender to the already existing perfection, “eh, I don‟t need to bathe, I‟m fine”, as a cover up for actually feeling too lost for the cause. For this reason, in a state of distortion, Virgo can seem very Piscean. Just like Pisces, when it is striving for some more control over life, might look very much like Virgo.
  • 8. 8 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com In the same way that Pisces is learning that surrender doesn‟t mean sacrifice, Virgo is learning that discrimination doesn‟t mean control. Things have to be ok the way they are. Change can only happen if we are patient and meticulous in our approach. Holding back: As Virgo has an evolutionary imperative to develop self-accuracy in all aspects of a soul‟s life, it can become easily overwhelmed with a strong feeling of “not being ready” enough to put to use all the gifts it may have developed. As a result, Virgo will hold back from speaking it‟s truth, applying it‟s knowledge, seeing clients, practicing their healing work, setting up their business etc… because it is so starkly aware of how much more work there still is to do. Thus, the self-realization for Virgo is when a soul makes a commitment to a way of living that allows for a constant development in the context of complete acceptance of the way things currently are. Commitment is a key word here, as it implies that the soul recognizes its innate ability to be of service. If a soul‟s commitment to self improve comes from a true desire to be closer to the truth, then it will be able to focus on the proper maintenance of its own body, mind psyche, as well as the ways in which it can be of service to others. Routine: Ultimately, through the Virgo archetype a soul learns that routine is a crucial component of physical existence. Routines that include all the necessary aspects of a person‟s life (ie yoga and meditation and sun rise, a time for working on one‟s business, time to relax and do nothing etc…) allow the important work to take its place as important and the less important to take its place as less important. Otherwise, based on a perpetual inner restlessness and a guilt that it is never doing good enough, Virgo can easily be swayed from one direction to another taking care of the non important tasks that other people ask of them. Spiritual masochism: Because masochism is such a significant psychology in this archetype, I want to focus on a particular kind of masochism, called “Spiritual masochism.” Spiritual masochism is based on religious or cultural conditioning that dictates an ideal of “purity” as a goal to reach. This ideal of course being a negation of who one currently is. An example of this would be the consensus Judeo-Christian religions whereby God is regarded as perfect, and human beings are regarded as innately sinful. And thus the need to atone for one‟s sinfulness. This can generate intense guilt. Step by step: The self realization of Virgo occurs through developing a deeply self loving acceptance of oneself, and step by step, making efforts towards life-long
  • 9. 9 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com improvement. Through persistent and relaxed efforts, a soul can serve an increasingly purposeful and self honoring function for the whole. The Virgo archetype on a chart represents where a soul is wired to be an active participant in improving the quality of life. It implies where there is a need for self- accuracy. It dually represents where the greatest amount of improvement and discernment can be developed, as well as were there exists a tendency for stress, sickness and neurotic behavior as a result of feeling burdened by guilt and the obligations of existence. [A note on the planet Mercury. Later we will take a look at Mercury’s dual association with both the Virgo archetype and the Gemini archetype. For more perspective, read the complete blog: “A Treatise on Virgo Rulership” http://astrologywitharimoshe.blogspot.com/2009/12/virgo.html] Part 2 Aries and Libra Aries Archetype - The sign Aries - The 1st house - The planet Mars Every child is birthed. Everything has a starting point. Be it the start of a project, or the simple act of getting out of bed. Our relationship to the impulse of “starting”- is found in the Aries archetype. All soul‟s have a need to discover themselves through the active process of awakening to what it‟s like to be who they are. Like a child discovering its own hands- the need to apply those hands in life, as a means of establishing a relationship to its own individuality, is absolutely necessary. No soul can stay in innocence forever. Aries contains a fascinating psychology because in essence, it represents “separation from source”. Look at the glyph for Mars. It is an arrow (masculine- direction) coming out of a circle (feminine, wholeness). Aries creates imbalance. That is its purpose. Therefore, the self-realization of Aries is the alignment of mind and body to be completely present in the moment, with whatever one is doing. Cutting wood, writing a book, making love. Aries learns how to align with the instinctive impulse to be completely focused on its purpose, on the direction it is currently moving. Because of this, the Aries archetype can also relate to an impulsive need to be in constant motion. And in that, feel threatened by anything that impedes on its direction. This quality can express itself as always being like an immature child- refusing to learn the necessary lessons of cooperation and compromise.
  • 10. 10 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com In the Aries archetype, we learn the difference between instinct and frustration. Aries can initiate movement (be it an immature burst in the wrong moment or a business entrepreneurship) by always starting something new- yet find that life offers continuous blows of resistance. The key to becoming actualized in Aries, is learning how to align one‟s sense of purpose (Aries) with consideration for others (Libra polarity) such that while a soul is following its destiny to discover itself through constant motion (disrupting the status quo)- it‟s also allowing others to be exactly who they are at the same time. The shadow of Aries is in fact a lack of consideration for others. There can be a deep angst in Aries that requires its individual freedom at all costs. The thing is, that need for freedom, if it is an angst, is only a defense mechanism - a fearful need to protect one‟s purpose in order to establish one‟s identity in life. Therefore, Aries can create conflict (intellectual, physical, emotional- any) with other human beings solely on account of its need to be in constant motion on account of its need to defend it‟s individualism at all costs. The natural Aries expression is raw, therefore, the Aries archetype symbolizes where there is a great potential for accidents and violent confrontation with others. An accident can happen not because of recklessness per se- but because of a lack of proper presence and intention in the channeling of one‟s energy. The learning curve for Aries is to be raw- yet to refine that rawness by developing immense certainty about itself, as well as a simple awareness of the realities that exist outside of its self. This allows a soul to be completely present and sure about whatever it is doing/wherever it is going/whatever it is planning etc. In learning that every human being has their own path- Aries can develop a wisdom of appreciation- the ability to recognize its own uniqueness in the context of a world full of other people who have their own work to do. In that realization, Aries is then fully capable of becoming a leader in any field. The qualities that emerge are focus, stillness, readiness, bravery, and a skillful awareness of how one‟s own actions intercede with other people‟s lives. In the end Aries can emanate a quality of inner self-clarity and be an example for others. Realizing the soul‟s desire: It is through the Aries archetype that a soul actualizes its highest purpose. This is so, because in a chart, the Aries archetype in essence paves the road for each soul‟s evolutionary intentions. The Aries archetype defines the path of action that each soul must take towards its own self-realization. It‟s important to clarify that the Aries archetype always operates instinctively. And thus it correlates to the desires of the soul that are leading the soul to new
  • 11. 11 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com horizons moment to moment. Therefore, immense freedom and independence is necessary in order for those desires to be acted upon. The Aries archetype in a chart represents where a soul is wired to realize its evolutionary purpose through action; through focused awareness of one’s movement, moment to moment. It also represents a great potential for chaos, accidents, confrontations with other human beings, and hapless irresponsible action. *************************************** Libra Archetype - The sign Libra - The 7th house - The planet Venus Libra is just as instinctive as Aries. However, it is instinctive about OTHER PEOPLE. In Libra, a soul evolves through exploring the wide and exciting world of “other.” If Aries is developing self-determination, self-confidence, alignment with instincts, instinctive impulse to enact one‟s own path in life- what is Libra developing? Confusion? Lack of confidence? Lack of direction? Well sometimes- but that‟s just the shadow. The archetype of Libra represents the natural truth that we are always in relationship with each other- moment to moment. We each have our own unique path (Aries) however, in following that- other people are deeply interwoven with our own process both as integral players in our own story, as well as everyone else that just happens to be sharing the same stage. Libra is learning how to know itself through comparison and contrast. This archetype forms relationships with realities outside of its own as a means to gain more objective self-knowledge. “Oh you like sprouted oats? I tried that- and in fact, I don‟t like it. That‟s so cool that you like it and I don‟t…” Things like that are really exciting for the Libra archetype. The shadow of Libra is in fact to not honor its own needs, its own boundaries- to be over consumed with other people as a means of establishing a sense of self worth. Libra is wired to be attracted to all different kinds of people. Because of that, it will know exactly how to please others- how to objectively hear another, how to listen to another. However, it can easily turn manipulative by using their own “listening” abilities to make another feel loved as a way for them self to feel loved. Here is a story:
