What sermons and horoscopes have in common

What sermons and horoscopes have in common

The best of sermons afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted. The same can be said of horoscopes. Even when they don’t meet this high ideal, they can remind us of heaven.

There a line that I can still recall from a sermon I heard over 30 years ago, back when I was in college.

The Lutheran pastor began the sermon in a voice as loud as thunder: “Unfulfilled desires prove the existence of heaven.” He was paraphrasing C.S. Lewis and went on to explain that if a desire exists, the fulfillment of that desire must also exist.

My imagination thrilled at this and it fed my soul. Out of the many hundreds of sermons I would go on to hear in the years to come, this is the only line I remember out of all those sermons.

Zoom ahead 30+ years to today, and it is astrology and horoscopes that I partake of regularly. I recently listened to an audio of James Hillman, who was an archetypal Jungian psychologist. It is a one hour talk he gave at an astrology conference and he quoted Paracelsus:

Hillman kept repeating the words “Heaven retains.” He said he takes those two words quite literally. When I heard that I had the same thrill as I did 30+ years ago when listening to that sermon,

You only get a half truth or partial understanding of others or yourself if you neglect heaven. The ultimate meaning of heaven is unknown. It is defined simply as the place beyond the sky, the unknown. It connotes the divine.

Hillman says: “Paracelsus is insisting on the invisible path of our lives. This half is not directly graspable by any natural methods of science, any kind of naturalistic or mundane thinking or understanding. […] We humans, aware that we only live in half truths, and see only through a glass darkly, turn to astrology to find a way back to heaven, to the invisible source of our bodies and maladies.”

Horoscopes and sermons can point us to heaven because it is heaven that makes them possible. It is the arrangement of the planets in the sky during a particular day or period of time that serves up the topics an astrologer must address when writing a horoscope.

For many pastors and priests, it is a lectionary, based on the church calendar, that provides the scripture reading the sermon must address.

Of course there is always the danger that a sermon or horoscope can become too prescriptive, too mired in literalism and fundamentalism. One must choose one’s purveyors of sermons and horoscopes wisely.

In my years of listening to sermons, I noticed that, even when following a lectionary, a pastor or priest would still tend to repeat the same themes over and over again, as if it was the lesson they needed to hear. This can happen to astrologers too. Jung said that teachers, ultimately, don’t teach their subject. They teach themselves (i.e. the teacher is the subject).

Astrologer Adam Elenbaas also steers us away from a literal view:

“I find that thinking too much about when to do stuff with astrology generally gets in the way. If you meditate on something in your heart, and  […] have a good intention that’s not going to harm anyone … then you [should] just go with what feels right.

Part of astrology is trying to get us off the training wheels of astrology. That’s a big part of astrology, actually. We all have the inherent sense of divine timing built into us.”

Ultimately, true healing and comes from within, and not from horoscopes and sermons. But the astrologer and the pastor/priest can help transport us out of our circumstances by providing insights that remind us of what is above. Then we can find a way back to heaven, where the fulfillment of our desires, and comfort for our afflictions, awaits.

Sources:

Adam Elenbaas 9/15/19 video.

RIP Rev. Jerry Knoche

Continue ReadingWhat sermons and horoscopes have in common

The 8 archetypes of Introverted Sensation (Si)

This article will explore introverted sensation in all 8 of the different roles it plays in the personality. This is per Jungian analyst John Beebe’s 8 function personality type model.

First we’ll take a look at Si in general terms.

Si types experience strong subjective sensations. Si records both extroverted and introverted sensory experiences with precision and compares past and present sensations. Si can tend to believe things will remain the way they are in the present,

The Si type is a keen observer and remembers the physical world in detail. Emma Jung, Carl Jung’s wife, was an Si type and described herself as a highly sensitized photographic plate (von Franz & Hillman, Lectures on Psychological Type, 1971). She said that when someone entered a room she noticed everything about them, including hair, how they walked, clothes, expression, and so on:

Outwardly, the introverted sensation type … just sits and stares, and you do not know what is going on within him. He looks like a piece of word with no reaction at all – unless he reacts with one of the auxiliary functions, thinking or feeling. But inwardly the impression is being absorbed. (p. 34).

