Living Your Hero’s Journey: Astrology Archetypes and How to Know What Aligned Action Is for You
- Shanae Smith
- Jun 5, 2022
- 9 min read
Updated: Mar 5
In the last post we talked about how the Association for Psychological Science concluded that self-perception influences decision-making processes. Even if you feel like you have a solid handle on who you are as a person, it can be hard to determine "how to know aligned action for me?"
This means that how we see ourselves influences how we show up—in our decisions, our confidence, and even how we pursue our goals. And if we treat our astrology chart like a personality label rather than a guide, we miss its true power: revealing the fullest, most aligned version of you.
Have you ever felt like your astrology chart describes you perfectly—but you’re still struggling to actually embody those strengths in real life?"
Knowing your placements isn’t the same as living them. Many people learn about their Sun, Moon, and Rising signs and think, ‘That’s just how I am.’ But astrology isn’t a personality label—it’s a framework for embodying the highest version of yourself. And the secret to unlocking that? Aligning with your astrology archetypes.
Let’s explore how storytelling and archetypes can help you reclaim your narrative, align with your goals, and step into your "main character" energy.
Why Read This Post? - How to Know What Aligned Action Is For You
Go beyond just knowing your astrology chart so you can stop treating astrology as a personality label and start using it as a guide for self-mastery and real-life embodiment.
Recognize where you naturally align with your archetypes vs. where you resist them so you can understand which parts of yourself you’ve been embracing, suppressing, or misunderstanding—and shift toward integration.
Use astrology archetypes to shape your decisions and actions so you can create alignment in your career, relationships, and daily habits by working with your natural energy instead of against it.
Step into your main character energy with confidence so you can reclaim control over your narrative, balance your archetypes, and move through life with clarity, ease, and purpose.
Rewrite the story you’ve been living so you can stop repeating limiting patterns, break free from roles that don’t serve you, and embody the most powerful version of yourself.
What is Astrology, and What is an Archetype?
Astrology is an ancient tool that uses planetary geometry and symbolism to refer to archetypes. Astrologers use a natal chart to understand and translate the correlations to a client to give them access to energetic pattern recognition in different life areas.
Here are some archetypes you're probably familiar with:
Astrology Archetypes Are More Than Just Personality Descriptions
Astrology archetypes aren’t just personality traits—they are energetic patterns that shape how we:
Express ourselves
Make decisions
Interact with the world
Every planet, sign, and house represents a different archetypal energy—and when we align with them, life flows more naturally. But when we resist them, we often feel disconnected or stuck.
Astrology’s Layered Symbolism: One Placement, Many Possible Expressions
One of the most important things to understand is that no single placement has just one meaning. Astrology is a symbolic language, which means that every sign, house, and planet can represent multiple archetypes at once.
For example, let’s take Mars in Cancer in the 7th House:
Possible Interpretation number 1:
Mars → Conflict
Cancer → Mother
7th House → Spouse/Partnerships
This could represent conflict with a mother-in-law.
Possible Interpretation number 2:
Mars → Cutting or Surgery
Cancer → Caretaking/Nurturing
7th House → Business Partner
This could represent a business partner undergoing surgery, where you take care of them or their responsibilities.
The reason for these multiple meanings? Astrology isn’t a rigid system—it’s a symbolic language. Your intuition and life context shape how these archetypes manifest in your reality.
By understanding astrology’s archetypal nature, you ca stop looking for “one right meaning” and instead learn to read energy patterns in a way that aligns with your life experience.
Your Hero's Journey and the Archetypes Within
So, now we know Archetypes are universal symbols, characters, and situations that show up in stories across cultures—and in our own lives. Think of your favorite movies or books: there’s always a main character navigating challenges, learning lessons, and evolving through the story. That’s you, too.
As humans, storytelling is integral to how we process and create meaning in our lives. Every time you recount your past or imagine your future, you’re stepping into a role. Are you the fearless warrior, the intuitive magician, the compassionate lover, or the generous sovereign? Or perhaps you’re embodying a unique blend of these archetypes as part of your personal narrative.
