Atlas

Atlas is the protector of humankind.  He is often perceived as carrying the world on his shoulders.

As an Atlas, you have a strong sense of civic leadership and are a pillar of your community.  Usually intelligent and forthright, you are a good family man, a hard worker, and a responsible citizen.  You strive for success and financial independence and like to better yourself intellectually and professionally. You desire to feel loved, and prefer to live a conventional life with a wife at home, a family, and a stable job.  You enjoy working with your hands and your mind, on computers or anything mechanical.  A natural coach and teacher, you can also be an accountant or run the local grocery store.  In fact, your versatility in career choice is exceeded by none. Your relationships with others are usually quite satisfactory, as long as you are held in respect.

Weaknesses

• A tendency to feel frustrated
• Escapist and reckless tendencies
• An inability to release past traumas
• A vulnerability to poor health habits
• Repressed anger from inner conflicts
• Self-defeatist attitudes in relationships with most women

You can be insensitive, due to the protective shield you developed to defend yourself against an overbearing personality in early childhood, or from undue authoritative demands placed upon you as a youth.  You learned how to control your sensitivity to keep the world, especially your parents, from seeing how vulnerable you felt.  Because you hide your sensitive nature, however, you tend to overlook the feelings of others, realizing only too late when you have deeply hurt them.

Your tendency to hide from your emotions can have a negative effect on your body, particularly after middle age.  It can create an imbalance in your thyroid system, interfering with your metabolism and your ability to rejuvenate yourself.  Uncorrected, this stress-induced imbalance can speed up your aging and affect your blood pressure, nervous system, and physical agility.  Refusing to acknowledge your emotional needs can even shorten your life, particularly if you use alcohol as a pacifier.  Watch for the early warning signs of trouble ahead: chronic sinus headaches, tension in your neck, excessive desire for self-gratification, or waning sexual potency.

Meeting Your Creative Wellness Challenge

You need to turn your aggressiveness and strong urge to control life’s opportunities and stresses into a chance to express your true feelings.  You also need to develop your intuition to become more aware of your inner feelings and the sensitivities of others.  To make the most of your Apollo personality, you can

• practice Yoga or T’ai Chi
• join a church choir or a dance class
• find ways to give your emotions a healing outlet
• get involved in charity work and use your influence to set a good example for others
• participate in competitive outdoor activities that require athletic skills, especially when you can have a star role, such as football, basketball, and baseball

As you abandon your shield and use your good will to benefit others, you can make a positive difference in your world.