Here is what Carl Jung said about introverted sesnation in Psychological Types:

Introverted sensation apprehends the background of the physical world rather than its surface. […] Introverted sensation transmits an image which does not so much reproduce the object as spread over it the patina of age-old subjective experience . . . . while extraverted sensation seizes on the momentary existence of things open to the light of day.

Below is the infographic I made that describes all 8 archetypal roles of Si. All personality types have Si and it behaves differently depending where it is. Half of the 16 personalities have it in the top four functions where it is more conscious. The other half have it in shadow:

These archetypes descriptions are just sketches and aren’t meant to be literal. The shadow functions in particular are highly qualitative. Our shadow is unconscious and the contents of each person’s shadow differ, of course. The shadow functions are a guide for you to understand your complexes better. When you get “triggered,” and it is brought to your conscious attention (usually by another person) you can try to trace it back to a shadow function and then reverse engineer it further to explore the origin of your complex.

Remember that no function ever acts separately from the other functions. Jung said we almost never see a pure form of a function. We consider a function only in order to better understand the whole of the personality.

This is part 2 of 8 in the series. My other articles in this series:

The 8 archetypes of Extroverted Sensation

The 8 archetypes of Extroverted Intuition (Ne)

Continue ReadingThe 8 archetypes of Introverted Sensation (Si)

The four cultural attitudes and personality type

Why are people with the same personality type so different from each other?

One reason could be the four cultural attitudes. See the below infographic

Joseph Henderson, M.D. developed this idea 90 years ago. He was analyzed by Jung and eventually became an analyst. John Beebe was analyzed by Henderson.

Beebe loosely links two of the functions to each attitude, with the understanding that any type can adopt any of the four attitudes.

Henderson said the way to figure out someone’s cultural attitude is to notice how people choose to spend their optional cultural time. One can start by asking oneself, “How did I spend my weekend?”

My cultural attitude is the religious one, with some philosophic and social flavors to it. What’s yours?

Mike Silberstein, who wrote this excellent post about the four positive aspirations of the functions (joy, wisdom, knowledge, intelligence). mentioned to me that the four cultural attitudes are comparable to the positive aspirations. Here is how he explains it:

“So the type of spontaneous joy that Se and Ne has allows them to tap into the immediate possibilities and direct opportunities that the moment brings. There is a love for the ‘color’, ‘variety’ and sense of infinite possibilities and opportunities that can arise at any moment. As a result, an immediate interaction with aesthetic events in the here and now is something that Oe does fantastically well. They can simply dive into these possibilities and feel a sense of spontaneous enjoyment and appreciation for what that moment brings.

For Ti and Fi, they are using their ‘intelligence’ (logical or ethical) to tap into those areas that they believe are right, valid, and accurate. They are tapping into a philosophical realm (akin to an internal compass) where they are deliberating within themselves to identify those areas of ethical and moral truths. Once they do that, they can staunchly defend those truths as proper ways to handle whichever scenarios may come up.

For Ni and Si, they are all about acquiring ‘knowledge’ as a means towards having a ‘map’ of either highly detailed or holistic understandings about their world. This causes the Ni/Si user to capture a wider set of beliefs and worldviews about the order within the universe in a way that feels highly spiritual/religious. As they observe (and catalog) increasingly more regarding how the outer world operates, they are able to integrate new knowledge/information with what they already know and believe.

For Fe and Te, the goal is to manage and regulate the activities in the outer world in a manner that is socially and/or logistically effective/efficient. The capacity to take the data of the outside world and to integrate and orchestrate it in a manner that successfully works (either socially or logistically) requires a highly dynamic understanding of the needs of the moment and a way to execute/implement a certain (algorithmic) set of plans in an effective manner. To address each of these concerns in real time requires the internal (leadership) wisdom of the individual in a way that is similar to a conductor leading an orchestra.”

Continue ReadingThe four cultural attitudes and personality type

The 8 archetypes of Extroverted Sensation (Se)

This article will explore extroverted sensation in all 8 of the different roles it plays in the personality. This is per Jungian analyst John Beebe’s 8 function personality type model.

First let’s take a look at the sensation function in general.

Jung wrote that sensation, just like intuition, is an irrational function, because it is a perceiving function. All of us experience a constant influx of new information and sensation types perceive it primarily through sensation. He said that sensation (and intuition) by itself “lack all rational direction.” It is thinking and feeling that are the rational functions and “find fulfillment only when they are in complete harmony with the laws of reason.”