But here’s the challenge: what happens when you get stuck in one role for too long?
The Danger of Playing Small
When we lean too far into a single archetype—maybe as the relentless warrior striving for success or the loving nurturer always putting others first—we start to lose sight of the bigger picture. Life becomes unbalanced, and we risk burnout, misalignment, and even resentment.
For example, if your inner warrior is "too comfortable," it can dominate, silencing your intuitive voice, disrupting your ability to create harmony, and even blocking your capacity to lead generously. This imbalance can feel safe at first because it meets immediate needs, like childhood expectations or career goals. However, over time, it limits your growth and reduces your overall impact.
The beauty of astrology is that it helps you understand and integrate all parts of yourself. Your natal chart is like a script for your hero’s journey, showing you where your strengths lie and what challenges you’ll face. By working with your chart, you can rewrite the roles you’ve been stuck in and step into your full potential.
Steps to Work With Your Astrology Archetypes
It’s one thing to know your astrology placements, but are you actually living them? Misalignment happens when we ignore, suppress, or misunderstand our archetypes—leading to confusion, frustration, and stagnation.
Here’s how to actively work with your astrology archetypes and integrate them into your life:
Step 1: Identify Where You Are Already Aligned
Your astrology chart isn’t just one sign—it’s a mix of multiple archetypes. Start by looking at:
Your Sun sign (core identity & life force) → Are you fully expressing it or playing small/avoiding it?
Your Moon sign (emotions & intuition) → Do you honor your needs, or do you suppress them?
Your Rising sign (your natural flow & self-image) → Are you working with or against your natural energy?
Look at your chart and ask yourself: Where do I naturally embody my placements? Where do I feel in flow?
Example: A Leo Sun person who thrives in creative self-expression and leadership is aligned. A Leo Sun person hiding in the background isn’t.
Reflection: What are the top three archetypes in my chart that feel most present in my life?
Step 2: Notice Where You Resist Your Archetypes
We often reject or underplay parts of our astrology because of conditioning, fear, or discomfort.
A confident Leo Sun who downplays their presence to avoid being “too much.”
A disciplined Capricorn Moon who resists structure because of past burnout.
A bold Aries Rising who hides their assertiveness to keep the peace.
Reflection: Where am I rejecting my natural archetypes? What’s holding me back from fully embracing them?
Step 3: Consciously Lean Into Your Archetypes
Living in alignment with your archetypes means integrating them into your choices, habits, and self-expression.
Here’s how to bring them into your daily life:
Sun Sign → Make one decision today that honors your core self.
Moon Sign → Give yourself one thing that nourishes your emotional needs.
Rising Sign → Show up in the world with authenticity—no filters, no shrinking—this means no overthinking, not boldness for boldness sake, or seriousness for seriousness sake, but true authenticity.
Reflection: If I fully embraced my rising archetypes today, how would I act differently?
Step 4: Use Your Archetypes for Decision-Making
Archetypes aren’t just about identity—they guide how you move through the world.
Career Choices? Look to your Midheaven (public life) and Mars (motivation).
Relationships? Venus (love values) and the 7th House (partnerships) hold the key.
Emotional Growth? Work with your Moon sign’s needs instead of overriding them.
Action Step: Next time you’re stuck, ask: What would my astrology archetype do in this situation?
Step 5: Give Yourself Permission to Grow into Your Archetypes
You don’t have to get it perfect immediately.
Alignment is a process, not a one-time shift.
The more you lean into your natural energy, the easier it becomes.
No archetype is always good or always bad—they just express themselves differently and we have a choice how we use them.
I trust that aligning with my astrology archetypes will bring clarity, ease, and self-trust into my life.
Reclaiming Your Story Through Astrology
You are the main character of your life. Whether you realize it or not, your story is unfolding every day, shaped by the archetypes within you. The question isn’t whether they exist—it’s whether you are actively engaging with them or letting them play out unconsciously.
