What does the Zodiac have in common with Pearson’s archetypes
When I did the work of comparing the signs of the Zodiac and the 12 archetypes of Carol S. Pearson, the most difficult thing was to explain why I did it. Let’s begin from this.
Vulnerabilities of archetype theory
The American psychologist George Boeree successfully compared the archetypes with cosmic black holes: in both cases this is something that cannot be directly observed. Suppose how astronomers conclude that there is a black hole? By indirect evidence. They noticed an abnormally large cluster of stars in some place of the Universe. How did they get there? There must be a large enough object that would gravitate these stars. But it is not visible. Then it is hypothesized that there is some invisible thing that influences the behavior of the stars, which for convenience was called the «black hole».
Similarly, psychologists discover archetypes. In human behavior, features that cannot be explained by past experience or biology are revealed. Consequently, we have before us an unknown phenomenon that influences the behavior of people, which is called «archetype» for convenience.
But what does it mean? This means that today archetypes are not a scientifically established fact of the type like «River Volga flows into the Caspian Sea». But it’s just a hypothesis that most scientifically established facts are explained in the most convenient way. And this means that in the theory of archetypes scientific discoveries will still and must occur. One of the promising directions for such discoveries is precisely the comparison of archetypes with the signs of the Zodiac. Why?
Not only because the Zodiac is also about stars, like black holes. In fact, the fastest thing that comes to mind is that for the Pearson’s archetypes, like the signs of the Zodiac, the number 12 is common. Of course, this is not enough, but an ordinary person most often uses a duodecimal scale to measure time. The dial has 12 o’clock, there are 12 months too (hence the signs of the Zodiac). So, it is important that the Pearson’s archetypes are also a story that unfolds in time. I am not talking about the variant of archetypes adapted for marketers, which is described in the book «The Hero and the Outlaw» (2001). And about the classic, which is used by the rest of the world. In other words, about the concept of the hero’s journey, described in the books «Awakening the heroes within» (1991) and «What story are you living?» (2007).
According to the hero’s journey concept, all 12 archetypes must be lived in a certain order. Consequently, we have a linear process similar to time. Another thing is that Pearson did not find the spaces in which this process takes place. Her latest idea that during his life a person lives all 12 stages of the hero’s journey several times, which is why archetypes can change every six months, is not confirmed by practice.
It seems to me that I found two spaces in which the hero’s journey can actually take place. First, it is a family story. Secondly, world history. Perhaps the study of the Zodiac will reveal another space where the Pearson archetypes unfold.
Vulnerabilities of astrology
Moreover, in popular texts on astrology one can often read the description of the signs of the Zodiac from the point of view of influence on character. Where does this come from? There are three layers of primary sources.
The first is a naive ancient physiognomy. For example, the famous English astrologer William Lilly, in his «Christian Astrology» (1647), writes that Taurus
«represents a person of short stature, but full, strong and well built. Wide forehead, large eyes, large face. Large, strong shoulders. Big mouth and thick lips. Big hands, black curly hair».
Simply put, people with the influence of Taurus should be like a bull.
Do you believe that everyone who is associated with the sign of Taurus is short and has black curly hair? No? Nevertheless, Lilly is the apotheosis of the development of classical astrology. Throughout almost all of its centuries-old history, it is just that. Therefore, it is not surprising that such revelations of this kind for a long time discouraged people from astrology in Modern time.
The second layer is much more modern. And it has no relation to the centuries-old history, only through Hinduism. It owes its origin to the 19th century, when new ways of obtaining unconscious material were discovered: hypnotic sleep, automatic writing, and others. The Theosophical Society was especially famous for using such methods. It generated a lot of material, which then came to astrology through Alan Leo. It was from Leo’s book «Exoteric Astrology» (1913), where Blavatskaya, Leadbeater and Besant are widely quoted, the tendency to attribute mental properties to signs of the Zodiac is started. From the literary work you can learn that the sign of the Virgin means devotion and bodily health. And in Cancer, feelings change from joy to suffering in an unshakable way.