Many Jungian analysts have attached names to the four functions and describe sensation as Matter. Thinking is Logos, feeling is Soul, and intuition is Spirit.

The element associated with sensation is Earth. Air is thinking, Water is feeling, and Fire is intuition.

Each function has an “attitude” of either extroversion or introversion. Jung defined “attitude as “a readiness of the psyche to act or react in a certain way.” Extroversion is outwardness and assertiveness towards people or events

Putting the two together, sensation and extroversion, the traits can include a preference for experiencing rather than reflection, an orientation to the present, creative power, and an awareness of the body and sensuality.

Here is how Jung defined extroverted sensation:

No function ever acts separately from the other functions. Jung said we almost never see a pure form of a function. We consider a function only in order to better understand the whole of the personality.

With that in mind, here is an infographic I made that describes the 8 archetypal roles of Se. All personality types have Se. Half of the 16 personalities have it in the top four functions where it is more conscious. The other half have it in shadow:

Click here for more details about the needs and behaviors of the 8 archetypal roles if you aren’t already familiar with them. The archetypes free us to use our imagination when considering personality rather than reduce personality to a set of traits. They also can help us claim our own inner authority and power.

This is part 1 of 8 in the series.Here are the other articles in the series:

The 8 archetypes of Introverted Sensation (Si)

The 8 archetypes of Extroverted Intuition (Ne)

Continue ReadingThe 8 archetypes of Extroverted Sensation (Se)

The archetypes of the roles of the 8 cognitive functions of the personality per John Beebe, M.D.

The archetypes of the roles of the 8 cognitive functions of the personality per John Beebe, M.D.

Your personality is like an inner stage where the eight “characters” of the functions interact.

Jungian Analyst John Beebe created an 8 function model that assigns archetypes to each of these eight functions.

Understanding the underlying archetype of the cognitive functions in your personality type will make it easier to improve your relationship with your self and with others.

The first four functions constitute a person’s conscious psychology, per Carl Jung. Even if some of the mental processes are still unconscious, they have the potential to become conscious over time.

Functions 5-8 are the shadow functions and are the same functions as the first four, but the opposite attitude, and are mostly unconscious. These functions carry the repressed aspects of the first four functions.

Jung believed that both attitudes were implicit in each function because a function works in a cycle, starting from and returning to the preferred attitude. So the 8 function model is consistent with what Jung taught.

Here is an infographic I made of how Beebe describes the eight archetypes. Note how the shadow functions also have positive qualities:

Continue ReadingThe archetypes of the roles of the 8 cognitive functions of the personality per John Beebe, M.D.

If Gary Vee was an astrologer: his defense of sun sign horoscopes (plus his August 2019 horoscopes)

If Gary Vee was an astrologer: his defense of sun sign horoscopes (plus his August 2019 horoscopes)

If Gary Vaynerchuk was an astrologer, here is what his August horoscopes might say, and how he might defend sun sign horoscopes:

Astrology is a gateway drug to self-awareness.

People kept saying to me, “Gary, you talk all the time about self-awareness. But how do I get more self-awareness? You never talk about that.”

Self-awareness is wired into my DNA, and I was perfectly parented, so it’s hard for me to reverse engineer and explain it to you. I have tremendous empathy for people that need outside help with gaining more self-awareness.

That’s why I hired a team of astrologers here at VaynerMedia, to help me create astrology content for you, because it’s a great practical tool to help you get more self-awareness. One of those astrologers is also studying my transits that will happen years and decades from now to help me figure out when I can buy the New York Jets. I’m super pumped.

Before I share my August horoscopes with you, I want to address complaints I get in my DMs that say I say the same things all the time in horoscopes.

People want fancy when they aren’t even following the basic advice in my sun sign horoscopes.

Astrology begins and ends with the sun. The end.

I’m all about process. So is the sun.

The sun is like the heart and the planets are like the blood. They circulate to and from the sun. They willingly return to the sun whey they need to refuel. They even move faster when they are near the sun because they are energized by the sun and experience a rebirth. The sun also takes on the qualities of those planets that are under its beams.