  • 12. 12 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com You are sitting with a new friend at a coffee shop. You notice how wonderful of a listener he happens to be- how much he nods his head when you are talking, how skillfully he “replays” back to you the words you have spoken. It‟s a little much, but you still feel very “heard” by your friend. Your rambling on and on about something or another. At some point you subtly mention a cat you used to play with when you were a child. To you, it was just a passing thought. However your friend really really needs you to think that he is a good listener. While you were rambling, he began to loose interest, yet continued to feign attention. He happened to catch that comment about that cat, and so he says, “Oh cool. So what was that cat‟s name?” “Oh, um- I don‟t remember.” “Ok. Well, I really hear you about how you used to enjoy being with that cat. That must have been really important to you back then.” “Dude- c‟mon…” This is called “the need to be needed” syndrome. Libra is really looking for acceptance. In striving for that, Libra can easily project that need onto other people, in completely unnecessary and unrealistic ways. This is a big issue for Libra- as it can loose touch with who it is- independent of other people. Patterns of co-dependency, fear of being alone, constantly needing to feel validated by anyone other than themselves. I once had a friend who told me he has secretly desired to be kidnapped. I wondered how the Libra archetype manifested in his chart. It ends up he had lots of planets in the 7th house, as well as a few inner planets in Libra. Why from a Libra point of view would a soul wish to be kidnapped? First of all, they don‟t have to make any decisions for them self. Someone is willfully taking them captive- all Libra has to do is kick back and be passive. With no decisions to make there is no possibility of being rejected or disapproved of by anyone. Second of all, it‟s a distorted way of feeling needed. Therefore, another shadow of Libra is laziness in relationship. If we do not accept and love ourselves, what is it we are gaining from another? How truly available can we be for another? Libra needs intimacy- but is often too afraid of rejection to actually do the work of cultivating intimacy. The famous indecisiveness of Libra is rooted in a deep need to make decisions in such a way that they will please everyone. Confusion about any decision is subconsciously rooted in a need to be please and thus be accepted by other people. When Libra realizes that any decision it makes is fine, that they are worthy of love and acceptance no matter what choices they make, then they can develop the Aries polarity and learn how to trust their own instincts.
  • 13. 13 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com The other side of Libra: Another shadow expression of Libra is actually to become controlling and manipulative. Through the Libra archetype, a soul can develop a false sense of esteem and power as a means to “balance out” for being too passive. This can happen in a singular relationship, as well as in one relationship to the next. For example: forming a relationship with a controlling person, thus holding the space for Libra to be passive. And then forming a relationship with a passive person, thus holding the space for Libra to be aggressive. This will keep on happening until Libra learns to stop filling the spaces that other people create for them out of sheer circumstance. In order to successfully emerge with actual self-awareness, Libra requires a commitment to LEARN balance. How much to give to whom and when. Each circumstance and each relationship presents a unique imperative to adjust (Libra) to the current reality that is. Ultimately, a soul, through the Libra archetype, has the potential to discover who it is by developing deep intimacy with other human beings, IN A WAY that is unique and supportive to its own path. Libra has the potential to create harmony and balance between itself and its social environment, in all circumstances- and to even help others honor and respect themselves in order to do the same. Unconditional acceptance: The self-realization of Libra is actually enacted through being accepted unconditionally by an other(s). The paradox of course, is that self-acceptance is required in order to be receptive to the love of another. Through experiencing another‟s unconditional acceptance- a soul emerges with a nurtured sense of worthiness to simply be who it is and feel inwardly affirmed about that. Relativity: Libra naturally understands and validates the phenomena of “relativity”- that each soul is on their own path, and has their own nature. Libra is instinctively interested in learning about other people, and has the natural ability to help other people feel accepted in who they are. The Libra archetype on a chart represents where a soul is wired to awaken through the journey of relationship. It represents the greatest potential for balance and harmony, as well as the greatest tendency to fluctuate between extremes, indecisiveness, and lack a false sense of balance. Part 3 Taurus and Scorpio Taurus Archetype - The sign Taurus - The second house - The planet Venus
  • 14. 14 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com Taurus correlates to the survival instinct. All souls incarnate with a need to preserve and sustain their own life. This manifests on both gross and subtle levels. On a gross level this manifests in the need for water, to eat, to build a shelter, to have the proper resources in order to survive. On a subtler level- each soul uses senses as means to navigate through its earthly existence. Our capacity to taste, to smell, to physically feel the life around us are all crucial survival tools. Venus: You may have noticed that Venus is both an expression of the Libra and Taurus archetype. What is that all about? Venus is the function of our femininity. It relates to how we create relationship. The Libra side of Venus is relationship to the outer. The Taurus side of Venus is relationship to the inner. Inner relationship: Taurus represents our capacity to be in the body, alive and receptive to our physical existence. For that reason, the cultivation of a healthy self-esteem is crucial in Taurus. Let‟s look at a scenario. You are sitting on a bench on a sunny day- relatively content, enjoying the moment. Someone comes to you and offers you a piece of chocolate. What is your instinctual response? How do you relate to that response? What kind of choice do you ultimately make? If you have negative feelings about your body, about your eating habits, about your sugar addiction, then you may not experience that offer as a joyful moment- it may be a stressful moment. You may unconfidently accept the chocolate, or you may repressively turn it down. If you tend to be addicted to pleasure, to the point of lacking healthy boundaries- you may follow your instinct and immediately eat it. You will experience a temporary mouth orgasm! However, once you are finished, you will feel incomplete- with an insatiable desire for more. If however you value pleasure, love and balance, and you know yourself to be worthy of those things; then you will consider the offer from a place of equanimity. You may or may not eat it. Your decision will not be based on a need to fill a lack. This scenario points to the fact that our relationship to the physical senses directly correlates to our inner relationship with our own self. Our self-esteem. The Taurus archetype represents the need for each soul to internalize what makes its human life worth living.
  • 15. 15 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com Pleasure: There is a very strong link between pleasure and survival. If a soul is not receptive to pleasure, it indicates that its relationship to life is cut and dry. That says a lot about how it internalizes its sense of self: who it deeply feel itself to be, at a core level. On the flip side, if a soul is excessively open to the pleasures of the body, to the point of being a pleasure addict, it indicates that its relationship to life is one of lack- “always needing more”. There exists for that soul an ancient cellularly based fear of “not having enough”. That fear manifest itself as needing constant sensual gratification. Self trust: The shadow of Taurus is in fact distrusting one‟s innate connection to physical life. In that distrust- one can hoard, steel, accumulate money, food, wine, pleasure, sex, possessions, or any object that symbolizes survival to that soul- to the point of stagnation. Stagnation is like a lake that‟s been filled with too many obstructions- blocking the flow of chi, of life force. Sexuality: Taurus and Scorpio are the “sexual” axis. Sexuality for Taurus is connected to the procreative instinct of human consciousness. Often times, sex can be a means through which Taurus grounds out, and reconnects to its own body. It is for that reasons that masturbation, and self-pleasure in general is a very important component for the development of the Taurus archetype. This represents an individual soul cultivating intimacy and love with the body- a very important relationship for each soul‟s evolution. A shadow for Taurus however, is living life like a masturbation. Constant self- pleasure to the point of needing more stimulation, more orgasm, all of the time. From that state of consciousness- pleasure becomes a goal, not something that is innate to living. Look for the garden! Another tendency of Taurus is to be intensely blind to seeing anything beyond what it has already identified as a personal resource. Here‟s a story to describe this: A man is house-sitting in his friends cabin. His friend says, “Eat whatever is here”. She then proceeds to show him all the food in the refrigerator and in the pantry. Once his friend leaves, he thinks that he is aware of all the food sources (as this is what he was told: refrigerator and pantry). And so, he regularly visits the kitchen, and when seeking to feed himself, he sources those known locations.
