The Jungian Archetypes and the Zodiac
I was going through the Jungian Archetypes when i realised that there were 12, the same number as the zodiac signs. So i decided to correlate each sign with an archetype and explain why.
Bear in mind, this is my personal opinion, one that you do not have to agree with!
This is also just for fun! Don’t take it too seriously! This post is merely looking at similarities between the archetypes and the signs. This does not mean that each sign will exhibit all the qualities of the archetypes.
The Jungian Archetypes are a system of ideas that can be used to define behavior and characteristics in literature and other media. The system is derived from “collective unconscious” and the idea is proposed by psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung.
The system comprises of 12 archetypes.
There are also the “cardinal orientations” which is the underlying motivation for each archetype.
Ego - to make one’s presence known and admired
Order - to maintain structure in societal settings
Social - to foster genuine connections with others
Freedom - to break free from physical and psychological limits
The 12 Archetypes and their Cardinal Orientations
Motto: Rules are made to be broken
Core desire: revenge or revolution
Goal: to overturn what isn’t working
Greatest fear: to be powerless or ineffectual
Strategy: disrupt, destroy, or shock
Weakness: crossing over to the dark side, crime
Talent: outrageousness, radical freedom
The Outlaw is also known as: The rebel, revolutionary, wild man, the misfit, or iconoclast.
Aries is the first zodiac sign and the first fire sign. It is in unfamiliar territory and is in a new world. They listen to their own heart and intuition which drives them to do whatever they want to. Mars influence gives them the ambition and energy to keep at it and be known as a true Outlaw.
Motto: The truth will set you free.
Core desire: to find the truth
Goal: to use intelligence and analysis to understand the world.
Biggest fear: being duped, misled—or ignorance.
Strategy: seeking out information and knowledge; self-reflection and understanding thought processes.
Weakness: can study details forever and never act.
Talent: wisdom, intelligence.
The Sage is also known as: The expert, scholar, detective, advisor, thinker, philosopher, academic, researcher, thinker, planner, professional, mentor, teacher, contemplative.
Taurus is a fixed Earth sign, and it uses these qualities to stay put an really, deeply analyse everything that mother earth has to offer. Their Venus influence allows them to see the natural beauty around them. They use their surroundings to understand the “why” and the “how” of everything. They are the deep thinkers and so are the Sage.
Motto: You only live once
Core desire: to live in the moment with full enjoyment
Goal: to have a great time and lighten up the world
Greatest fear: being bored or boring others
Strategy: play, make jokes, be funny
Weakness: frivolity, wasting time
The Jester is also known as: The fool, trickster, joker, practical joker or comedian.
Gemini is an air sign, looking for connection and pleasure. It is a mutable sign and is excited to go out and explore its surroundings. Ruled by mercury, it values curiosity and humor. Gemini is looking for the fun in everything and does not take life too seriously, which is why Gemini is the Jester.
Motto: All men and women are created equal
Core Desire: connecting with others
Greatest fear: to be left out or to stand out from the crowd
Strategy: develop ordinary solid virtues, be down to earth, the common touch
Weakness: losing one’s own self in an effort to blend in or for the sake of superficial relationships
Talent: realism, empathy, lack of pretense
The Everyman is also known as: The good old boy, regular guy/girl, the person next door, the realist, the working stiff, the solid citizen, the good neighbor, the silent majority.
Cancer is the first water sign. Just like the Moon, it takes value in creating connections and nourishing it. Cancer is often the sign associated with family and longs to create a sense of belonging. They strive for creating foundations in their relationships with people and to build roots. This nurturing quality makes them the Everyman.
Motto: If you can imagine it, it can be done
Core desire: to create things of enduring value
Goal: to realize a vision
Greatest fear: mediocre vision or execution
Strategy: develop artistic control and skill
Task: to create culture, express own vision
Weakness: perfectionism, bad solutions
Talent: creativity and imagination
The Creator is also known as: The artist, inventor, innovator, musician, writer or dreamer
Leo is ruled by the Sun. The Sun symbolises vitality and creativity. They use their light to shine and display everything that they create. Art makes the world go round and Leo’s ability to create and make it to the top is the reason why they are the ultimate Artist.
