The Two Halves of One’s World: Pairs of Principles - Robert Hand

Each human being lives between, and in two worlds. The relationship between these two worlds can be expressed by several pairs of principles, such as inward/outward, lower/upper, most personal/least personal, private/social, individual/collective and finally Mother Complex/Father Complex. The functions of both parental complexes, that of the father and that of the mother, are to fill each of these worlds. While the two biological parents, or their surrogates, may both in their own ways contribute to the filling of both worlds, the symbolism of the father complex points strongly to the second principle in each pair and the symbolism of the mother complex points just as strongly to the first principle in each pair.

But things are not quite as neat as one might like. In the case of one pair of astrological symbols, the Sun and the Moon, the connection between these planets and the pairs of principles is clear. In the case of another it is not at all clear when one contemplates that historical commentary of astrologers on the tenth house and the fourth house, as well as on the Midheaven and the I.C. Given that the tenth house and Midheaven are commonly given to the mother and that the fourth house and the I.C. are commonly given to the father, there appears to be an inversion here. However, it is better if we look at this as an example of the confusion of the biological parents with the two complexes that are associated with them. Does the father have any connection with fourth house issues other than the mere assignment of the father to the fourth house? Yes! In the traditional western family, the father has been assigned the role of “breadwinner.” The father also bears primary responsibility for maintaining the physical home. The mother, however, has been assigned traditionally the role of filling that home with warmth and meaning. This is her traditional fourth house function.

Moving to the tenth house, we have a similar mix-up. The mother is most commonly the first disciplinarian that a newborn child encounters. This is a socializing function that would seem to belong to the father complex. And yet, especially with male children, it is the father who points the way toward the role that the son must assume as an adult. This has not traditionally been so true for daughters. This is one of the biggest differences between the raising of boys and girls. Traditionally, boys have been required to shift their focus from the mother to the father, where girls have not had to make a similar change of focus from the mother to the father. Needless to say, all of these generalizations are becoming harder to make in the modern era. This is why it is necessary to talk about complexes of symbols rather than the persons who traditionally may have been assigned the role of implementing them.