Peter Pan Syndrome?

piscesascendant

Well-known member
I was once told by a professional astrologer about the "Peter Pan Sydrome" and I'm a little worried I have it in spades. Mainly because I have Pisces rising, hence Neptune rules my chart, and my Neptune is in Sagittarius in the 9th house. For more, read on:

Sagittarius is a good-natured optimist. Doesn't want to grow up (Peter PanSyndrome). Indulges self. Boastful. Likes luxuries and gambling. Social and outgoing. Doesn't like responsibilities. Often fantasizes. Impatient. Fun to be around. Having lots of friends. Flirtatious. Doesn't like rules. Sometimes hypocritical. Dislikes being confined - tight spaces or even tight clothes. Doesn't like being doubted. Beautiful inside and out.

I had never really pegged myself as the boastful type, yet I pick up on it from other people's silences. Oddly though, when they indulge in the same "boasting", they think nothing of it and even get upset when others hint at it. When people indicate--by their silence--that I'm boasting, I just stop talking, even if midway through a sentence.

Anyways, found this Peter Pan syndrome odd, since I typically am drawn to the company of people older than me, or who act older than they are (but aren't pretentious about it).

Yet, here's my other take on it. Since the chart ruler will indicate the individual's expression of their outlook on life (a bit of a mouthful there!) and any response from that expression, I've found there to be an almost childlike (rather than childish) sense of wonder and opportunity in the world. My curiosity rarely ceases. Sometimes I simply have to put on the brakes due to sensory overload.

Here's my chart so you can see what I mean:
http://img397.imageshack.us/img397/7098/astrologychartig5.jpghttp://img262.imageshack.us/img262/6898/astrologychartvt3.jpg

In the past on this board, I admit my communication can be a bit fuzzy. Yet, to me this all seems to stem back to my Neptune ruling my chart, and in my chart, Neptune is extremely fuzzy, almost encoded. So, once I think of one point to make, 20 subsequent points brainstorm instantly into a forest of family trees; yet, rather than effectively fine tune the points and format them into understandable language, even a piece of work that bypasses any praise and really sheds some insight for someone, the words get lost and turn into elementary communication, like playing chopsticks on the piano, when I meant to compose a symphony.

LOL, not sure where that last paragraph came from and I hope it doesn't get edited. Guess it had to do with Neptune in Sagittarius and how it reflects (apparently) my "Peter Pan Syndrome" outlook.

Not to mention, it's part of my Yod. Great, just great.

Ah well... lol

Any other thoughts?

Peace!
 
This is an interesting topic :) .

Here is a definition on this syndrome which I found interesting:

Don't know what has been said before. Peter Pan felt sadly unable to be accepted by the adult world. As a defense, he rejected what he perceived to be rejecting him. He would hide whenever adults would come on the scene so that he would avoid interacting with them. Adults presented the ongoing threat of the emotional pain of rejection. Peter was just fearful and insecure with feelings of inadequacy to an extreme and defended against this through avoidance of the potential cause. A fear of failure when interacting with others that he perceived to be more capable and in control than he was. Peter Pan syndrome means an overwhelming fear of failure interacting with those perceived to be more adequate which is defended against thru avoidance, that is all.

Your overall chart is watery, Airy, fiery, the lacking element in your chart is earth. This is the element which keeps us grounded in life, and ensures we accept our mundane, practical and financial responsibilities in the world. I would look at your emotional/idealistic nature through Neptune/Sag/9th square Venus/Jupiter on a Pisces Asc. The Asc is how you approach the world, the lens which you view the world through, and also the 9th another fire house can be your outlook on life, views, philosophies etc. You have 3 planets in Aquarius 12th so a very idea-listic temperament overall.

What for me contrasts sharply with all this in your chart is Saturn in Cancer opposed Mars in Capricorn. Mars is well placed in Capricorn and Saturn does least well in Cancer. The opposition of these signs deals with growing up basically, not that you are not grown up, but Cancer indicates often our early years of nurturing, the family & home. Whilst Capricorn is the self sufficient element in the personality/our adult side.

