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Character and Personality
The following paragraphs concern the study of Olaf's personality, as induced by the positions of the planets and Rising sign. Some of the character traits mentioned may seem completely contradictory and incompatible. This is because the rough-hewn personality is a rarity. Usually, individuals are made up of a subtle orchestration of many different tones or aspects. However, serious introspection or detailed analysis should make it possible to distinguish the opposing or diverging images comprising Olaf's overall character, and perhaps, in time, find the best and most harmonious way to integrate them.
Olaf's personality is mind-oriented. He understands and relates to the world around him and himself via the medium of thought and intellect. Memorization, comparison, analysis, and the verbalization of his mental imagery are his favorite activities. He seeks to extend his personality by a mental outreach to a multitude of new ideas and factors, becoming acquainted with an ever-increasing variety of facets of human nature. Thus, language and symbolic expression, written or oral, are his primary resources in life, although they are also potential pitfalls. His eloquence, wit, and verve, his mastery of language, unquestionably give him power over other people (via communication) and things (science and technique). But taken to extremes, this faculty may lead to incoherent babbling. It is thus vital for Olaf to find an outlet for his flow of verbal expression, he must explain, communicate, and speak. If it is dammed up, he will undoubtedly suffer. His flow of words is the expression of his vital energy, the proof that he is alive and well. If he is forced to be silent, he would be cut off from the bonds that hold him together. A kind of duality or split personality might emerge... remember Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? " They " were a classic case. For all of the above reasons, Olaf is naturally gregarious and sociable. He makes friends quickly and easily. His contacts and networks are important to him, because they enable him to evolve; they are a source of self-fulfillment and identification. Any form of play is also important to him, and only severe depression will deprive him of his playfulness. Finding a partner for play within himself in many cases, he sometimes amuses himself by acting out a variety of roles on the stage of life, just for the fun of it. His animation and wit give him a talent for improvisation and adaptation. However, adaptability is a two-bladed sword. He is liable to find himself in a superficial bind, having jettisoned certain important ideas in order to move about more freely. Olaf is also sensitive, but his emotions and feelings are sometimes subject to the scrutiny and censorship of his intellect. Thus, he cannot free himself to the strength of great passions and energies without idealizing them to a certain degree and giving them intellectual resonance. Wary of his irrational instincts and urges, he tends to control or repress them. But he will have to learn that the intellect is not omnipotent, especially where instinct is concerned. Inhabiting a complex inner world, Olaf sometimes feels vulnerable, due to his emotionalism and sensitivity to the aggressions of the outer world. Because he relies first and foremost on his adaptability and agility to wriggle out of trouble, he may, on certain occasions, make rather dubious compromises with himself - all the more likely if his moral fiber is made of wax, as is often the case, instead of steel. The weaknesses he must overcome are instability, wishy-washiness, a lack of determination and coherence in his thought.
Olaf needs movement. He is a talented communicator.
Friendship and membership in groups are vital to Olaf's personal self-fulfillment.
At the time of Olaf's birth, his Rising Sign was located in Leo (the Lion), while the Sun was passing through the constellation of Gemini (the Twins). A summary of the various clues mentioned above provide Olaf's personality profile; the following key words distill the essence of his character and indicate certain contradictions which may be sources of tension:
Narcissism - Need for contact - Determination - Mental agitation - Pride and self-assurance - Frivolity - Superiority - Dilettantism - Brilliance - Immaturity - Generosity - Communication - Positivism - Inner duality.
Olaf is brimming with ideas; there is nothing he is uninterested in, and he is always busy meeting new people and learning things. Despite a difficulty in settling down and making a career choice, he can be trusted to make wise decisions and take initiative, and could even assume great social or political responsibilities. He tends to prefer receiving affection to giving it, and his emotional life usually remains in the background. Fascinated by display and liable to be dazzled by appearances, he must be careful to distinguish form from content, and learn to see through the container to what it contains.
Born in the three-and-one-half days after the Full Moon rose, Olaf is said to be a " Full Moon " lunar type. This " soli-lunar " configuration gives him an objective, rational, and lucid character. However, since the Moon is opposite the Sun at the time of the Full Moon, his objective tendencies are balanced by a more idealistic penchant. Because the forces pull him in two different ways - one towards dreams, the other towards reality - he may be aware of some inner contradictions which are causing practical and social difficulties for him. At times, he is too demanding of himself or others, comparing them to an ideal, whereas at others, he is too nonchalant and indulgent about life. He vacillates between two poles. One is elitist, and almost snobbish; the other is more earthy, and perhaps vulgar or brutal at times. The result is a multi-faceted self. Generally speaking, his monthly energy flow is strongest at the time of the Full Moon. He would be wise to schedule intensive work phases at that time, as well as ambitious and demanding projects.
Due to the influence of the lunar dominant on his birth chart, Olaf's character is strongly attached to his image of his mother. He did not (or will not) cut the umbilical cord easily, and he will always identify with his childhood memories, happy or unhappy. His mother (or a mother figure), was probably strongly protective of him. Psychologically attached to his need for security, he is convinced that he may be overpowered by the demands of adult life. No matter how much he matures and evolves, he will never be out of contact with his inner child. He is sensitive and vulnerable, moody and somewhat easily swayed; subjective and nonchalant. His inner psychic activity is dynamic: imagination, memory, dreams, sensations, and feelings occupy his mind.
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