  • 16. 16 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com He expects food to be there, and yet is also unaware of other potential food sources. When the pantry is empty, or the frig runs dry- he is then confronted with a typical Taurus lesson: The need to look at life with a little more depth (Scorpio polarity). Perhaps if he opens up that cabinet door, he will find some crackers. Perhaps if he considers the fact that veggies grow from the earth, he‟d check the backyard to see if there‟s a garden. Every soul has the capacity to become resourceful. In so doing, each soul is capable of receiving and sustaining the very resources that make its life livable, and worth living. If there is a feeling of lack, then another shadow expression of the Taurus archetype is constant dependence on others to get what it needs. If Taurus is not in touch with its own capacity for survival, it may be perpetually dependent on what it already knows; which could be grossly limiting in some cases. Receptivity: The evolutionary intent of the Taurus archetype to develop self sufficiency often times creates a conflict in making oneself available to receive from others, when in fact one doesn‟t have what they need. Learning receptivity is a key lesson in developing true self-sufficiency, as ultimately a soul realizes that it is self- sufficient through its ability to receive- from all sources. This brings a soul to a state of deep presence in which wherever a soul goes, it feels grounded and at home. A soul can then be graceful and comfortable in its own human skin. Portal or Veil: The self-realization of Taurus is when a soul experiences itself through the intelligence of the body. This is a profound experience as all the senses are experienced as vehicles of consciousness. Art- anything beautiful and harmonious is a natural expression Taurus, as that is what life naturally does when it is just present- it is art. However it is meaningful to note that the senses can serve as either a portal or a veil to higher consciousness. The Taurus archetype on a chart represents where a soul is wired to evolve through the physical senses- how a soul can create stability within itself and internalize its own personal meaning of life. This will always manifest itself gracefully and artfully. Taurus also symbolizes the potential for manipulation, stagnation, greed, selfishness, poverty mentality, addiction to pleasure of any kind, and a lack of self-love. [A note about Venus. Venus, wherever it is in a chart, represents the evolutionary intentions of both Libra and Taurus. We can understand Venus as our “inner ear”. It is how each soul listens to its deepest needs. The way in which it listens within (inner relationship= Taurus) is then the determinant for the kind of
  • 17. 17 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com relationships it will attract to it’s self (outer relationship= Libra). This will be discussed in further detail in a future segment]. **************************************************** Scorpio Archetype - The sign Scorpio - The 8th house - The dwarf planet (or whatever else they decide to call it) Pluto If Taurus is learning self-reliance, developing sensual awareness, is in the body- then what can we say about Scorpio? It wears black all the time and stays out of the light? Yes, sometimes… The evolutionary intent for a soul evolving through the domain of Scorpio is to co- operate with the transmutational tendency of existence. The Scorpio archetype correlates to the universal truth of impermanence. Everything ends. However, no ending is ever really an ending in an ultimate sense. It‟s just an ending of a form- of a circumstance- of a relationship- of an addiction- of an identity. After each ending, a new form emerges- which itself will endure yet another short life cycle. Life time to life time, each soul creates an identity structure that serves as a vehicle for its evolution. As a soul increases in awareness, its sense of identity gradually moves from its human identity to include self as one with Creator. This is what Scorpio is about- it is the archetype that actually symbolizes The Evolution of Consciousness. Here is an excerpt from segment 1: Two people can have the same chart and have completely different experiences. This is based on the fact that all human beings are vibrating at different levels of awareness. Understanding these natural levels of awareness is a key first step in interpreting a chart. I feel this youtube flick is an exemplification of what I am about to explain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YedgubRZva8 As awareness increases, the sand pattern breaks down. What then follows is a new sand pattern- and it just keeps on going. Breakdown, reformulation. We can liken that to what we all personally know as "death and rebirth". Each time we "die", we are reborn at a new level of awareness.
  • 18. 18 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com This very process of breakdown and reformulation, or death and rebirth, is the essence of Scorpio. Consider this scenario: You are a little girl shopping with daddy at the food store. What catches your eye? The chocolate covered almonds? The dried mango? How badly do you want it? What, Daddy won‟t buy it? Are you yelling now? You see, you‟re throwing a huge fit because you really want dried mango. Your act of crying, in this case, is a form of manipulation- you know it will work- because you know your father‟s soft spot. He feels like a bad parent when you cry in public. You‟re very astute! So you get the dried mango. This is indeed the 9th time you have pulled this trick. It takes a lot of energy to get what you want doesn‟t it? Now let‟s take this to the next level. One of four things happen: 1. You realize solely on your own that there is no meaning in this mango. You decide to shed yourself of this attachment. However each time you go to the store you find yourself craving again. You realize your obsession and all the pain it causes; yet don‟t know how to overcome it… you don‟t understand why it exists in the first place. Therefore, you will become increasingly more aware of your psychological addiction, and over a long period of time, you will gradually release it, as you will consciously and unconsciously continue to attract various circumstances into your life that will lead you to the awareness you are seeking. 2. You keep on trying for that mango each time you shop until Daddy goes to a support group and learns better parenting skills. He stops giving in. You are then thrown back on your face. You try everything- denying him love, embarrassing him more, acting like a victim. Nothing works. Finally, feeling powerless, you let go and decide that life will be better if you shed this obsession. 3. One day someone comes up to you with a child friendly pamphlet on “kicking sugar addictions”. You read this pamphlet and become lucidly aware of the reasons behind your own psychology. In this awareness, you are then easily enabled to end your manipulative and obsessive behaviors. 4. You consciously form a relationship with an organization that provides services and training for people whose lives are dominated by compulsive addictions (ok maybe you are not a child). This puts you on a path that totally refocuses your energies to penetrate deeply into your own very consciousness as path towards evolving beyond your obsessive patterns. These four scenarios describe four different ways in which evolution can happen. Archetypically, scenario 1 symbolizes a soul‟s awareness of its patterns, yet the inability to stop the patterns. Therefore, the soul will become totally fixated on its
  • 19. 19 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com own evolutionary blocks until they are finally released. This process can be very intense, emotionally consuming and at times confrontational. Scenario 2 is an “evolutionary catalyst”. Something had to happen to enforce change. This can often be quite cataclysmic. Scenario 3 symbolizes a gift or an event that awakens in the soul latent knowledge, skills, or self awareness that, previous to the gift or event, was not known or accessible to the soul. Scenario 4 represents a chosen, willful evolution. The soul recognizes it‟s attachments and wishes to evolve beyond them, and thus chooses to form a close relationship to an organization, practice, teaching etc that will assist the soul to look deeply within its own self. These 4 ways in which evolution occur are explored in more depth in Jeff Green‟s Pluto book, on page 27. Jeff Green also shares a brilliant exposition on the nature of the soul. This is from the reading list of segment 1: http://schoolofevolutionaryastrology.com/school/essence-of-ea/evolution The essence of his teaching is this: Inherent in every soul are two antithetical desires: One to return to the source from which it came, and the other to separate from that source. The desire to return to the source expresses itself each time we shed a layer of our identity that truly doesn‟t serve our evolution. The desire to separate from the source manifests each time we form an attachment to anything other than our Source. Of course, it is naïve an unrealistic for us to be monks, seeking to transcend all of our gross desires- to be pure enough to only crave God‟ess. There is in fact no way “out” but “through.” That‟s why the Scorpio archetype symbolizes the need for each soul to participate in the process of transmutation. Having desires, being engrossed by them, releasing them etc… There‟s no way around that. This is why I put such an emphasis on evolutionary states. There is a natural progression of evolution that occurs for all souls- and that takes a very long time. *** Another word for the soul is DESIREOUSNESS. Desire isn‟t an action the soul takes, desire is the nature of soul. The desire nature of each soul is the bottom line reason for each incarnation.
