The Darker Side Of Each Of The 12 Zodiac Signs
The B side of each zodiac sign: the flawed, negative or maladjusted qualities that are also part of each one.
The zodiac is perhaps the best known and most popular astrological symbol. It is so familiar that, in general, people tend to be clear about which zodiac sign corresponds to the Sun in their own horoscope. The classic question “what sign are you?” , which is usually articulated in those first moments of encounter with another, testifies to the importance and transcendence of the zodiac.
In this way, some particular characteristics of each of the 12 signs of the zodiac are of a “public” order and, sometimes, it is even easy to identify and recognize some of them present in our personal qualities or in our style of behavior.
General meanings, sign by sign
To mention only some general ideas, we can think that
- Aries is associated with courage, bravery and determination;
- Taurus with persistence, willpower or the voluptuousness of pleasure;
- Gemini with curiosity, variability, conversations:
- Cancer with the importance of the sense of belonging, family, nostalgia;
- I read with pride, leadership and fun;
- Virgo with conscientiousness, moderation and detail;
- Libra with sociability, aesthetics and balance;
- Scorpio with depth, intensity and expectations;
- Sagittarius with knowledge, adventure and the foreign;
- Capricorn with the effort, the concreteness and the objectives;
- Aquarius with the different, the ideals and the original;
- Pisces with sensitivity, inspiration and intuition.
It is worth clarifying that the twelve signs of the zodiac are not only associated with personality characteristics , or to a more psychological level, but also refer, for example, to organic or biological issues, such as body parts , as well as they also refer to relationship matters and processes of social interaction , and even refer to specific circumstances and situations. That is, the range of significance of the zodiac is completely wide and diverse.
Apparent contradictions of the signs
A disturbing curiosity in astrological interpretation is that the zodiacal signs are so complex that we easily find ourselves with definitions that could sometimes seem contradictory. Let’s take a simple example: we have the case of a sign like Taurus, a symbol of hard, forced, routine work. But at the same time, it is the symbol of rest, voluptuousness and sensations that give us pleasure.
How can it be that the same symbol shares such antagonistic qualities?
It happens that these symbols are not signals like the red of the traffic light , which can only mean “stop”, “stop”. Symbols have this plurality that constitutes and defines them, this perplexity so intimate that characterizes them, and that far from being contradictions, is simply the revelation of that depth of the symbol.
These supposed contradictions are common to all signs of the zodiac. Leo, for example, is the symbol of both selfishness and generosity. Scorpio appears as the symbol of the fusion with the other, or of the annihilation of the other. For its part, Aquarius is associated with a deep concern for humanity and respect for what is different, and at the same time represents the most radical form of dogmatism that there can be.
The “B side” of the zodiac signs
In line with the above, it is particularly interesting that in the expression of each of the signs of the zodiac qualities appear that could be called virtuous, positive, adapted , etc. While others represent a “B side” , they are qualities that we could designate as flawed, negative or maladaptive .
For example, the sign of Cancer is associated with tenderness, affection, receptivity, hospitality. General characteristics that seem to be very positive, and that constitute styles that can be well seen by others. But Cancer also represents overprotective subjective positions, extremely demanding claims, and capricious and childish behavior.
We find here a somewhat more dysfunctional and complicated phenomenology of the zodiacal sign . However, in both cases we refer to the same symbol, which sometimes expresses its most virtuous face, in others the most complicated, and it could also be the case that both can manifest at the same time.
Now, it would not be correct to consider the first kind of expression as “luminous”, while the second would come to represent the “dark” expression of the symbol. Strictly speaking, both are typical and readily available manifestations of the quality of that particular sign , which in the case of our example is the sign of Cancer.
the shadow of the zodiac
In the field of analytical psychology (closely linked to some contemporary trends in astrology), the concept of “shadow” designates a particular complex: it is an area of the unconscious where all those representations are contained, agglutinated and nucleated. of the improper, of the ugly, of the rejected, of the hidden , of that which should not be shown. These unconscious complexes can be emotionally accentuated, and then seek access to the sphere of conscious activity, displacing the ego.
Following this idea, the characteristics of a sign that we previously considered negative would not be “dark”, since they have nothing to do with what is “rejected” by that sign, but rather such characteristics are effectively essential to it, and also essential qualities in the dynamics that corresponds to that sign.
If we then want to apply the idea of ”shadow” in the strict sense of the term, we should consider not what characterizes the sign on its adverse side, but directly what has no place in that particular sign. That is where the shadow of that zodiacal symbol will appear, that series of representations that constitute a threat to the qualities and characteristics of that sign .
The “dark” side of each sign
In this way, we can think of some general and basic ideas like the shadow of each zodiac factor.
- In Aries , the shadow would be linked to dedication to the other, to responses of tenderness, or to an attitude based on consideration.
- The shadow in Taurus has to do with detachment, spontaneity, or the spiritual.
- In the case of Gemini , the shadow confronts us with depth, with knowledge and with duty.
- For Cancer , the shadow supposes the confrontation with a relaxed attitude, with freedom and objectivity.
- In Leo , the shadow appears as obedience, subjection and respect for what is different.
- For Virgo the expression of the shadow concerns authority, determination and self-sufficiency.
- Libra is confronted with a shadow that demands security, decision and depth.
- Scorpio has to deal with a shadow linked to good taste, the simplicity of the plain, and the possibility of letting go.
- In Sagittarius , the shadow represents a lesson in humility, a genuine openness to the other, and to silence as a way of knowing the world.
- For Capricorn , the shadow has to do with sensual pleasure, with the encounter with fun, with the emergence of the unproductive.
- In Aquarius , the shadow requires coming down to earth, it takes us directly into the mundane and everyday, and demands sensitivity and emotion.
- Finally, Pisces faces a shadow that supposes affirming one’s own individuality, that requires courage to face fear, and that requires, above all, willpower.
From astrology we can determine which are the signs of the zodiac that prevail in a natal chart , and in this way, know the factors related to the shadow that concerns it.
It allows us to identify and anticipate those points in which we do not have adequate coping strategies, or where our resources become scarce to alleviate those circumstances or situations that are difficult to resolve given the dominant zodiacal qualities.
Thus, astrology is a discipline that not only offers us a way of self- knowledge and introspection to encourage reflection on ourselves, but at the same time allows us to establish a field of personal work to effectively strengthen our repertoire of responses to the demands, both internal and external, and thus achieve the development of a more genuine and fulfilling life.
This is one of the most beautiful proposals that astrology can offer within the framework of the consultation.
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