This idea first hit me when I watched a Tony Robbins event, where he broke human behavior down into four archetypes: The Warrior, The Magician, The Lover, and The Sovereign. It didn’t take long for me to see the direct connection to astrology—these are simply another way of expressing the personal planets.
Mars, the Warrior – Drive, ambition, and taking action.
The Moon, the Magician – Intuition, emotional depth, and inner wisdom.
Venus, the Lover – Connection, beauty, and harmony.
The Sun, the Sovereign – Leadership, self-expression, and life force energy.
Each of these exists within you, but the power isn’t in recognizing them—it’s in learning to balance them. Ignoring, overcompensating, or suppressing one in favor of another doesn’t make your life easier—it just creates tension, burnout, and self-doubt. The more cohesive your archetypes become, the more effortless your story feels.
Your Astrology Chart is a Storytelling Tool
Your natal chart isn’t a personality report—it’s the narrative structure of your hero’s journey. Every placement represents an active force in your story, influencing how you:
Show up in the world (Rising Sign, Sun, Midheaven)
Process emotions & intuition (Moon, Water placements)
Pursue desires & take action (Mars, Fire placements)
Engage in relationships & harmony (Venus, Libra/Taurus energy)
Many people lean too hard into one role and ignore the others—staying in their comfort zone, rejecting certain parts of themselves, or failing to integrate all their strengths. But true alignment isn’t about picking one identity and running with it. It’s about learning to harmonize all aspects of yourself.
To Rewrite Your Story, You Must First Acknowledge It
What parts of yourself have been silenced or celebrated?
Which archetypes have you unconsciously rejected?
Where have you been playing a supporting role instead of stepping into your own narrative?
If you’ve been feeling misaligned, stuck, or unsure how to embody your astrology, the answer isn’t to force yourself to change—it’s to work with your natural energy in a way that feels sustainable, powerful, and true.
The better you understand your archetypes, the easier it becomes to create alignment. If you’re ready to explore how your astrology chart reveals the narrative you’ve been living—and how to rewrite it into something more empowering—let’s dive into it together.
Work With Me to Write an Aligned Plot Twist into Your Story
Your life is your own Hero’s Journey—but astrology can help you understand the path ahead. When you know your chart’s unique themes, you can take aligned action with confidence instead of feeling lost or uncertain.
🔹 New to astrology? My Natal Chart Tour gives you a beginner-friendly breakdown of your chart so you can start recognizing the archetypes and themes shaping your journey.
🔹 Want to take intentional action with astrology? My 5-Day Mini Course: Setting Aligned Goals That Work for You helps you use astrology to align with your personal cycles and create lasting momentum.
If you’re ready to reclaim your narrative and align with your goals, instead of feeling like life is happening to you in a random order, or if you feel like you're not quite aligned with who you are as a person on a deeper level...
I offer personalized live consultations to help you dive deep into your chart. Together, we’ll:
Analyze the archetypes at play in your life and how they influence your self-perception.
Create a roadmap for balancing these roles to unlock your full potential.
Develop actionable strategies to help you live authentically and powerfully.
For a more transformative experience, consider booking a 6-session consultation package. This allows us to unpack the different archetypes in your chart over time and create a sustainable plan for growth.
Your story is unfolding—make sure you’re the one writing it.
Key Takeaways
Your life follows a unique version of the Hero’s Journey. This cycle of growth, challenge, and transformation plays out in different ways for everyone, but astrology helps you see where you are in the process.
Astrology archetypes help you understand your role and challenges. Each planet, sign, and house reflects different energies that shape your path—your personal story is already written in the symbolism of your chart.
Transits show when major turning points occur. Outer planets signal big life shifts, while inner planets reveal the smaller, everyday steps that contribute to your journey.
Aligned action means working with your personal astrology, not against it. Understanding your chart helps you make choices that feel natural and empowering rather than forcing yourself into situations that don’t fit.
Your journey is unfolding in real time. Whether you’re in a challenge phase or about to reach a breakthrough, astrology provides a roadmap to help you navigate it with confidence.
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