At VaynerMedia we have a Chief Heart Officer, so I love how the sun symbolizes the heart. I always want our company culture to reflect this: employees willingly seeking out the heart/sun, without fear, when they need to refuel. And the two-way street effect of the heart/sun taking on the qualities of the employees and their ideas.

Here are my August horoscopes:

My fellow Scorpios, you can crush it at work or your life purpose this month, because of the new moon in your tenth house. Make this the month that finding happiness in what you do every day becomes imperative.

Libras, the new moon is in your 11th house, the place of friends and allies, so you might meet new people. I’m pumped for you. Relationships are leverage. If you give value to someone else first, you have leverage.

Virgos, the new moon is in 12th house of Leo and connects to Uranus in the 9th house. If you’re not careful you could face some dark places. But remember you only get to play this game one time … one life. Gratitude will bring sunshine to your heart even on dark days.

Leos, you have a square to Uranus going on, landing in the first house. Something new is beginning in your life. But have perspective about change. A penguin cannot become a giraffe, so just be the best penguin you can be.

My Cancer friends, the new moon is in your second house of income and expenses. Don’t get distracted with worry about what goes on with money this month, because you are in control of the one asset that we all care the most about and that is time.

Geminis, you’re starting something new in your immediate environment this month because of the square to Uranus in the third house. All your ideas may be solid or even good, but you have to actually EXECUTE on them for them to matter.

Taurus, there’s a new moon in your fourth house, lots of focus on home and family. There’s a square to Uranus in your first house there to remind you that there’s no reason to do s**t you hate. NONE.

Aries, the emphasis in on your fifth house of good fortune, romance, beauty, sports, children. There’s a square to Uranus in your second house of finances. Have fun this month, but stop whining, and start hustling.

Pisces, Venus and the new moon are in a square with Uranus between the sixth and third houses. The sixth house is the in between world that isn’t always fun. This house is about hard work, suffering, sickness. I love the sixth house. That’s because I weirdly love losing more than winning. If you feel stuck in this in between place, when it all comes down to it, nothing trumps execution.

Aquarius, there is a huge focus on your seventh house of marriage and relationships. Venus square to Uranus means relationship issues could pop up. One of the biggest things for you to remember this month is you should always be the bigger person in any situation. Don’t value money over family and happiness.

Capicorns,a big emphasis on your eighth house this month, you might face debts, karma, things you have to face that you’ve been in denial about. Turn it into positivity. Rise to the challenge. Accept that the climb might be the best part of the whole thing.

Sagittarius, Uranus is in your sixth house of Taurus, with a square to the 9th house of religion, spirituality, higher principles, knowledge, wisdom. Sixth is the house of hard work, sickness, strife, service. Like I said before, I love the sixth house. People will want to challenge you and question your ideas, and you should welcome that.

No matter what your sign is, remember: there no longer has to be a difference between who you are and what you do, in August and beyond. Stop complaining and start doing.

————-

If you have any interest in business and company culture, I recommend that you follow Gary Vee on YouTube and social media.

Continue ReadingIf Gary Vee was an astrologer: his defense of sun sign horoscopes (plus his August 2019 horoscopes)

What is the Blast animal in Objective Personality?

What is the Blast animal in Objective Personality?

Blast is perhaps the most misunderstood of the four “animals” in the Objective Personality personality type system.

People conflate Blast with talking, which is understandable, given its name. But the name “Blast” primarily describes the energy of taking initiative, getting started, and making quick decisions. Kind of a “3-2-1 Blast Off!” quality, but not in terms of physical energy.

There is also a communication aspect to Blast. To better understand the communication side of Blast, you have to look at the animal stack as a whole, and not just Blast as a single part.

The focus of this article is the four Blast Sleep animal stacks (SB/C, BS/C, SB/P, and BS/P). I will write a separate article about the Blast Play animal stacks. Blast Play is the animal stack more associated with talking.

Here is a quick summary of both the communication and “getting started” components of Blast when paired with Sleep:

Blast and Sleep as saviors (the top two animals in the stack) deliberate before communicating, but do not deliberate before getting started and taking initiative.

Blast Sleep as “demons” (bottom two of the animal stack) deliberate before getting started and taking initiative, but do not deliberate before communicating. This is why someone with Blast last may come across as Blast savior to people who conflate Blast with talking.

Blast and Sleep together as the “saviors” (top two) of the animal stack figure out what to say before they speak or write. Whereas Blast and Play as saviors talk or write until they figure out what to say.