Capricorn is focused upon themes around responsibility, being an adult, building a career. Capricorn's ruler Saturn has less of a sense of wonder and is only concerned that you as an individual can survive in this world by being self sufficient. Saturn is like the opposite of Jupiter's expansive joyful nature and the planet does not blend well with Neptunian personalities either. Saturn in Cancer needs to learn how to be self sufficient emotionally and leave emotional dependencies behind, basically needs to find what security really means and this can mean facing areas of dependency. Saturn in Cancer can be extremely sensitive to rejection and can hold tightly on to people for a sense of security. I notice Saturn is very close to your 5th house cusp, and thus forms a part of your "inner childlike" expression in the world. Mars in Capricorn is a good placement to have for practically achieving your goals, it depends on how you handle the opposition and whether or not you just see your friends as being the mature one's who act older (Mars Capricorn 11th). Venus in Pisces forms a trine to Saturn in Cancer, which can gently add form to your idealistic temperament but it can also support you, which can work well but sometimes too well as you may need to break out of being too emotionally dependent and idealistic. There is also a lot of tension in your natal chart as you have Mars/Saturn/Pluto all forming a cardinal t.square. This could be very useful to you as you need something to really drive your chart, it's just learning how to handle Mars effectively in your chart, issues of assertiveness, and going after your goals in life, achieving independence are all Martian themes. I focused more on Mars because it is a personal planet but it is Pluto which is the focal point of the t.square in Libra 7th, I am very curious about your relationships. There can be quite the build up of anger and how does this fit in with your Neptunian temperament.

Have you read the criteria for the Peter Pan syndrome;

Here are a few notes if your interested: Do you feel you fit all of the criteria or just some of it.

Dan Kiley authored the book, The Peter Pan Syndrome (1983). Based on research of the effects of male socialization on relationships, Kiley developed the clinical diagnosis of the Peter Pan Syndrome. Males diagnosed with having this syndrome exhibit the following psychological traits:
  • Emotions become paralyzed and exaggerated
  • Anger turns into rage
  • Joy turns into hysteria
  • Disappointment develops into depression or self-pity
How the Peter Pan Syndrome Affects Men’s Lives

Males diagnosed with this syndrome
  • Have difficulty expressing love
  • Refuse to share their feelings
  • Lose touch with their emotions and have no idea what they feel
  • Procrastinate
  • Feel guilt and have difficulty in relaxing
  • Have no real connection with friends. Believes friends can only be bought
  • Easily panic and feel desperately alone in their attempts to belong
The idea of apologizing for inappropriate behavior is not an option. Blame is placed on other’s shortcomings so they do not have to focus on their own limitations and vulnerabilities. Alcohol or drug abuse is used to get high in order to drown out the existence of daily life challenges.

Relationships with Parents

Men suffering from the Peter Pan Syndrome have a
  • Hang up with their mother
  • The anger and guilt they feel are interwoven, masking their conflicted feelings for the mother
  • The relationship with the father is estranged
  • They believe that the father’s love and approval are unobtainable
  • Have problems with authority figures
  • Tend to be emotionally immature
  • Exhibit silly behavior
  • Have a macho attitude that hides their deep inner insecurities in attempts to hide the fear of rejection
Relationships with Women

When the male forms attachment with a woman they
  • Become extremely jealous and exhibit violent outbursts
  • Become easily provoked to fits of rage when a woman asserts any independence
A woman’s dependency is important for the male to feel protective of the woman. The fear of impotency and rejection contributes to verbally abusive behavior. The male strives to patronize the woman and appear strong and assertive when actually, feels threatened by the woman’s independence. The fear of appearing weak and unmanly in front of friends causes the male to deny any desire to share their own sensitivity with women.
 
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Rasalhague

Well-known member
I was just thinking about this the other day. I know I have it someplace but I forgot which book it was. I only remember it's Neptune and Mercury. It may have been Waram's book on Neptune. I'll need to check once I get home.
 

piscesascendant

Well-known member
Okay...maybe I don't quite exhibit all of the symptoms described. Also, I keep in mind that Mars in Capricorn could mitigate things. As I read down the list, less and less of it really seemed to apply to my feelings and behavior.

Now, someone had asked about my relationships. Only been in a few and neither lasted more than a few months. Although my last girlfriend, who since got married, still visits me at work, seeks me out to say hello, see how I'm doing, and hopes I'm happy. Very sweet of her, actually. The first ex-girlfriend who still seemed to care about me, as I do her. The other girls just acted like brats after we broke up and tried to be little gossips, so I tossed them out of my mind. None of them exhibited any Plutonian dominance over me though. Interestingly enough, I think I managed to balance myself out in that respect and play the more prominent role in relationships.