  • 20. 20 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com There are 6 general stages I observe that are inherent to the process of evolution for any soul, as symbolized by the Scorpio archetype. They are described below in more depth. 1. Feelings of disempowerment 2. Finding empowerment 3. Confronting the limitations of power 4. Surrendering the power 5. Seeking a higher, more conscious source of power. 6. Sharing. 1. Feelings of disempowerment. The Scorpio archetype can manifest as a deep feeling of emotional loss as a consequence of some sort of disempowerment. Be it being born with particular genetics that create particular limitations, having been abused, manipulated, or blocked by other people in some impactful way, or natural circumstances that create great loss or devastation in one‟s life. 2. Finding empowerment. As a result of that, it becomes necessary for a soul to find empowerment. This may be learning how to use words in a defensive way, learning how to fight back, becoming more manipulative in financial dealings. Or in a positive way, learning martial arts, becoming financially independent, learning how to read and write against all odds etc… 3. Confronting the limitations of power. That gained power however has its limitations. Why? Because it is not absolute. Eventually, due to the necessity of every soul to keep on evolving (it has no choice); each soul will experience a confrontation with their sense of power. They may get into a fight with someone who is far superior in strength and skill. They may loose all their money based on an unexpected market crash (all cataclysmic evolutionary catalysis). Or in a non-cataclysmic way- a soul may confront the limitations of their power through self-awareness practices. 4. Surrendering the power. Based on that confrontation, there is a need, and in fact a growing desire for that soul (it may take some time though) to surrender any attachment to that power. At this point, a soul is willing to die to itself. This is a very brave and powerful state of awareness. At this stage the soul has developed an intensely focused self awareness whereby it accept responsibility for whatever has happened and is happening in its life. It recognizes that there is an evolutionary purpose behind its constant gain and loss of power. 5. Seeking a higher, more conscious source of power. As in the dried mango example- a soul may be very aware of the need to change, but not know how to. At this point, it becomes more and more humbled
  • 21. 21 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com as it begins to consciously create relationship with teachers, objects, symbols, practices, schools, organizations, herbs, mandalas- anything that can assist that soul in an actual transmutation of consciousness. The result of this is an actual metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly. 6. Sharing. Eventually, each soul recognizes that it has to be constantly open to letting go in order to continually evolve. This is a challenge, as it is natural to form attachments while in a human identity- yet due to evolutionary necessity, all souls will at some point lose the objects of their attachment. The whole process puts the soul into a very acute state of awareness. Thus a soul develops the ability to identify other souls‟ patterns of disempowerment, and where they are being limited by their own unconscious psychology. At this stage, a soul can assist other souls in evolving beyond their psychological limitations. This will often manifest as becoming a psychologist type healer, or a soul worker of sorts. Of course, every soul can be experiencing all of these stages at the same time, in different areas of its life. Resistance to change: The shadow expression of the Scorpio archetype is in fact any kind of behavior that arises from resistance to change. Deep feelings of emotional abandonment are often times strong in the Scorpio archetype- this is because abandonment has an evolutionary purpose to lead a soul back to itself. However, feelings of abandonment will often result in deeply manipulative behavior, controlling tendencies, emotional manipulation of others, vindictiveness, evil, possessiveness, emotional protectiveness etc. A lesson for the Scorpio archetype, throughout any evolutionary journey, is to realize that all change happens within. Through that awareness, it is drawing upon the Taurus polarity. Even though it is often necessary to form relationship with people, things or ideas, to assist a soul in its evolution, Scorpio ultimately leans to become reliant on itself (Taurus) as the only one who can really do the hard work of evolving. A note on sexuality. Sexuality is 100% an emotional phenomenon. When a soul wishes to make a sexual connection with another soul- it is very important to understand the nature of that desire. Scorpio can crave and obsess over its attraction to another person on a sexual level. All of this arises from its inner need to transmute its own consciousness to a higher level. Instead of transmutation, Scorpio can attach its empowerment to “attracting” someone who symbolizes the power Scorpio is wishing to realize within. This will often create a karmic situation in which two souls will be engaged in a perpetual power struggle; such as the cycle of “using” and then “being used”.
  • 22. 22 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com A lesson for Scorpio is to realize that sexual arousal has nothing to do with other people. I‟m not implying here that the Scorpio archetype has to repress its sexual urges. Rather, it has to be willing to actually look inside of itself and analyze the nature of its desire, on its own (Taurus polarity). If there is inner willingness to internalize one‟s desires nature, then Scorpio can actually manifest deep, healing, and transmutational sex with another mutually self reliant soul. The Scorpio archetype in a chart represents the desire nature of each soul to evolve closer to Source. It dually represents where there is great potential for a transmutation of consciousness, as well as great potential for darkness as a result of choosing the impulse for ephemeral, meaningless power. Part 4 Gemini and Sagittarius Gemini Archetype - The sign Gemini - The 3rd house - The planet Mercury If you haven‟t noticed- I‟ve been doing all this articulation. Often times organizing words in such a way that when synthesized in the mind, form sentences and paragraphs… which in turn provide definition. If you look all around you, you will find life in its rawness. Everything just exists as it is. However, you will probably (whether you like it or not) naturally identify what you see according to the classifications you have already established about them. This isn‟t a bad thing. Classifications are a necessary component of existence. This is a chair- this is a hand- this is a desk- this is a sentence. In truth it just is- however, in order to make the isness relatable in as many ways as possible we have given it various classifications. The more we build classifications, the more we are building premises from which we can all agree about certain facts of existence. Those premises are the basis for building more connections, and ultimately understanding more about how existence operates. The essence of Gemini is to perceive. The ability to recognize various stimuli, identify them, notice how they all connect with each other, communicate with the stimuli- this in turn creating a feedback loop of constant interaction. Evolution of culture: In every culture, no matter where you go, there exists some form of language. Language in terms of speech, eye contact, dance, body movements, song, dress, styles, trends, media, and the natural environment (i.e the trees). All those things adopt and evolve according to each other, and in so doing evolve the worldview of the people.
  • 23. 23 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com For example- in an African land in which there is a great expanse of dessert- the culture will obviously have adopted over many many years to living in the dessert. That will reflect itself in the language, clothing etc… To contrast that- in a western city- cement, parks, and tall buildings- the culture will of course adopt to that. In this example, human beings have actually built a complete environment around them (big city) to reflect a pre-existing culture (linear, goal oriented western culture), which in turn has again re-shaped the culture (big city culture). It‟s a chicken/egg type of thing. The Gemini archetype represents the mutability of the mind- how it can adopt to any circumstance. At the same time, it is through Gemini that we see the creative potential to create new social circumstances. Consider this story: You are sitting in a group discussion. The topic is “Are all-purpose napkins really all-purpose?” On the surface, everyone is really into it. One person asks, “Well, define „all purpose‟- all purpose in terms of what? Cleaning things? Wiping things?” Another person argues “It‟s an all purpose napkin- so it‟s all purposeful according to the function of a napkin- it can achieve all the purposes of a napkin, just more than other napkins.” She spills juice on the floor, “See, its super absorbent…” You recognize the thermostat in the room- its set towards “act interested”. Some people are clearly really into this discussion, however most people you observe are just playing along with the current culture. You know how to nod your head and pretend you are there- it‟s a survival mechanism you have been developing for many life times. In this situation there are 3 paths you can take. 1. You check out. To the point of not being able to hear, process, or respond to anything. In checking out you then find you have to draw upon your capacity for superficial “route behavior”- as to not seem checked out. 2. You are anything but checked out. You happen to be the organizer of this meeting- and you are doing most of the talking. You are totally in your own head, exploring all of your mental associations. You are listening carefully to all ideas being presented, however, according to the crazy monkey whim of your mind, you interrupt everyone- even yourself. You actually think you are learning something (you might be). 3. You really don‟t want to be there and you don‟t want to fake it. This is when the magic happens. You create a trend that others can adopt to. You actually change the thermostat. It‟s like planting new trees- thus attracting new species of birds that nest in those trees. A new social climate is born as you skillfully turn the discussion towards „deforestation practices in the Amazon‟. And you are very successful.
