Are you someone who cringes or breathes a sigh of relief when asked, “What’s your sign?” ?
At varying points of my life, I have found astrology a bane and a boon. Sometimes, it’s so explicative of someone’s behavior and sometimes, it feels like rogue stereotyping.
What has helped me realize the benefits of astrology, Myers-Briggs, the Enneagram, etc, are realizing these are not where the conversation ends about someone’s behavior or makeup, but these give a helpful vantage point in which to ground discussions.
Knowing what we think of as someone’s main “sign” is just their sun sign, or how their core spirit is like, doesn’t mean you know everything about them. This is where birth time comes in. If you have ever heard friends or folks on instagram talking about moon or rising signs, this is why. Rising signs are your initial self– your first impression.Your moon sign is your inner self, who you are on your own, or I guess when you get home from the party.
Realizing that all the different planetary positions have a story to tell in our way of being should be a comfort. These things absolutely can change and shift over time, but knowing there is a rhythm should empower us to utilize this information about ourselves and others to build better relationships.
Personality tests can have a similar result. I know that there are so many different frameworks and schemes these days. The enneagram, Myers-Briggs, Big 5, Human Design… All have their perspectives and ways of informing how our past experiences can help predict future behavior.
Of these, my favorites for explaining how we have become ourselves are the Enneagram and Human Design. The Human Design framework feels very “woo-woo” for a lack of better term. It’s a combination of astrology, biomechanics, Kabbalah, and other schemes in effort to put them into one holistic view. The types in human design breakdown far more than just the main 5 with different centers and access points, etc. Getting a reading is similar to an astrology reading or Vedic astrology– lots of acronyms and specific vocabulary. However, the framework can be helpful in understanding motivations from a subliminal and unconscious space.
For example, I am a Manifesting Generator. This “type” is said to really go by gut feel whether a life decision is right or wrong. Now, that may be intuitively true for lots of people, but knowing that is my default behavior and when I deviate from it, I don’t feel satisfied or fulfilled is very helpful for me to both implement that check in the future but also be mindful of being too opportunistic.
The enneagram can similarly provide motivational background and understanding, this time stemming from childhood patterns and behaviors. I love the enneagram as a framework because there are “stress” indicators and then health indicators and wings that we can grow in and types to grow toward. This provides a framing that really helps one to develop other competencies and growth strategies for personal development outside of “public speaking” or “leadership” but instead gives very tangible skills to work on or deficiencies to recognize and own.
Have you taken any of these personality tests or found your astrological chart? What has resonated with you? Why? Would be curious to hear, please comment below. 🙂
Western Astrology resources:
Sanctuary app
Chani Nicholas app & website
Pattern app
Co-Star app
Astrostyle
Enneagram:
https://www.truity.com/test/enneagram-personality-test
Human Design:
https://human.design/chart-reports/free /
XOXO,
Maithreyi
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