What is Idealization? How does it manifest in someone’s life? These questions seem very easy to ask but they require a deep understanding of the concept. Let us start with the definition of Idealization.

Idealize (i•de•al•ize) – to think of or represent somebody or something as being perfect; ignoring any imperfections that exist or may exist in reality.

Let’s look further to a Psychological definition: Idealization is the mental mechanism in which a person attributes exaggeratedly positive qualities to the self or others.

In this definition, we have the key elements of the Idealization. Translating them into Astrological terms we have: the individual (Sun), the way he needs to think (Mercury), and his values and need to relate with others (Venus). These correlate with the primary connections of the self with the outside world. These connections are modified by their location in the chart. Let’s call them placements. When we have two or more placements in conjunction with each other, being so close together, they lose their own ‘identity’. Any aspect to the conjunction of these placements will affect and modify them in the same way as bringing a ‘second opinion’ to the matter, making what ever is believed to be the truth and the ultimate and final goal.

When Jupiter is involved it brings expectations of rewards, hope, {adding the symbolisms of} knowledge and honor; in contact with the Sun we anticipate pride, indulgence, enthusiasm, beliefs tested, a need for social prestige that is out of life’s reality, making it very difficult to understand reality. When we add Sagittarius into the idealism, it brings a sense of ‘know it all’ into the mix that contributes to the inability to see the truth beyond their “true” beliefs. With Scorpio, a sense of deep emotions, so entangled, as to make it very difficult to distinguished from what is objective and subjective.

• Beethoven (December 16, 1770 at 11:03 AM; Bonn, Germany) has Sun-Mercury in Sagittarius, we anticipate the mental Idealization; the energy to influence beliefs through the need to think in such a way as to have his opinions respected. We also find the Moon in Sagittarius echoes and magnify’s this cerebral thrust. The chart presents an Earth Grand Trine suggesting that this Intellectual Idealization had a very powerful development in how he learned to do things, bringing a Practical Self-Sufficiency mechanism of defense. There is no way things will be as he perceives them to be, as they should be… but how is this possible? If he holds the truth! To corroborate this feeling there is unaspected Jupiter, ruler of the 10th, that runs away with the chart. In addition, unaspected Venus, ruler of the 3rd, mindset and the 8th, worth of others. Everything comes together, mental Idealization fueled with thrust of thought… nothing is as it should be, and to cope he needs to know that he doesn’t need anybody to get things done, because he can do it all by himself!

I consider Idealism to have a Static and Dynamic State:
Static State is when the individual is paralyzed by the fact that things are never as they should be. In my experience, the frustration tends to stop the individual from trying to relate to others because others never act as they are supposed to.

Dynamic State is the push or drive that the individual uses to make things happen, again as they should be. As an example Oprah Winfrey has a Sun 8-Venus 10-5 conjunction in humanistic Aquarius. This suggests an idealism involving her need to relate with others, manifesting in her career, where she helps people relate to each other by changing their personal value systems, in many cases using alternative healing methods, and in this past year through the education of young women.

I was very excited to find that many Nobel Prize winners have this Idealism signature. This are some examples picked randomly:

• Dr. Christian Anfinsen (March 26, 1916 at 9:45PM in Monessen, PA) was a biochemist and a 1972 Nobel Prize winner. Sun is ruler of his Midheaven in conjunction with Jupiter ruler of the 2nd in Aries, and Mercury sextiling Venus. He is the creator of his own dogma, known as the Thermodynamic hypothesis; we can feel the need to be the first one to discover the principles that would change Chemistry for generations to come.

• Dr. Alfred Werner (December 16, 1866 at 11:59 PM, Mülhausen, Alsace, Germany) Nobel Price of Chemistry in 1922. Sun conjoining Venus RX in Sagittarius. The Energy to affect thought fueling the need to relate in such a way as to have his opinions respect with an underlying second agenda driving him to look for the ultimate state of perfection.

• Orhan Pamuk (June 7, 1952 at 5:00 am, Istanbul, Turkey) Triple conjunction between Sun, Mercury and Venus, in Gemini, suggesting the sense of communicating about how things should be, with the Sun ruler of the 4th. No wonder he won the Nobel Prize of Literature for his Novel “Istanbul”. The Washington Post in its review said “Pamuk tells the story of the city through the eyes of memory” What could be more idealistic than that?

• Sully Prudhomme (March 16, 1839 at 4:00am, Paris, France) Nobel Prize of Literature in 1901. Sun in conjunction with Mercury in Pisces forming part of a great Stellium in the second house. He is described as someone who combined a Parnassian regard for formal perfection and elegance with philosophic and scientific interests, which are revealed through his Poetry.

• Romain Rolland (January 29, 1866 at 2:00 am in Clamency, France) Nobel Prize for Literature in 1915 has Sun conjunct Venus in Aquarius, in the third, Sun co-ruler of the 9th, Venus rules 6,7,11 houses: “as a tribute to the lofty idealism of his literary production and to the sympathy and love of truth with which he has described different types of human beings.[1]” Beautiful! No need to say more…

It is astonishing to see how an Idealism Signature in a chart can easily become the single focus drive to move forward and bring change. Consequently, “things become what they should be” according to their idealistic imagination. We need to remember, when counseling a client with the Idealism Signature, in true therapy flow to suggest “striving for excellence and not perfection”. Reframing can help them move forward when they feel like they are stuck in a bottomless pit while dreaming of perfection.

[1] Liukkonen, Petri. “Romain Rolland”. Books and Writers(kirjasto.sci.fi).