  • 24. 24 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com In the third scenario, how is it that you were so successful? Simple- you were aware of what was going on. You knew half the people weren‟t interested, a few people were interested, and a few people it seemed would jump on any bandwagon for the sake of belonging. This is why Gemini is the magician. In drawing from the faculties of mental awareness, Gemini can experience the fullness of this phenomenal world. It can really learn a lot and have fun in the process. The mind: The Gemini archetype represents where each soul is wishing to know itself through the mind. This requires the ability to skillfully adopt to every environment in order to acquire the specific information that each soul wishes to obtain. Gemini represents the information we each are looking for, as well as the ways in which we learn (acquire that information) as well as the ways in which we communicate with the world around us in that process. The essence of this archetype is to discover that all of life can be understood according to logical rules. The study of any science, be it astrology, physics, or language- is in actuality a path of mentally locating and deciphering the way in which Existence works. Depending on evolutionary state, the Gemini archetype can take an empirical study of existence into some pretty far out realms- that for some may seem metaphysical, but for Gemini is truly just an empirical study of what is. Gemini does not function operating through beliefs or philosophies; it‟s operating out of a very straightforward and logical orientation to learn about life. Because of that, one of the shadow expressions of Gemini is to become identified with the connections they have already made in its mind to the point of feeling threatened by new information. In this case, Gemini has replaced the desire to learn with the desire to feel secure, and is not truly willing to challenge its conclusions. This could lead to a striking deafness in which it only hears what makes logical sense, and will easily disregard the rest as “myth” or “pseudo science” or “irrational” etc… Furthermore, another shadow expression of Gemini is to get lost in the search for more data. This can result in a meaningless accumulation of facts that lead to no connections. Gemini can loose itself and become identified with having knowledge. When it is needing to know more all the time, it will create a reality in which it is digging many holes, but drawing no water from the earth. Synthesis: The key for Gemini is to recognize that all things are indeed interconnected, and that interconnection can be studied and ultimately known. With that awareness, nothing becomes uninteresting- all streams of information flow to the same Ocean. In this state of self-realization, Gemini then has the ability to learn as much as possible with out loosing its soul to the search. It‟s not necessary for
  • 25. 25 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com Gemini to finish reading a book, or know any particular topic really well- it‟s necessary for Gemini to keep its mind calm, so that it can dance through its life long learning process like a happy hummingbird. As the mind makes more and more connections, a soul will naturally begin to focus on particular areas of study. It is the fascination of the soul with the information it encounters that will create a focus. In so doing, Gemini discovers that depth (focused learning) creates a container for breadth (expansive exploration of everything). It is crucial that Gemini create a focal point for its learning experience. Otherwise there will be no grounded reference point for the endless expansion of the mind. The Sagittarius polarity signifies the need for Gemini to recognize that all pieces of information are connected, and have to be synthesized via the faculties of the intuitive mind in order to be properly understood. Without embracing the Sagittarius polarity, Gemini could burn out on an endless search for knowledge without learning anything of meaning. Honesty: Furthermore, based on the mental flexibility of Gemini, it knows how to skillfully adopt itself to various environments, cultures, circumstances in order to fit in. This can lead to an utter lack of “moral ethics” by which a soul may lie about itself or steal. In such a case, a soul can become lost in a shallow and dishonest life. A soul can logically rationalize the case for anything to the point of losing touch with natural ethics (Sagittarius polarity) which should be intuitively self evident. The Gemini archetype in a chart represents where, how and what a soul is wishing to learn. It symbolizes the nature of the left-brain, the logical mind. It represents where there is the greatest potential to empirically understand existence, as well as the potential the get lost in the maya of mind. [There is a very enlightening, long, and perhaps at this point a bit heady of an article that explains “the nature and function of Mercury”. He’s talking about Mercury, but of course he’s describing the “Gemini archetype.” By Jeff Green. http://schoolofevolutionaryastrology.com/school/articles/mercury-and-its-role-in- consciousness] [A note on the planet Mercury. Later we will take a look at Mercury’s dual association with both the Virgo archetype and the Gemini archetype. For more perspective, read the complete blog: “A Treatise on Virgo rulership” http://astrologywitharimoshe.blogspot.com/2009/12/virgo.html. All of this will be discussed in greater detail in a future segment] *************************************************** Sagittarius Archetype
  • 26. 26 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com - The Sign Sagittarius - The 9th house - The planet Jupiter Well if Gemini is curious, open minded, inquisitive, full of information, learning how to learn- what does that make Sagittarius? Close minded? Ignorant? Dogmatic, and uninterested in learning anything new? Hey there! There is probably no other astrological polarity other than Gemini and Sagittarius that are so easily explained in words- this is because both archetypes deal with the nature of mind- just in two different ways. Whereas Gemini represents rational and logical thought, Sagittarius represents intuitive and non linear thought. The essence of the Sag archetype is to understand the essential nature of life. This is about understanding. It is natural for all souls to develop a framework through which it can make sense out of everything. Without the ability to synthesize and find an underlying meaning in life, then there is no context for all the details of existence. In every culture there is the language, customs, clothing, trends etc (all Gemini) and in every culture there are the myths, philosophies and world-views that co-exist with all of that (Sagittarius). For example- take the dessert Africa culture. We explored what their life may look like- what kind of food, clothing, dress, customs, language etc… but what is their relationship to the great mystery? In the large western city example we have business suits, fast walking, Starbucks, public transportation, tall buildings. What is this culture‟s relationship to the great mystery? The western big city culture has a cosmology- it is a cosmology of consumerism, capitalism, time=money. All these are religious belief systems, and there are myths that have been born from them. Of course I‟m just generalizing here. (Generalization, by the way, is something common to the Sagittarius archetype. Generalization provides a sense of what something is about in its essence. Of course, Sagittarius can over do it when it generalizes to the point of ignoring vital detail or data). We all arrive at certain conclusions based on what we sense about reality. We are walking around all of the time with those conclusions running through our awareness. ***
  • 27. 27 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com The Sagittarius archetype is seeking to directly know the isness. In that seeking, it is very much disinterested in the details. That is a chair and it‟s made from this kind of wood from this kind of forest, which was harvested by this kind of culture that smokes this kind of herb that my cousin bought as a gift for me last Christmas, but I don‟t smoke because I have weak lungs- which is why I do lots of breathing practices- on that chair… … OK Gemini, but what‟s the meaning of life? The intuitive knowing that there is MORE to existence beyond just what we see- beyond just the mere observations of our mind and senses, inspires Sagittarius to explore their intuition and discover exactly what the “moreness” is. The more impassioned Sag becomes in its own intuition, the more it becomes excited about its own journey. However, a shadow expression of Sagittarius is to assume everyone is as interested in what they are discovering about existence as they are. “I just discovered that each of us is a solar system!” Oh, that‟s nice. “I know! Isn‟t it so cool! Let me tell you the whole story that lead to that realization. And while I‟m telling it, I‟m going to talk very loudly and use big hand motions.” Sagittarius can easily lack tact- tact is simply a social awareness of one‟s surroundings. In seeking higher understanding, a soul can lose touch with the here and now. Missing details, missing body motions, missing communication cues (social tact is Gemini). Seeking the Truth: In the Sagittarius archetype, a soul desires to understand the universal truths of existence that gives birth to our reality. Therefore, Sagittarius will seek a way of living that expands its awareness to achieve that understanding. The Sagittarius archetype points to what kind of lifestyle, philosophy, culture, spirituality etc… a soul will adopt in order to live in awareness of the Truth. A big lesson for Sag is to evolve out of “belief systems”. Since the evolutionary intent for Sagittarius is to understand, it will often become pre-maturely sure that is has figured it all out. If you believe that you know the truth, you are quite wrong! Sag can interpret new information to fit in with what is already known. Evolving out of belief systems means clearing the mind such that new information, new experiences, new challenges can appropriately re-shape Sag‟s cosmology. In learning that lesson, a soul will face its tendency to push and persuade (or as Jeff Green calls it: “convince and convert”) other‟s to its own beliefs. “You ARE a solar system… and here‟s why (hands out pamphlet, gives monologue). Good, now you have converted to MY truth. I‟m happy…”