The last layer is even more modern. If Alan Leo is right that the signs of the Zodiac affect the character, then further is simple. There is no need to travel to the unconscious, but simply take biographies of people with the same horoscopes and match them. Voila! But … there are two difficulties.
If you stay on the foundation of pragmatics, you will have to take into account the discovery of the American astronomer Lee Shapiro, refined by his compatriot John Mosley. In 1977, Shapiro established that the Sun crosses not 12 constellations, but 13. Moreover, the duration of stay of the luminaries in each is different. In particular, in Cancer is only 20 days, while in Pisces — as many as 38. And this is not all news: the Moon and the planets pass through eight more constellations. Total, the full list of constellations of the Zodiac consists of 21 points: to the already known signs you need to add Ophiuchus, as well as the Cetus constellations, Corvus, Crater, Hydra, Orion, Pegasus, Scutum and Sextans.
It turns out that, in a good way, you first need to translate the signs of the Zodiac into a new scale, and only after matching horoscopes. Yes, it is not difficult, but even if done, the researcher will come across a second difficulty.
At school, I had three classmates born on the same day. And they were very different. Very ambitious grade pupil. The next one is a strong mediocre pupil, which did not climb into the first roles, but did not miss her own. Finally, frank bummer; I could call him a slacker, if he didn’t prefer to study in U grades. Why such difference?
The truth is that many things affect a person’s character. First of all, the character of parents is passed on to children. This is where the origins of the 300 years discussion «nature vs. nurture» (heredity or upbringing; genetics seems to be winning). Further, there is the psychology of a place: it is known that Muscovites are different from Petersburgers. But Tyumen is different from Yekaterinburg too, although it is generally neighboring cities. Nevertheless, in the first one it is impossible to imagine such a phenomenon as the show «The Ural pelmeni», and in the second — Grigory Rasputin. In the end, there are features of national psychology. So as not to drown in the debate, just ride the train from Budapest to Vienna. Although there is no border control between the cities, you will immediately find the border crossing. Given that over two centuries the Hungarians and Austrians lived in the same state, and they have the same religious denomination. And yet — there is the influence of the era, which should be discussed separately and in more detail.
Thus, if we take into account the role that the family, place of residence, nationality and age play in the development of character, then for the individual there is not much space left. While the moment of birth reflects precisely the individual beginning. How to select an individual from this set?
And yet, 12 characters have logic
I took the other way round if people for a long time believe that the signs of the Zodiac are still twelve (which contradicts the real astronomical data). If around 12 signs was accumulated a huge layer of cultural images. In general, if the behavior of people reveals features that cannot be explained by real experience or biology, then we have the archetype. More precisely, the 12 signs of the Zodiac is a symbol that is a manifestation of the archetype.
And since this is a symbol, it must be interpreted as any unconscious material. Only not by the methods of Alan Leo, but by more modern means accumulated due to the development of deep psychology in the 20th century. As it turned out, under such conditions, in 12 Zodiac signs appears … the very concept of the hero’s journey, on the basis of which the Pearson’s archetypes arose.
Aries = Warrior
It is easy and pleasant to begin the interpretation of Aries, for the sign is completely transparent. It begins in the month of March, which is dedicated to the god of war Mars. Ruled by the planet Mars, dedicated to all the same god. It sounds in Latin as Aries, while at the same time the Greek counterpart of Mars is called «Ares». The Russian word «oven» (aries) is consonant with the word «voin» (warrior), the glyph (symbol) of the sign is similar to V (victory).
Taurus = Caregiver
Here, quite quickly it was possible to understand that the semitic supreme god Ilu, whose symbol was a bull, hides behind Taurus. The Arabs call this god Allah, and the suffering Jesus on the cross spoke to him with the words «Ili, Ili! lama sawahfani?» (Mk. 15:34). The ancient counterparts of Ilu are Kronos (the father of Zeus) and Saturn (the father of Jupiter). The Russian equivalent is Veles, «the god of livestock». That is, in front of us is the shepherd, who is also God the Father, whom I confidently compared with the Caregiver.