Clarity and conciseness is the focus of Blast Sleep as the saviors. It is like a funnel. It can take a jumble of ideas, data, or walls of text, and narrow it down to a singular idea or statement.

Blast Sleep is more comfortable in the realm of one-on-one connection with people. Although they do have audience in mind when crafting their communication, the audience doesn’t have to be real time in order for the communication to be gratifying to them.

Now we’ll take a look at the Blast Sleep animal stacks and how the energy flows. The graphs aren’t literal, they just give a sense of how the three main animal energies might flow during the course of an action or an entire day:

In SB/C vs. BS/C the former will be a bit more deliberative in both speaking and taking initiative, but not as much as a SC/B would be. The SB/C might even have a bit more endurance than the BS/C because the most energetic function, Blast, is in the middle. The BS/C starts out stronger, but could fade out quicker than the SB/C.


SB/P is technically an extrovert. They start out slow and might be a night person. Dave Powers of Objective Personality has this animal stack and once talked about how when he parks at a parking lot at a grocery store, for example, he has to sit in the car for awhile and summon forth his energy. Once he’s in motion he is energetic. He is a night owl, with his energy accumulating throughout the day.

In BS/C vs. BS/P, the BS/P is an extrovert, but will still have the “deliberate before talking, don’t deliberate before getting started” qualities. The Play gives them some extra zip in the form of more physical energy than BS/C.

I added animal images to the infographic because it’s high time we have some fun and associate some actual animals to these energies. I wasn’t terribly scientific in selecting the images. I chose a bird for BS/C, my animal stack, because I love birds, and birds represent the BS/C stack well (extra credit if you can identify the bird in the image; it’s my favorite bird). Birds have a lot of energy in the morning, fade in the afternoon, and then have more energy in the evening when they eat and congregate (roost) with their flock.

I based the other animals on the ones from this article that seem to match the energy flow of the respective animal stacks. Feel free to suggest alternatives!

Continue ReadingWhat is the Blast animal in Objective Personality?

How blending two planets can help describe your personality. Mine is Jupiter Moon. What’s yours?

How blending two planets can help describe your personality. Mine is Jupiter Moon. What’s yours?

Most people know their sun sign. Many even know their rising sign and moon. But can you quick name your rising sign’s planetary ruler? And then the sign that planet is in in your chart?

As homework for Adam Elenbaas’ Nightlight Astrology class last week, he asked us to do this and think about how those two planets blend together and influence your personality.

My rising sign is Sagittarius. Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter. In my birth chart, Jupiter is in the 8th house of Cancer. Cancer is ruled by the Moon.

Jupiter Moon is my combo. But what does that mean? I put together this graphic of the archetypes of each planet and a distillation of Richard Tarnas’ description of each planet from his wonderful book Cosmos and Psyche:

In terms of archetypes, Jupiter Moon would be a combination of Caretaker Sage.

Of course I couldn’t resist bringing the I Ching into this. By far my favorite part of Human Design is how it assigns an I Ching hexagram to each of the planets in your chart, one for both your conscious and unconscious sides.

The Wilhelm I Ching translation describes the image for each hexagram, so I’ll post a photo for each image, and only a very brief description of the hexagram:

Jupiter (conscious), Hexagram 52: Keeping Still.

“Your inner stillness and quietness allows you to gain perspective over all life’s circumstances.”

Line 2: “When attracted by outside influences it is important to remain true to your own way.”

The image per Wilhelm is of “mountains standing close together” to represent “keeping still.”

Jupiter (unconscious), Hexagram 45: Gathering Together

“Firm alignment with that which supports everyone best brings together a strong community.”

Line 5: “Being Virtuous: the virtues that attract the confidence of others. Assuming a grandiose approach to leading others, you must be practical to be effective.”

The image for “gathering together” is a lake. “If the lake gathers until it rises above the earth, there is danger of a break-through. Precautions must be taken to prevent this. […] Thus in the time of gathering together we must arm promptly to ward off the unexpected.”

Moon (conscious), Hexagram 44: Meeting Together

“In any meeting of likes or opposites, acceptance and mutual tolerance is essential.”

Line 5: “Integrating: upholding a presence that is exemplary. You align with the laws of nature and high integrity, or take advantage if you can.”