  • 28. 28 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com On the flip side, another shadow expression of Sag is to perpetually believe that the Truth is outside of itself. This can manifest as seeking but not integrating, restless traveling. Like eating mindlessly, Sagittarius can take in lots of experiences- ideas, political opinions, foreign cultures, teachers, practices, lands, spiritual or philosophical books- yet chew too quickly to properly digest everything. Discipline is key. But not in the way we may typically think of that word. Until Sag finds the truth within- it will be seeking the “right” discipline. It may force itself to study something very intensely, or sit in a certain posture… all with the supposition that this will bring more awareness. The discipline Sag is finding is the discipline to devote their entire life, moment to moment, to the internal discovery of the Truth. It‟s the discipline of sincere devotion more than anything else. Ultimately, Sagittarius is learning that understanding with the mind is a false security. Understanding is only possible through demonstration. This is why Sagittarius will often learn while it teaches. If Sagittarius has a philosophy, a higher understanding of life that makes more sense out of everything, it will naturally wish to share that with others. The key in this case, is not to be merely telling others the Truth, but to assist others in finding it out for themselves. Sag learns that Objective Truth (Sag) is a subjective experience (Gemini). Therefore, truth can only be found through each soul‟s own experience. Expand perception: The intent of the Sagittarius archetype is to expand the ways in which a soul has established meaning in any area of life. In the same way, it intends to reveal, like a magnifying glass making an object easily apparent, the simple unifying truths of existence. Sag will always confront the fact that the Truth is something that is revealed. That it always has more to directly discover. As Sag becomes more and more conscious, it adopts to its polarity (Gemini) through appreciating the subtle mystery of all the details. It humorously begins to appreciate the all- encompassing nature of Truth. It is important to note that Sagittarius itself symbolizes natural law. What is the meaning of life? The answer is in nature herself. Aligning with it and finding oneself to be one with it will directly reveal to a soul the truth of its actual nature, as well as the truth behind manifested creation. The Sagittarius archetype in a chart indicates how a soul can come to experientially know, in its own natural way, the true nature of things. It also represents where there is a potential to be dogmatic, close-minded, insistent on already knowing, or philosophically scattered, and too “in the head”.
  • 29. 29 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com Part 5 Cancer and Capricorn Cancer Archetype - The sign Cancer - The 4th house - The Moon Home is absolutely a necessary experience for any soul that has chosen to intentionally forget who it is. The home that each soul creates for itself is an energetic expression of how it feels nurtured and safe while it‟s here on earth. The evolutionary intention of Cancer is for a soul to know itself through the wisdom, information, and lessons of the emotional body. On a deeper level, Cancer symbolizes the very fact that evolution itself occurs through the emotional body. When a child is born, that child requires certain constants to be there, such as: mother and her breasts. At attachment is innate. This attachment is the most precious and important bond any incarnated soul could ever experience. This attachment nurtures the soul as it acclimates itself to the limitations of a human identity. Naturally, through the consistency and dependencies of its attachments, a soul gradually becomes more self-reliant. She eventually ceases the need to breast- feed; she eventually ceases the need to be held most of the time. As long as the basic human securities are present for as long as they need to be, a healthy ego can be formed. As the ego forms, it continues to form attachments to particular forms of security. This is my family; this is what I call home. This is my religion, this is my bed, these are my friends, this is my teacher. All aspects of a soul‟s life are emotionally internalized in such a way that it defines its very self image. And as the ego continues to form, a soul continues to release old attachments for new ones. Teddy bear may go in the closet as the soul realizes that it doesn‟t need one to feel safe. However, in a process of healthy emotional development, letting go of teddy bear isn‟t a sudden break. Rather, the child‟s relationship to teddy evolves slowly and gradually to the point where it will naturally, on its own, decide it doesn‟t need teddy anymore. Due to purposes of evolutionary necessity- pretty much all souls incarnate into a human existence in which there will be some form of trauma, abandonment, abuse, emotional deprivation, that will shock and stunt a healthy ego development.
  • 30. 30 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com This then puts all of us in a tricky situation. A soul through the Cancer archetype is learning how to create and identify fully with just the right attachments so that it can create a feeling of home for itself, wherever it happens to be. At the same time, it is learning how to let go of whatever attachments are no longer necessary for its development. This means the ego is in constant re-definition. In fact, the challenging truth about the Cancer archetype is that there is nothing definable about the ego. The ego is always changing according to what currently constitutes a sense of security for the soul. I should clarify at this point that the words “ego”, “self image”, and “identity” are all interchangeable and all correlate to the Cancer archetype. These words describe the emotional make up of a soul, which defines the subjective filter through which it will view itself and thus life. Safety in the familiar: A shadow expression of the Cancer archetype is in fact to resist letting go of the familiar. To hold on to known forms of security- as a means of staying in the known, staying in the safe. In this, Cancer forms serious addictions to relationships, foods, routines, really anything at all that is already familiar to the soul and provides a feeling of safety. Be it a blanket, or an attachment to wandering the streets aimlessly, walking into same store twice a day and buying the same foods. There are two ways the unhealthy attachment patterns of Cancer can manifest: 1. Remaining a child by maintaining the status quo of the familiar. This will usually occur when there was any degree of loss that has impacted a child to the point that it has learned to perpetually stay safe by “not leaving home”, whatever home might be. 2. Growing up to quickly. This can be the CEO who, as a child, was forced to “skip the steps” of healthy emotional attachments, and had to push its vulnerability deep inside. The Cancer archetype reveals where a soul will feel great fragility, and where there is a tendency to run away from that fragility through known forms of security. A soul can be devastatingly aware of its fragileness, or be coldy detached from that reality. Two sides of the same coin. Seeing clearly: Through Cancer, a soul is forming a conscious relationship to the ego. This means learning how to dwell in a state of presence; at the shore, where the waves of the ocean of consciousness meet the sand of ego. To do that, implies the ability to see clearly as opposed to seeing the reality that produces security.
  • 31. 31 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com Consider this scenario: You are sitting on the side-walk. Across the street, you witness a family waiting for the bus. The father is a vulgar angry man. His little boy exclaims, “I don‟t want to stand next to you.” Mother, who is clearly in a subservient dis-empowered state, says firmly, “Don‟t talk to your father like that. You hurt his feelings.” To this Daddy hits the child and threatens, “You will stand next to me son.” All the while, the second child, a little girl is witnessing everything. There are so many emotional dynamics taking place in that scene. From the perspective of any one of those souls, what they perceive to be going on is light years away from what is actually going on. Cancer represents the filter through which a soul perceives its reality. That filter is determined via what constitutes security for the soul. In this example: mother is scared because daddy is unhappy, and when daddy is unhappy mother is unhappy because mother has to exert so much energy just to make him happy. And this is linked to her childhood- during which she was hit whenever she cried, and as a result learned to be afraid of any kind of emotional confrontation. As a result, she has attracted a man who easily gets angry- in order for her to face her fear of emotion etc… So mother isn‟t seeing reality, that‟s quite impossible for her. She is seeing the story that makes her feel safe. And this is true for the entire family, each in their own way. A whole bunch of ego‟s projecting their own story of reality onto each other; and in so doing, needing to constantly re-assert their story in order to maintain their security. Now what about you? You are watching this scene. What story do you create? What emotions are arising in you? Do you want to go and say something to them? Do you feel sad, do you feel angry? Perhaps you try to block this out. Perhaps you don‟t feel any emotions at all. The Cancer archetype teaches us to take responsibility for our own emotional response. To recognize that the ways in which we participate with existence is highly dictated by the emotions we are either trying to avoid, or are identified with. Emotional response=self identity: The emotional body is what defines a soul‟s sense of self. What else is there that provides a personal self definition to any soul? Our emotional response to life defines our identity. Home: In Cancer, we learn that all beings need a home. Through that realization, natural empathy is developed. In nurturing other beings, Cancer learns self-compassion, realizing and connecting to its own need to be nurtured.