Maybe I'm just concerned over nothing. I guess I was under the presumption that a well balanced chart meant all the elements (air, water, earth, fire) would be equally represented in a chart. But someone on another thread looked at my chart and told me they thought my chart showed a well balanced person. Not that I'm even keel all of the time, but that I have the planetary placements and aspects in my chart at my disposal to balance things out when necessary.
 
Hi Rasal,

I was thinking Gemini myself which is ruled by Mercury and Neptune ceratinly does not take resposibility easily. Yes I would agree with Mercury/Neptune. In celeb land Michael Jackson is the most famous Peter Pan with his theme parks and childlike expressions, I am trying to think of others but there hard to pin down.
 
piscesascendant said:
Okay...maybe I don't quite exhibit all of the symptoms described. Also, I keep in mind that Mars in Capricorn could mitigate things. As I read down the list, less and less of it really seemed to apply to my feelings and behavior.

I thought you might change your mind when you saw the full list. You might just exhibit some of the traits you don't have to act it all out. The real Peter Pan's probably do.

Now, someone had asked about my relationships. Only been in a few and neither lasted more than a few months. Although my last girlfriend, who since got married, still visits me at work, seeks me out to say hello, see how I'm doing, and hopes I'm happy. Very sweet of her, actually. The first ex-girlfriend who still seemed to care about me, as I do her. The other girls just acted like brats after we broke up and tried to be little gossips, so I tossed them out of my mind. None of them exhibited any Plutonian dominance over me though. Interestingly enough, I think I managed to balance myself out in that respect and play the more prominent role in relationships.

Maybe once you have established a full time relationship you will have more insight in how you relate. You have to watch your not the domineering one in relationships as Pluto in 7th is all about control and power. I am not saying you are but Pluto usually needs very powerful bonds in relationships.

Maybe I'm just concerned over nothing. I guess I was under the presumption that a well balanced chart meant all the elements (air, water, earth, fire) would be equally represented in a chart. But someone on another thread looked at my chart and told me they thought my chart showed a well balanced person. Not that I'm even keel all of the time, but that I have the planetary placements and aspects in my chart at my disposal to balance things out when necessary.

Most people don't have a well balanced chart we usually lean more one way than the other. Mars is a singleton in earth and so can be quite strong plus it's exalted. I wouldn't personally say it was well balanced. I don't have much fire in my chart apart from Jupiter/Neptune or Air apart from Mars and Pluto. Lots of things in the natal chart can compensate for certain qualities. It takes a long time analysing a chart, and putting the pieces together to fit whole. For example you might show qualities of being the Peter Pan type, by seeing the goodness and childlike wonders of the world but it doesn't mean you avoid growing up at all. An idealistic nature is good we need the dreamers and progressive people in the world we also need to be grounded and know our limits. As you see the Peter Pan complex carries some deep issues.
 
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Thanks for the chart Munchkin he does seem to fit a lot of the Peter Pan syndrome. Lots of Sagittarius planets as well. It seems fire signs are more excited by life, and do need freedom more rather than face the heavy responsibilities which can weigh them down. I shall look more at the chart and his life story. :)
 
As I was reading Mythic Astrology, I have found some more information on the Peter Pan syndrome. It backs up what has already been mentioned with the Gemini connection:

All actions by Hermes, whether inventive (the lyre) or felonious (stealing the cattle) are performed by an infant, and in medieval astrological works Mercury was the significater of "young people" especially in horary astrology. People with strong Mercury or an emphasis on Gemini and the 3rd house (though not necessarily Virgo and the 6th house) often seems to be the "Peter Pans". They have the suave glittering charm of Mercury, but they have not quite "grown up". This youthful quality my mark a highly creative person or a completely undeveloped individual - sometimes both.

Jungian analysts call this personality the puer artemis, the "eternal boy". Possessing all the charm of children, these people float through life without any noticeable purpose. Specializing in don Juan type love affairs and talking endlessly of the marvellous creative things they will do someday. The female correspondence to this personality type is the puella aeterna, who lives for love, cherishes her own physical beauty above all things, and goes through men in record time. She is generally a stimulating personality, with the usual Mercurial charm, and she may truly inspire the men she loves and through whom she lives voraciously. But there is an emptiness to her something insubstantial in her inability to commit. It should be noted however that these puers and paellas may sometimes stop talking about the great achievements in the future and actually get to work in making something happen. When they do this they may become the great artists and writers of the world - and indeed most-artistic individuals have more than a little of the puer or puella in them. After all it was the infant Hermes who invented the lyre.