Gemini = Seeker
Very simple: the sign is ruled by Mercury, the messenger of the gods. And the glyph looks like a door.
Cancer = Lover
The key is that the glyph of the sign resembles yin and yang. Cancer is ruled by the Moon, and this is the Sun’s alter ego. The Lover archetype is essentially an alter ego.
Leo = Destroyer
It was difficult with him, because everyone has a stamp in his head that lion is a king. But the constellation is not named after the king. And in honor of the terrible monster, whose murder was the first feat of Hercules. One more lion is known, which the biblical Samson had to kill. Also, the body of the lion had a cunning sphinx. Finally, since ancient times people have been killed by a disease called «lion’s face» (that is, lepra), which is also leprosy. Watch the film «Kingdom of Heaven» with Orlando Bloom, there is about it.
That is, the sign of Leo is not about the king, but about death. As confirmed by the real relationship in the lion pride. The new leader kills alien cubs, the pride does not protect the aged and sick, but expels it. This is not about the king, but more about the «soldier emperors» in the era of the disintegration of ancient Rome. By the way, the most famous Leo in Russian history (Trotsky) was not a king, but a revolutionary.
Virgo = Creator
A constellation is dedicated to Demeter, the goddess of fertility, is a Greek variation on the theme of the mother goddess. What is a fetus? «You will know them by their fruits», says the Gospel of Matthew (Matt. 7:16 AM). It was said about people. That is, the fruits are our creations.
Curiously, that Russian word «Deva» (virgo) is consonant with Devi — the name of the mother goddess in Hinduism. And this is not all: it is assumed that the Indo-European supreme deity was called Dyeus, hence the words deus (god), «deva» (gods or simply spirits in Hinduism and Buddhism). One of the names of God is the Maker, the Creator. It is God who is seen by some people during imaginative techniques when they become familiar with the subpersonality that personifies their Creator archetype.
Libra = Ruler
With Libra was both easy and difficult. The fact is that in the English original the archetype is called Ruler. It goes from the word «rule». At the same time, scales are an attribute of the goddess Themis. She was engaged in the establishment of earthly order on behalf of the gods (that is, she made up the rules) and monitored its observance. In general, served as an administrator.
The difficulty is that in Russia the archetype of the Ruler is understood not as an administrator, but as a tyrant, or as a narcissus. For in Russian culture, the boss is not a job, but a reward. However, the original Ruler is just a boring administrator. No «Execute everyone!» And similar entertainment. The glyph of Libra resembles a crown.
Scorpio = Magician
The most difficult case. The clue came through Virgo: they have similar glyphs, only Scorpio has a lightning at the end. Incidentally, in Arabic, a scorpion sounds like «ya-krab», which, when read back, means lightning («bark»).
If Virgo symbolizes God, then Scorpio may be a similar symbol. What god is associated with lightning? Ancient Greek Zeus, Roman Jupiter, Russian Perun. The lightning (perun) of Zeus looks exactly like the glyph of Scorpio — like an inverted trident. And if Zeus is hiding behind Scorpio, and his wife and at the same time the representative on earth Themis is Libra, then everything is logical. After all, the constellation Libra used to be part of Scorpio, it was considered his claws. Thus, Libra is the instrument of Scorpio, just as the Ruler is the earthly instrument of God.
We should not forget that the Indo-European Dyeus was reflected in the culture not only as bright gods like devas among the Hindus. But it also gave rise to a layer of protest beings: the divines of Zoroastrians and the devil of Christians. Zeus established himself, rebelling against his father Kronos. Under Kronos, humanity enjoyed the «golden age», after the victory of Zeus, people’s life become worse. Consequently, from the point of view of those religions that worship God the Father (Christianity is among them), it is deeply logical to consider Zeus as the embodiment of the evil principle. In other words, a magician before us, and not always in a blue helicopter.
