House 10 - Lover

by Alex Grey

House 10 - Highest Potential

House 10 pushes us to be all we can be in both our physical and spiritual lives. According to Myss, our highest potential is "what your Sacred Contract is prompting you to recognize and realize," and the archetype residing in this house is the "entryway into deciphering the choices open to you and the quality of your motivations."

In Shadow, this house prompts us to self-sabotage, or feel doubtful and faithless. "Fear of failure," says Myss, "as well as fear of success and responsibility, characterizes the challenges inherent in this house." This is where our fears of our personal power come into play. 

The archetype in the tenth house indicates how your unconscious organizes your thoughts when you are faced with choices that can lead you into fulfilling your potential. 

Lover. When I first tried picking archetypes months ago, I never considered myself a lover, because I thought it referred primarily to romantic relationships. However, when I read Myss' description of Lover, and thought about my passions and my love for life and culture and people, I realized: duh. That should've been obvious from the start!

It's kind of sweet to me to see that Lover ended up in this house. It's also quite encouraging, as it reminds me that one big advantage I have in this life is passion. My ability to appreciate and love life in all its wonderful and tragic moments really helps me feel more connected to the universe and my sense of being - of existing. At the same time, though, in Shadow, Lover can cause me issues as I strive toward my passions and goals. It may result in obsession, faithlessness, fear of responsibility, or even a lack of rationality when it comes to making big life decisions. 

The great thing about Lover in Highest Potential is that it's constantly reminding me to work toward my passions, and to feel love toward all things. If the love isn't there, it's usually not worth it, and I end up feeling empty or undernourished. 

Deciding whether to pursue my highest potential will probably be one of the biggest challenges of my life, but I feel comfortable knowing that in the meantime, I have a great archetype guiding me in this domain.