There are other factors that go into the creation of the puer or puella. In addition to Mercurial factors, the astrologer should look for a relationship with this planet and the Sun, Moon or Saturn, because the "Peter Pan syndrome always implies some parental difficulty. Liz Greene believes that we should look for a strong Uranus, and this makes a great deal of sense. Uranus is the archetype of the inventor, the Bohemian, the rebellious spirit - and is the higher octave to Mercury. The Mercury/Uranus type is excited by state of the art technology, and seeks to forge new pathways of thought, having shattered all barriers to mental grwoth.

I have Mercury/Moon in contact, I have Uranus strong in my chart. I would nearly be a puella if I didn't have more earth and water. It was an interesting read I have this book ordered, lots of good information in it.

P.S Excuse spelling mistakes I am in a rush.
 

tsquare

Well-known member
As I was reading Mythic Astrology, I have found some more information on the Peter Pan syndrome. It backs up what has already been mentioned with the Gemini connection:
All actions by Hermes, whether inventive (the lyre) or felonious (stealing the cattle) are performed by an infant, and in medieval astrological works Mercury was the significater of "young people" especially in horary astrology. People with strong Mercury or an emphasis on Gemini and the 3rd house (though not necessarily Virgo and the 6th house) often seems to be the "Peter Pans". They have the suave glittering charm of Mercury, but they have not quite "grown up". This youthful quality my mark a highly creative person or a completely undeveloped individual - sometimes both.

Jungian analysts call this personality the puer artemis, the "eternal boy". Possessing all the charm of children, these people float through life without any noticeable purpose. Specializing in don Juan type love affairs and talking endlessly of the marvellous creative things they will do someday. The female correspondence to this personality type is the puella aeterna, who lives for love, cherishes her own physical beauty above all things, and goes through men in record time. She is generally a stimulating personality, with the usual Mercurial charm, and she may truly inspire the men she loves and through whom she lives voraciously. But there is an emptiness to her something insubstantial in her inability to commit. It should be noted however that these puers and paellas may sometimes stop talking about the great achievements in the future and actually get to work in making something happen. When they do this they may become the great artists and writers of the world - and indeed most-artistic individuals have more than a little of the puer or puella in them. After all it was the infant Hermes who invented the lyre.

There are other factors that go into the creation of the puer or puella. In addition to Mercurial factors, the astrologer should look for a relationship with this planet and the Sun, Moon or Saturn, because the "Peter Pan syndrome always implies some parental difficulty. Liz Greene believes that we should look for a strong Uranus, and this makes a great deal of sense. Uranus is the archetype of the inventor, the Bohemian, the rebellious spirit - and is the higher octave to Mercury. The Mercury/Uranus type is excited by state of the art technology, and seeks to forge new pathways of thought, having shattered all barriers to mental grwoth.

I like this, thanks. :)
 
Thanks t.square :)

Yes you need to have fun... the inner child in us all.

I did a blog on Mercurial characters once and I posted on Jack Sparrow, from Pirates of the Caribbean and Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura. I was talking about liars etc. These are very likable characters and do possess wit and charm. Even in the movie Big, with the child trapped in a man's body he was sweet and charming and others instantly liked him. The Mercurial character or the youthfulness in life is an attractive quality to have. As long as it's not taken too far..

Peter Pan in the movie is very Mercurial he moves swiftly on his feet, and can travel fast across the sky, and didn't want to grow up.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=I6RxkAwxHbQ&feature=related

Very like Hermes the Messenger in his winged sandals:

hermes.jpg
 
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Lolabelle

Member
Peter Pan type I know has Virgo Sun, Venus (exactly conjunct) and Mars (five degrees less). Has Hermes conjunct North Node in Sag. Has Libra Mercury conjunct Cupido (asteroid) and Cupido (Uranian), sextile Uranus (zero degree Leo, in 7th house), which is opposite Chiron (zero degree Aquarius). Very responsible in some respects (Scorpio Saturn conjunct Juno, sextile Capricorn ascendant), but Saturn/Juno squares Eros/Jupiter/Thalia in Leo. A mixed bag, to say the least. :andy:
 
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