The image is of wind under the heaven, to symbolize “the influence exercised by the ruler through his commands.”

Moon (unconscious) Hexagram 53: Development (gradual progress)

“Gradual advance takes place as an organic process that brings increasing self-knowledge and experience.”

Line 3: “Scrutinizing: watching your step when engaging in all new endeavors. Finding growth potential in all situations, you draw for your inner strength.”

The image is of a tree on the mountain. “The tree on the mountain is visible from afar, and its development influences the landscape of the entire region. It does not shoot up like a swamp plant; its growth proceeds gradually. Thus also the work of influencing people can be only gradual. No sudden influence or awakening is of lasting effect.”

I’d love to hear what your two planet combo is if you care to share.

________

Sources:


The I Ching by Richard Wilhelm (translator)

Adam Elenbaas’ Nightlight Astrology class.

Free Human Design for us All app. There are also free chart generators online if you want to look up what the hexagrams (called gates in Human Design) are for the planets in your chart.

Cosmos and Psyche by Richard Tarnas

Ancient Astrology by Demetra George

Continue ReadingHow blending two planets can help describe your personality. Mine is Jupiter Moon. What’s yours?

If Gary Vee was an astrologer: his July 2019 horoscope

If Gary Vee was an astrologer: his July 2019 horoscope

If Gary Vaynerchuk was an astrologer, his July 2019 horoscope might read something like this:

My horoscope isn’t fancy. It boils down to this: you just have to be willing to give up dumb stuff for a better life. It doesn’t matter if you are a Leo, Capricorn, or whatever you sun sign is. Just remember: It’s always about self-awareness.

You Taurus folks have the solar eclipse in the third house, which is about your tribe, communication, siblings, and your mindset. The north node is in the third house of my chart, where I crush it every day. The pursuit of trying to buy the New York Jets is my passion because it allows me to play the game that I love. Happiness needs to be the ROI. Do you love what you do?

There’s a new moon in the second house for Geminis in July. New business ideas and revenue might be found here. But don’t think you’re fancy. Everybody thinks being an entrepreneur means you make a million a year. I grew up working lemonade stands, baseball card shows, and washing cars as a seven-year-old all day long. One of my biggest highs is going garage sale-ing and motivating others to have a side hustle flipping stuff. Thinking smaller about the second house will actually help you live bigger. I say it all the time: how you make your money is more important than how much you make.

Hey, VIrgos, there is a big solar eclipse going on for you in the 11th house of friends and allies. Learn from me: the biggest weakness I have is I think I can do everything. I’m too optimistic. I’m too confident. In the past I had several businesses with a partner and couldn’t deliver to the partner because I had so much going on. You have to put effort into relationships. You have to give more value to somebody than they give to you. I live my life by guilting people into having a relationship with me.

I’ve been getting DMs from my fellow Scorpios about this month’s new moon in the tenth house of career. If that’s you, look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself: What do I want to do every day for the rest of my life? Then do that. Whatever it is, you can monetize it.

I have tremendous empathy for you Sagittarius folks if you experience heavy stuff in the eighth house this month due to the solar eclipse. I know anxiety about the future, death, and karmic debt can rise up here. Every morning when I wake up, if the people I care about the most are still alive, the day is already a win, no matter what else happens. Anything else just doesn’t matter. #Perspective.

Mercury retrograde starts on July 7. It’s in Leo, a masculine sign, which gives it some kick, and it’s loosely squared to Uranus. Bring it on. Last month a flight of mine got cancelled and I had to drive eight hours from Toronto to New York to make it home in time for my daughter’s birthday. Mercury retrograde type crap happens all year round. Mercury is just a symbol or sign, it’s not what causes this negative stuff. To deal with unpleasant surprises I accept that everything is all my fault. Even if it’s raining out, it’s my fault. It’s about taking responsibility. Use this Mercury retrograde energy to find new ideas that spring from your love for something. Find ways to do what you love. Follow your heart.

You have one life, my friend. Only one shot at July 2019 The biggest poison is regret. Stop making excuses. Stop complaining about transits. Nobody is listening. Just make one person happy this month: YOU. Then you can make others happy and do the things that will put you in a position to succeed in business and in life.

Continue ReadingIf Gary Vee was an astrologer: his July 2019 horoscope