In previous articles, I notably outlined the role of Social Relations and what Projections are, how they manifest, how they are “translated” into astrological language, and therefore how to identify them…
I concluded with a paragraph on the necessity of integrating one’s projections; this article aims to provide a simple integration method: how to become aware of projections and understand their meaning.
“We often forget that we do not form relationships with the goal of being happy. We build a relationship to fill a void. The relationship is therefore more a process of growth than an end in itself. It is difficult to conceive of a so-called ‘evolutionary’ relationship that would be devoid of suffering and limitation.”
The Astrological Guide to Human Relationships by Liz Greene, astrologer
Becoming Aware of the Need for Change
On the path of Individuation, amid what we are confronted with, how do we know what to strive toward, where to go, and what to release ?
This is a question that arises very frequently in the human mind, and one that is the source of much doubt and hesitation…
Yet, it may surprise you, but you already possess perfect empirical knowledge of these things !
It is simply that you are not listening to yourself, you are not becoming aware of what your mind and heart are telling you.
What does becoming aware consist of ?
Within every relationship and every situation (professional, friendly, or romantic, “positive” or “negative”) we unconsciously place parts of ourselves.
- Everything that attracts us, pleases us, interests us, everything we like and appreciate, corresponds to something we wish to develop within ourselves.
- Conversely, everything that displeases us, repels us, disgusts us, bores us, irritates us, corresponds to things we must “liberate”, aspects upon which we must work to transform and improve ourselves.
It is our reactions to social interactions and to our environment that should guide us implicitly and subtly toward what we need to do, provided, of course, that we know how to listen to them.
Concretely, suppose you meet someone whose “dynamism” you admire (which could be translated astrologically as a projection of Mars or Uranus).
This signifies, at that moment (during these Transits), that your destiny is unconsciously “inviting” you, through this relationship, to develop your own “dynamism” (your own Mars or Uranus, the “locomotive aspect” within you).
The other person possesses this quality that you “envy”, and this pushes you, by proxy, to cultivate it within yourself.
A part of your psyche awakens and asks you to embody a facet of your individuality.
This is the sign, in Synchronicity, that you are ready to do so; you must accept this fact, understand what this relationship is indicating to you.
Each of our relationships carries something to teach us, enabling us to evolve and “grow”.
When it comes to repulsion, things are more subtle and, in part, more challenging.
It is not easy to recognize that what we reproach in others is also part of us (if we did not have it within ourselves, we would not even be able to recognize it).
But the “flaws of others” can also serve us in doing work on ourselves and transforming.
We must face what we reproach, analyze what it produces within us, and strive to purge this “negativity”.
What we feel as repulsion is also the sign of the beginning of a transformation to be accomplished, just as much as what directly attracts us.
Concretely, let us imagine, for example, that you reproach a partner for their lack of empathy toward you (a projection of an egocentric Uranus, for instance, perhaps combined with Saturn), what does this illumination signify ?
It is potentially an “invitation” to practice more empathy yourself, to avoid manifesting the very shortcomings you reproach in others…
Of course, in practice, things are more complex; it often involves Complexes, comprising a combination of several astrological influences that are activated (for example, a T-square or other complex astrological patterns), further complicating their expression, but the principle remains identical.
Meaning and Evolution
Once you have become aware of what you can potentially develop, you can work toward this transformation, go beyond your limitations, take a step back, question the profound meanings of things, or you can remain passive and ignore them.
+ If you choose the evolutionary angle, you must refine your intuitive perceptions of the tenor of each relationship and situation, and cultivate the thing of which you have become aware.
You must, somewhat like a detective, listen to yourself, discern your aspirations, your fears, your dreams, through each encounter, each event, each trial.
Understanding the meaning of Projections is a decisive phase in the evolutionary process of Individuation.
“The better you know yourself, the more perspicacious your mind becomes, the more sensitive you are to the internal meanings of your life and experiences, the more Transits will manifest at a subtle level”.
Astrological Cycles of Life and Chart Comparison Stephen Arroyo
+ If you choose passivity and ignorance, you risk missing out on important realizations.
Perhaps one day you will awaken, regretting this period that you did not use to evolve…
Perhaps also an evolutionary transit (for example, of Pluto, Uranus, or Neptune) will ultimately force you to take the necessary measures “manu militari”, in haste, in panic, in confusion, even in violence…
Schematically, this is, for example, when for years a Pluto transit simmers in the form of several events that “invite” change, without one “listening”… then one fine day, a Uranus transit activates natal Mars: “the house is on fire”, the table is overturned, and one must accomplish in six months “by the skin of one’s teeth” what one had sensed and resisted doing for years…
People strongly marked by Earth and the Fixed signs (especially Taurus, Leo, Scorpio) will find it difficult to accompany any change, and thus to “choose” the evolutionary angle spontaneously.
But fundamentally, the evolutionary angle is highly empirical and pragmatic; it can suit everyone.
It suffices “simply” to let oneself be carried by one’s feelings, and to try, to test things ! Does it work ? Very good, we keep it. Does it not work ? We try something else…
You know all these things; it suffices to listen carefully to yourself and seek to understand yourself.