  • 32. 32 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com As Cancer continues to connect to its own needs- it learns how to create just the right boundaries in its life. Too much unfamiliarity at once is shocking for a soul. However, there is a constant imperative to challenge those boundaries and adjust to the continual process of ego development. Time: The Capricorn polarity represents emotional self-reliance. Cancer learns from Capricorn that in order to be in the world, and feel safe enough to function, it cannot stay in the known forever. Capricorn also correlates to time. Cancer learns to allow time into its life as a natural remedy for healing wounds, developing inner security, forming and releasing emotional attachments in an appropriate way. In fact the self identity itself evolves over time, as it takes time to emotionally integrate one‟s evolutionary journey. Interestingly, when a soul is abiding in who it are (ie its emotional state of being- as it is) there is no longer any fear of the outside world, as everything becomes “ok”. In such a state, time also ceases, as there arises a deep, moment to moment intimacy with one‟s fluctuating identity. The Cancer archetype on a chart represents the nature of human identity, ego, or self image of a soul- that serves as a vehicle for the soul’s evolution. It signifies the experiences of spirit incarnating as an individual human ego, and the profoundly mysterious relationship between the two. It dually represents a soul’s capacity to care for itself and other beings, as well as the capacity for a soul to create an illusory world based on its fears of truly facing its own emotional reality. [We can now understand more clearly the importance of the lunar nodes from an evolutionary point of view. The lunar nodes represent the nature of the ego identity a soul has created in the past (south node of Moon) and can naturally develop in the future relative to its choice to evolve (north node Moon). This is course will be explored in more depth in later segments]. **************************************************** Capricorn Archetype - The sign Capricorn - The 10th house - The planet Saturn If Cancer is nurturing, emotionally oriented, creates home and security for itself- is Capricorn cold, emotionally ignorant, only concerned with goals and achievement? Well it can be…
  • 33. 33 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com In totality, the Cancer Capricorn axis represents the entire spectrum of a soul coming into a human experience. From the Cancer point of view, we are looking at the actual human identity- the emotional component. From the Capricorn point of view we are looking at how the human identity places itself in society- the social component. Simultaneous to the experience of becoming intimate with our ever-changing identity (Cancer) we exist in a reality in which there are basic rules that are entirely outside of the domain of our personal ego. These rules are literally anything that defines the structure of our human experience. Our skin, our bones, the law of gravity, social rules, government laws, community rules, etc. We also have spiritual laws like angelic hierarchies. At each level of structure, there are specific rules that apply. It is necessary to perceive the appropriate scale in order to understand the context of the rules. For example, at the level of the body basic rules exist. At the level of any particular culture at any particular time, certain social rules exist. The Capricorn archetype symbolizes the need for each soul to realize, learn, adjust, and align with the rules that exist in its reality. This can certainly be a heavy process. It is for that reason that the Capricorn archetype symbolizes “being realistic” as there is a constant imperative to realize that the rules exist, whether we like them or not, whether we are going to change them or not, and whether we will even follow them or not. Ignorance of the law ultimately makes functioning in life a lot harder. Try speeding 40 miles above the speed limit- who‟s going to catch you? Try spending all of your money whenever you earn it- what will that do for you? The Capricorn archetype symbolizes responsibility. Each soul learns how to be responsible relative to the rules that exist in its culture/reality- on all levels. Becoming responsible requires each soul to repress certain urges. Peeing outside may be appropriate in your cosmology. However, in the midst of downtown Olympia, 4th ave, during the day- not a good idea! Not a good idea for obvious reasons. You may not care, but the police do. And they‟ll want some money from you- such are the rules, such is this social structure. Following the rules means being willing to go slower than we may like.This way, we can pay more attention to what works and what doesn‟t work. We can watch those who are successful, and notice those who seem to be perpetually struggling. Success and failure:
  • 34. 34 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com The Capricorn archetype symbolizes where each soul will be naturally inclined to test the boundaries of the parameters of their life. In testing the boundaries, a soul is thrown back on themselves each time they fail. And it is failure that provides a very important and humbling lesson in maturity for each soul. Failure means a soul can learn from its mistakes and in the future develop more a more noble and conscious approach. A shadow expression of the Capricorn archetype is indeed a fear of failure. In that fear, there is a constant attempt to “do it right” all the time. Capricorn can be profoundly self-conscious of how credible it is in the eyes of its culture/family/society/work environment etc… When failure is feared, Capricorn stunts its own opportunity to learn how to actually do things right. Eventually, Capricorn can accept that mastery takes time. In doing this, through the Capricorn archetype, a soul can actually seem to grow younger as it increases in age. Another shadow expression of the Capricorn archetype is to be perpetually irresponsible. This is the “eh” syndrome. Not paying bills on time, not completing a training, never being on time, breaking the rules to the neglect of what is naturally right and wrong. Again, as the awareness of time develops in a soul‟s consciousness, an existential awareness of death arises. This could be a family member dying, physical signs of aging, turning a whole new age that is divisible by 10, or simply feeling left behind in society via unactualized potential. This awareness teaches Capricorn that time is a friend. If a soul gets serious about what it takes to responsibly manage its existence here, then it can indeed actualize its potential. Repression: Another shadow expression of Capricorn is to be so highly concerned with its social image that it may lose touch with its human needs. This could lead to a distorted psychology of repressed sexuality, repressed emotions, repressed desires of any nature. These desires will become very exaggerated and “wrong” relative to the extent that Capricorn is subconsciously pushing them down. For example, IF you are working at a restaurant, and are expected to put on a smile all of the time- you will naturally repress what ever is going on for you at the time in order to do your job well- according to the dictates of your boss. If by chance you are highly identified with doing this job well- so that you can get a good recommendation when you apply for your next job- which is higher paying- which you will really want to do well so that you can take that money and move to this other place where you can buy a boat and travel the ocean so that one day you can build a home on the shore, teach people how to surf, and enjoy life… THEN you will be creating a great degree of stress, you will age rather quickly, and you will have to find some outlet for all that human emotional stuff.
