We are not stuck with the personality traits we are born with. Conventional astrology says, ”You are a Cancer, therefore you are like this.” Spiritual astrology understands that we are growing, evolving individuals. Rather than saying that you are this one way and that is that, it describes each sign as a path walked by each person in their own individual manner. Every sign presents a riddle to the individual that he or she seeks to solve over time – making life one great adventure when looked at from a bird’s eye view.
Every sign has three distinct stages of development. (the three stages of Cancer are described below)Although each person experiences these stages in their own unique way (which is why an entire book is needed in order to fully explain the process) these three stages are still distinct and dramatically different from one another. Portrait of the Soul uses the metaphor of the caterpillar, the chrysalis and the butterfly to describe these three stages and they really are as different from one another as these images would suggest. Some of these stages are more pleasant than others. Just as the butterfly can feel trapped in the chrysalis when it is time for him to emerge, so we have times in our life when we need to outgrow an old stage. These transition times can be very uncomfortable and we may feel much like the emerging butterfly, wondering if there really ever will be a way out of the challenges that we face. When we understand the bigger picture we know that there is a way out and we learn how to go about finding it.
As a child, each Sun sign views one parent as the dominant parent. This parent has a profound affect on the development of the individual, influencing their approach to their life purpose and their experience of intimate relationships. The less dominant parent also influences on a more subtle level and can awaken feelings of compassion or disdain that are later projected onto the opposite sex or may cause the individual to experience subconscious feelings of helplessness that they struggle with in their adult career and relationship situations.
In some stages the way that we related to our parents can cause more trouble than in others. Explaining the relationship patterns common to each sign and stage and how to resolve them is far too long a process to go into here. For now let us leave you with some food for thought. No matter what your childhood experience was (or is) it provided the perfect fodder for your future growth and development as an individual. Illuminated from a higher level we are no longer stuck with the negative results of our past. We can make the best possible use of both the positive and negative aspects of our past in order to make headway towards a brighter future. Everything in life has a purpose. Recognizing that purpose has the power to set us free.
In Portrait of the Soul the development of each stage in its many possible forms of expression is described in great detail. The brief descriptions given below cannot begin to describe the stages to their fullest. They only describe how some people respond to each stage. However, we have to start somewhere in order to begin exploring these ideas.
First Stage ~ Call you old fashioned, but you realize that family is the most important thing in life. You know how to manage your big brood and make a real difference in how they all turn out. You have true emotional insight into your family and are an unsung hero quietly going about the most important task in the world. Feeling a bit trapped by your role in spite of it all? Spiritual astrology can teach you how to resolve this dilemma. Famous example - The old woman who lived in a shoe. (Sorry, first-stage Cancerians seldom achieve fame; they are too busy with other things!)
Second Stage ~ Family upheaval and conflict, suffering and feelings of loss and guilt. Why does life have to be so hard all the time? Do you believe that you have the right to be yourself or do you unconsciously seek true selfhood in ways that isolate you or lead you into frustration and self-sabotage? Second-stage Cancer experiences difficulty with family or avoids creating one altogether. This often causes many hidden problems in intimate relationships. It is possible to unravel this riddle and achieve personal fulfillment. To do this you must move into the third stage. Famous example: Ernest Hemingway.
Third Stage ~ In contact with a higher power, you protect and care for all that is truly important in life. Knowing the purpose of suffering, you live in serenity and understanding. Third-stage Cancer experiences fulfillment of family – on whatever terms they seek – even if that means not creating a family at all. Third-stage Cancer experiences fulfillment both personally and in the greater social arena of humanity as a whole. Whether or not you’ve reached the third stage, you'll find the insights you seek in Portrait of the Soul. Famous example: the Dalai Lama.
These examples are just a thumbnail sketch. To do justice to the richness of the human spirit as revealed through astrology truly does take an entire book. A lot has been left out of the descriptions above. Understanding the full picture also gives you important insights concerning your intimate relationships, the patterns of your childhood and your true purpose in life.
It may interest you to know that in a manner of speaking it could be said that there are really six stages. This is because no one makes an abrupt change from one stage to another. Instead, there are long transitionary periods between one stage and the next. These transitionary stages have a character all their own.
If your personality seems to be halfway between two of the stages described above that is because it probably is! Portrait of the Soul describes these transitions in addition to the three basic stages and shows you how to change from one stage to another. You can even go from the first to the third stage, bypassing many of the struggles of the second stage – which can be an unpleasant stage to be in for many people. Remember each sign is vast. There is far more to it all then you have been led to believe. But you can understand and benefit from the richness and knowledge that true astrology offers to us all.
