Myth is not something that happened once upon a time, long ago and far away to others. Myth is something that happens to us over and over again, every day, right here and now.
The ancient Greeks and Romans wove mythic tales about the planets and constellations that are still popular in our culture today. Carl Jung, the great analytical psychologist, said “ myths are a creative, imaginative self-portrait of the psyche describing its own evolution, its own fate.” The stories of the mythical characters that are in your birth chart are repeated in your everyday experiences.
Today, we call these characters in the myths, archetypes. Archetypes are clusters of behaviors, patterns of emotional and mental constructs. Plato called them “divine ideas”. Understanding the archetypes that reside in your chart is important because when you consciously identify an archetype that has been at work in your unconscious, the energy from those archetypes becomes available to be put to conscious use. Then if you explore the archetypes and observe their instinctual behavior patterns you can choose to participate in their positive rather than their negative energy. Understanding the archetypes in your horoscope is the most important tool you have for individual growth.
Astrological signs and planets are the archetypes. They are more profound then simply a list of qualities of behavior, they are a mythos, a schema, and a plan that is imaged in a story, a pattern of development. They are alive, dynamic and full of energy. If you work with them consciously, you are likely to have a much more fulfilling life.
During an astrological consultation, you will explore the myth that describes each of the archetypes that reside in your birth chart. You will discover how you currently express the unique energy of each archetype and possibilities to achieve a higher level of expression. I believe astrology used in this manner is the best system we have for understanding ourselves.
Janet Kane
Archetypal Astrologer