Motto: Love your neighbour as yourself
Core desire: to protect and care for others
Greatest fear: selfishness and ingratitude
Strategy: doing things for others
Weakness: martyrdom and being exploited
Talent: compassion, generosity
The Caregiver is also known as: The saint, altruist, parent, helper, supporter.
Virgo is the sign of service. It is a mutable sign which uses the resources it has available to care for others. Service is fundamental to the functioning of society and their selfless nature is the reason why the Virgo is a caregiver. The additional influence of Mercury makes them incredibly detail-oriented which makes them an important asset to society and its structure.
Motto: You’re the only one
Core desire: intimacy and experience
Goal: being in a relationship with the people, work and surroundings they love
Greatest fear: being alone, a wallflower, unwanted, unloved
Strategy: to become more and more physically and emotionally attractive
Weakness: outward-directed desire to please others at risk of losing own identity
Talent: passion, gratitude, appreciation, and commitment
The Lover is also known as: The partner, friend, intimate, enthusiast, sensualist, spouse, team-builder.
Building connections and intimacy is very important for a Libra. Being a cardinal air sign it loves to connect and this sign of Venus finds pleasure in other people and creates and craves emotional and physical intimacy. With Libra it’s two not one and so the Lovers is the perfect archetype.
Motto: I make things happen.
Core desire: understanding the fundamental laws of the universe
Goal: to make dreams come true
Greatest fear: unintended negative consequences
Strategy: develop a vision and live by it
Weakness: becoming manipulative
Talent: finding win-win solutions
The Magician is also known as: The visionary, catalyst, inventor, charismatic leader, shaman, healer, medicine man.
Scorpios are the masters of the occult. They are the powerful wizards and being a fixed water sign they are resourceful and use this nature strategically to accomplish everything they set their mind to. Because of this strong nature they are able to rise above their competitors and leave their mark on the world. It is only right that they are the Magician.
Core desire: the freedom to find out who you are through exploring the world
Goal: to experience a better, more authentic, more fulfilling life
Greatest fear: getting trapped, conformity, and inner emptiness
Strategy: journey, seeking out and experiencing new things, escape from boredom
Strategy: develop artistic control and skill
Weakness: aimless wandering, becoming a misfit
Talent: autonomy, ambition, being true to one’s soul
The explorer is also known as: The seeker, iconoclast, wanderer, individualist, pilgrim.
Sagittarius longs to follow its hearts desire and to exhaust all that the world has to offer. A fire sign, they listen to nothing but their heart and their mutable energy takes them everywhere…the Sagittarius to me is the obvious Explorer.
Motto: Power isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.
Goal: create a prosperous, successful family or community
Greatest fear: chaos, being overthrown
Weakness: being authoritarian, unable to delegate
Talent: responsibility, leadership
The Ruler is also known as: The boss, leader, aristocrat, king, queen, politician, role model, manager or administrator.
Being a cardinal sign, the hard working tendency of Capricorn allows them to fulfil their earthly desires and rise to the top which makes them the great Ruler. Saturn here grants them the determination to succeed and the ability to lead.
Motto: Where there’s a will, there’s a way
Core desire: to prove one’s worth through courageous acts
Goal: expert mastery in a way that improves the world
Greatest fear: weakness, vulnerability, being a “chicken”
Strategy: to be as strong and competent as possible
Weakness: arrogance, always needing another battle to fight
Talent: competence and courage
The Hero is also known as: The warrior, crusader, rescuer, superhero, the soldier, dragon slayer, the winner and the team player.
This Saturn ruled sign is smart, headstrong and cautious. Aquarius individuals are highly intelligent (being an air sign) and determined (being a fixed sign) and use this to overcome any obstacle in their path. The interesting quality about this sign is that even though they do not set out to be perceived as a Hero, their good heart always grants them success, thus being seen as one and inadvertently leaving a mark on the world.
Motto: Free to be you and me
Core desire: to get to paradise
Greatest fear: to be punished for doing something bad or wrong
Strategy: to do things right
Weakness: boring for all their naive innocence
Talent: faith and optimism
The Innocent is also known as: Utopian, traditionalist, naive, mystic, saint, romantic, dreamer.
The Innocent, Pisces longs for oneness and community and in this reality, they cannot find what they are looking for. This mutable water sign has imaginative powers so great that they are able to cultivate a reality of their own, a place where they can be truly safe and happy, not alone, but with the ones they most love.
Please do not copy/plagiarize my work and do not repost without my permission.