  • 35. 35 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com If it‟s really suppressed, then Capricorn can find very unusual ways to get in touch with its emotional needs. Sometimes a soul will actually need to form a conscious relationship with an organization or a practice that gives it access to its human needs. For example sexual practices like “bondage and sado- masochism”. Depression: Depression can occur for many reasons. From a Capricorn point of view, it can either be based on a complete avoidance of the rules, thus reaching a point whereby “life just doesn‟t work very well”, or on the other end of the spectrum, a repressive adherence to the rules for the sake of success which may require immense repression as described above. In both cases, the soul is out of touch with its emotional reality. The evolutionary purpose of depression is to foster a deep introspection upon oneself and one‟s relationship to the totality of their life. The results of this introspection will yield a stronger resolve to “be here” in a healthy and more functional way. The Cancer polarity teaches us that while Capricorn is developing itself in a social context, and thus has a tendency to get lost in that world, one way or another, there is a constant need to be in touch with one‟s emotions- such that a soul doesn‟t loose touch with the fact that it is still a fragile beings that needs to give and receive love in every aspect of its life. It’s very interesting to note that because the Capricorn archetype deals with the nature of the rules that exist in one’s reality, the expression of the archetype is obviously something that will drastically change from time to time, and place to place, as is true for all astrological archetypes. In our world today, we are living in a patriarchal society which is an immense distortion of natural law. Thus the rules and laws of our times, and for the past 6 thousand years or so, have required a suppression of our natural human needs. If we were living in a matriarchy- the social rules would of course be based on inclusive nurturing principals, and the ways in which humans serve and co- operate with natural law. The way it is now, on a status quo level at least, natural law and human law are not harmony. Final thought on Capricorn: All the rules are here for a reason. We chose to be human- and so we chose to be limited in our capacities. It is important to realize that our limitations are not absolute. They exist only for evolutionary purposes. Gravity is A law- not THE law. According to one‟s state of consciousness, a soul will be limited by certain boundaries that are appropriate for that state of consciousness. Here is quote from a post of mine from an Evolutionary Astrology forum:
  • 36. 36 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com In the totality of creation, there are natural structures set in place by creator. An example of this would be the spiritual reality of angels, devas, nature spirits etc. Also all the various saints and spiritual guides that serve a unique function and role in creation, and this includes the natural wisdom of any soul who has lived a full life in alignment with natural law. Capricorn teaches the appropriateness of time and space. Different "rules" operate at different size scales. The only law that does not change is the law of Love. Love is the guiding motivation of creation itself. I feel in essence, the Capricorn archetype reveals how we are meant to appropriately structure our existence in alignment with natural law, which is an expression of Love, as human beings here on earth. The Capricorn archetype correlates to the physical parameters and limitations a soul faces in a human incarnation. It dually represents where each soul can find “the key” that allows for harmonious co-operation in social existence within the context of the physical parameters and limitations, as well as where there may immense emotional repression or great resistance to taking one’s time. Part 6 Leo and Aquarius Leo Archetype - The sign Leo - The 5th house - The Sun The Leo archetype represents the natural centrality of every soul within its own experience. The evolutionary intention of the Leo archetype is for a soul to realize itself as the center of existence, and through that, as a unique expression of creation. The Leo archetype evolves via the realization of its uniqueness. This archetype is required to recognize and subsequently, actualize its very nature- in the same way that a tree will actualize itself as a tree, or a lake will actualize itself as a lake. Just by being who it is. Through the Leo archetype, each soul has the imperative to realize its own specialness by developing an awareness of its self as center. Notice how radiant and powerful the Sun is. The Sun has a special purpose- it is to be the center of gravity for the entire solar system. This means, by just being what it is, it then has the experience of being at the center. If the Sun was trying to be an orbiting planet, then it would not be serving the unique function that it has. This is true for every soul. There is a natural function and purpose that needs to be realized and actualized in order for any soul to experience its centricity in life. This doesn‟t mean a soul has to make itself seem
  • 37. 37 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com any larger or smaller than it actually is. It means it just has to be who it is, and fulfill its unique function. To illustrate this point, consider these two scenarios: You are a natural musician. You have a passion for music and you play the piano. Right now you are playing the piano, alone in a room. Notice what happens when you realize that a bunch of people are watching you. 1. You clam up. Suddenly the flow is gone. You either stop playing, or you continue to play what you know you can “play well” so that your image is maintained. 2. You feel deeply validated by the presence of this attention. Therefore you do everything in your power to entertain those who are watching you. You become like a child, acting joyful and playful. However, it is really all an act- you are very much dependent on their attention. And so you are in fact manipulating the energy in the room to take attention from them. When they suddenly pick up and leave, you are either relieved that you can just be yourself again (1) or you are sad that they didn‟t like you (2). Those scenarios are two sides of the same coin. When the Leo archetype has not developed a grounded sense of “self as center” then it will need to manipulate its environment, one way or the other, to make up for its lack of healthy self centeredness. In scenario 1, you stopped being yourself on account of other‟s seeing you. This implies that your self-centricity is dependent on other people. In scenario 2, you only knew yourself to be special relative to the recognition you were receiving from others. Being at the center doesn‟t mean other people think of you as the center, or recognize you as such. It means you experience yourself to be at the center. Through that experience, you naturally emanate a presence that couldn‟t exist without you. A shadow for Leo is gross and subtle manipulation to the point of doing anything in order to gain attention from others. This could be “look at how beautiful I am. Look at how smart I am…” or, “look at how sad I am. Look at how hurt I am…” It doesn‟t matter what kind of image Leo is creating of itself during its manipulation. It‟s still creating an image. Leo can recognize that it is unique and has a special role through objectifying (Aquarius polarity) it‟s perception of reality. Through objectification, it can notice that everyone in fact is unique- and everyone seems to have something to offer according to who they are. This awareness serves two purposes: 1. It allows a soul to recognize that they are no different than any other soul- other than how they self-actualize.
  • 38. 38 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com 2. A soul is then capable of being detached from the need to self-actualize. Instead a soul can innocently explore what makes itself unique and special. Creator/Creation: Leo can realize itself as a microcosmic exemplification of Creator. When all of life is experienced as orbiting around a soul, a soul can step up to the plate and firmly stand its position. Like a wise king, taking his natural place on the throne. For each soul the Leo archetype symbolizes the nature of its throne- where it is meant to stand in the glory of its being. Most children are naturally ecstatic about life. For a child, life is experienced as a continual revelation of creation. This is because life is a continual revelation of creation. As a soul awakens to it‟s self as creator, a soul then has the opportunity to realize life as a mysterious template of creation. Therefore, it is through the Leo archetype that a soul can get in touch with the feelings of awe, ecstasy, inspiration, and all around love of life. If a soul is in love with life, it is in love with all of life‟s creations. The Leo archetype symbolizes the potential for a soul to see the creative genius in all of life‟s manifestations. The recognition of life as creation can lead a soul into a state of great generosity, love and appreciation for all of creation. The essence of self actualization: Each soul has the potential to realize its profound uniqueness in the context of humanity. Through that realization, the Leo archetype represents where each soul can emanate love and inspiration through the actualization of who it is. When I speak of actualization, it is important to understand what that really means. Actualization requires effort. However, the effort required here isn‟t the effort to become somebody- each soul is already wired to be exactly who it is, the template already exists. Rather, it means that each soul has to do the work of seeing and then embodying the somebody that they already are. On a deeper level, the Leo archetype symbolizes the life purpose of each soul. In the same way that the Sun makes possible the orbit of all planets, the Leo archetype serves as a central focusing point through which the entire evolutionary journey finds expression. Through self-actualization, the Leo archetype has the potential to leave behind a legacy. This can happen as a natural consequence of any soul creating something that then lives on after the death of the identity (i.e. a work of art, or an organization, or co-creating a human being). The constant imperative for Leo is
  • 39. 39 “The 12 Astrological Archetypes” www.arimoshe.com to detach from the creation, so that it can remain centered in its own uniqueness, as it is unfolding. The Leo archetype on a chart symbolizes how a soul can experience itself as an expression of Creator. It corresponds to the Life purpose of any incarnation by acting as a focusing agent for the entire chart. It dually represents where a soul can experience all of life, including oneself, as an expression of creation- moment to moment- as well as the tendency to see one‟s specialness only through the reflection, encouragement, or manipulation of other life forms. ****************************************** Aquarius Archetype - The sign Aquarius - The 11th house - The planet Uranus If Leo is excited, creative, inspirational, seeking radical aliveness- is Aquarius cut and dry… boring… emotionally inaccessible? Could be- but it doesn‟t have to be that way! The evolutionary intention of the Aquarius archetype is to constantly embrace freedom. Freedom from the past, freedom from the known, freedom from convention, freedom from anything that has already happened. Freedom is the intent. What results from that freedom is always a surprise- as the manifestation of the Aquarius archetype is naturally meant to express as a revelation of what is not yet known. In order to experience freedom, each soul may come into a life with strong feelings of “being different” than the status quo of one‟s family/culture/environment etc. That feeling of being different is not a Leo experience of “I am different because I am special in my own way” but rather “I am different because I do not seem to operate via the same convention as everyone else.” The differentness that a soul experiences through the Aquarian archetype can breed a feeling of aloneness, alienation, and even depression. Aquarius is learning objectivity. It is learning how to see clearly, with increasingly less interference from any subjective consciousness. In developing an objective awareness it has the ability to reflect on the totality of its reality and simply walk away from what is outdated and non evolutionary.