The planetary archetypes from the Sun to Pluto are associated with a specific part of your psyche.
I was first introduced to the planetary archetypes in 2013 by an acquaintance who had an interest in Hermetic Philosophy.
At the time, I had barely started scratching the surface of my lifelong Astrological studies. Even though I knew the cookbook meanings of the planets, signs, houses, aspects, rulerships, etc., I was still trying to figure out how the mythological gods were associated with Astrology.
There’s always been speculation around the idea that the planets influence our behavior or that they somehow trigger events in our immediate environment, but the truth is that the planets are not independent driving forces that are in control of our lives.
In fact, we are co-creating reality with the planets in every passing moment, thanks to our ability to exercise free will.
“As the planets move through their cycles, they form various geometrical relationships with each other relative to the Earth within the larger cosmic environment. These alignments are observed to coincide with specific archetypically patterned phenomena in human lives.” – Richard Tarnas
What Richard Tarnas is referring to here is the energy that is released through the aspects (conjunction, opposition, square, etc.) that are formed between two planets. The alignment can be expressed either with ease or tension, depending on an individual’s attunement to those planets.
We’re all born with a combination of “harmonious” and tense aspects in the natal chart that reflect the cosmic energy we’ve been gifted in this lifetime. We can use these planetary qualities for our own growth or detriment.
The planets have existed way before they were ever discovered. They became part of our collective awareness until humanity was ready to integrate them.
The god/goddess archetypes in Greek mythology represent parts of the psyche that embody the full blown human experience. The Greeks understood that ignoring one of these gods would only bring chaos and upheaval.
Gods in mythic imagination are thought of as timeless, just how the planetary archetypes are boundless, infinite, and ever evolving. They’re more accessible to imagination than to the physical senses.
Richard Tarnas emphasizes that “they’re cosmic perspectives that articulate the Soul’s patterns of existence…There is no place without Gods and no activity that does not enact them. Every fantasy, every experience has its archetypal reason. There is nothing that does not belong to one God or another.”
Plato, one of the greatest philosophers of western thought, defined the archetypes as forms and ideas that brought meaning and richness into everyday life. Carl Jung considered the archetypes to be part of the collective unconscious.
It would also be inaccurate to say that the mythological gods have given the planets their unique qualities.
When we think about what the collective unconscious represents, it’s composed of all the energy that has ever manifested in words, thoughts, intentions, actions, deeds, etc. since the beginning of human civilization. It’s the collective memory of humanity’s consciousness.
Everything that has ever been thought of and created throughout human history was pulled from the infinite stream of the Universe/Source/Unifying Field. It was already there, waiting to be tapped into.
In quantum theory, everything is pure potential until it’s consciously observed. As soon as it’s observed, it’s given life. As humanity has evolved, so have the planetary archetypes.
It’s no coincidence that the outer planets (Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto) were discovered much later. Everything manifests in a perfect order.
Uranus was discovered in 1781, around the time the steam engine was invented. The Industrial Revolution and American Revolution were also going on around this time.
Neptune was discovered in 1846, when spiritualism and transcendentalism grew in popularity, and non-ordinary states of consciousness became a topic of interest.
And finally, Pluto emerged into our awareness in 1930, a time when psychotherapy was being explored in more depth.
“The Hero’s Journey” by Joseph Campbell validates the fact that a large part of the Soul’s evolution as a human being is to integrate all the archetypes.
Whenever something unexpected happens for you, whether internally or externally, the planetary alignments in that moment are simply reflecting the synchronistic energy that is manifesting in real time.
Even though you may not always understand why something plays out the way it does, rest assured that your Soul needed to experience it in order to learn and grow.
So instead of viewing each planetary archetype from a deterministic perspective, it would be more appropriate to wonder HOW it will manifest and in which life areas. What is the lesson behind it all?
If we don’t work through our lessons during certain transits and just “wait for them to be over”, they’ll only come back to haunt us during the next transit.
When you’re consciously aware of the planetary archetypes, you’re no longer on a blind path of “fate.” You have the opportunity to respond rather than react to life.
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, the archetypes can’t be defined by a singular term, they can’t be put into a neat little box because of their changeable nature.
For example, everyone who’s a Taurus Sun won’t act the same way because of their distinctive natal chart house placements, experiences, cultures, upbringings, etc.
However, the Taurean archetype will still be active one way or another. Just as the sign Taurus is associated with personal income, it’s also connected to beauty, which can be expressed in endless ways. Beauty is subjective, it’s in the eye of the beholder. A Taurus native might master material abundance in this life or experience the Taurean shadow archetype through poverty and lack of security.
Whenever you’re experiencing any hardships, ask yourself what kind of problem it is and what planet it’s associated with. Are you having learning/communication issues? That’s Mercurial. Are you having self-worth issues? That’s Venusian. Are you lacking motivation? That’s within Mars’ domain.
The nature of the planetary archetypes underline the freedom to create your own reality and all the infinite paths that can be taken to express your multi-dimensional existence.
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