Sagittarius = Sage
According to legend, the constellation Sagittarius was supposed to belong to the wise centaur Chiron. He taught Asclepius himself medical art, invented the celestial globe. At the same time, Asclepius is represented by the very thirteenth sign of Ophiuchus, which Li Shapiro discovered. And Ophiuchus wedged just between Scorpio and Sagittarius. Therefore, I am in favor of comparing Sagittarius with the archetype Sage, for both Asclepius and Chiron are equally scientists.
Capricorn = Fool
The constellation of Capricorn looks like a giant smile, and its glyph is like a clown’s profile. But I would also pay attention to some details. From the point of view of Pearson, the Fool is a transitional archetype between the end of the hero’s journey and the beginning of a new one. For playing games is a sign of childhood, and at the same time falling into childhood is a sign of old age. Therefore, in Capricorn, you must look for babies or old people, or both at once.
Everything is there. The old man is Father Christmas, the babies are Jesus and Zeus. The last was nourished by the goat Amalthea, and Capricon was named after her. Therefore, in relating Capricorn to the Fool archetype, one should keep in mind that this is also the baby God. And here it is interesting.
For Pearson says that the hero’s journey is divided into three stages: preparation, the journey itself, and the return. The preparation ends with the Caregiver, at this stage we met in Taurus with God the Father. The stage of the journey itself is completed by the Creator, and the Mother Goddess fell on him in the sign of the Virgin. The return stage ends with the Fool, and here God-son comes across to us. That is, it turns out that the divine family is encrypted in the Pearson’s archetypes.
Aquarius = Innocent (Apostle)
Simple. Aquarius is a story about the Flood. The Sumerians associated the sign with the god of the underground waters Enki, who warned Ziusudra about the coming flood. The Greeks associated the constellation with Deucalion, Noah’s own analog.
Try to imagine yourself in the place of Noah. All around busy with some of their daily affairs. And only you spend time don’t know on what — build the ship. In the midst of the firm land, yeah! Everybody laughs at you. Call crazy. To even sustain this psychologically, you need a very strong faith. Faith means Innocent.
Pisces = Orphan
Behind Pisces is a story about fear. The Olympic gods have grown and challenged the previous generation of gods — the Titans. When the scales leaned in favor of the Olympians, the Titans threw in the last argument — a terrible monster named Typhon. Olympians ran in panic to Egypt, disguised as animals. Zeus took the form of a ram, Apollo — crow, Dionysus — goat, etc.
Aphrodite turned into a fish. Fishes in the symbolism of the sign do not just swim in opposite directions — they just scatter. Being inconspicuous, quieter than water and below grass is the philosophy of the archetype Orphan.
So, what is next?
Be sure there are those who say that everything is wrong. That those born under the sign of Pisces are unlike the Orphan, etc. I answered this earlier: those born under the sign of Pisces will not be even like those born under the sign of Pisces, because many factors affect the character. Why then all this?
Once again I remind you that archetypes are a scientific hypothesis explaining the causes of deviations in human behavior. And every hypothesis needs to be confirmed by actual data. In this case, we recorded: aha, 12 Zodiac signs tell the same story as the hero’s journey concept. If we can find a few more similar stories, then the hero’s journey will turn from a hypothesis into a scientifically established fact. What will it affect?
Now it is revealed by trial and error that when the Destroyer archetype carrier engages in creative activity, he finds himself in a state that helps to cope with many problems. But there is no theoretical justification for this. To prove that the hero’s journey is not just a hypothesis, but a fact, then everything will be easy. For the archetype following the Destroyer is the Creator. So, art therapy can be safely prescribed to all Destroyers.
Is it possible to use the journey of the hero in the opposite direction, to understand the psychology of the signs of the Zodiac? While the question is open. From converse with astrologer Elvira Dubina, I made a hypothesis that the Pearson’s archetypes fall on the Zodiac in several layers. The astrologer suggested that this is analogous to such phenomena as domicile, exaltation, exile and fall. May be.
P.S. About the Pearson’s archetypes in the world history see “Wikipedian explained why Zelensky had won”.
