Consciousness and The Ideal of Self:

Ian Somerhalder is a meticulous and dogged worker, gifted for tasks which require great precision and discipline. He might struggle with pessimism about his own self-worth and try to compensate for this feeling by constantly keeping busy and devoting himself almost entirely to those close to him.

At the moment of Ian Somerhalder’s birth, the two celestial “lights” (the sun and the moon) were symmetrically aligned. This is a portent of harmony between the masculine and feminine archetypes which is extremely beneficial. It is the source of balance and understanding between the two main psychological realms which may be said to compose the personality. Ian thus enjoys a positive complementarity and understanding between the conscious and unconscious aspects of his psyche, between his determination and his routines, between his drive for self-assertion and his receptivity, his ideal and his sensitivity.

His parents almost certainly reflected a positive image of the marriage relationship to him, and it is likely that they encouraged him to develop his own individuality. As a result, he was and is able to be comfortable with himself as he is instead of striving to attain his parents’ ideal. This has definitely contributed to the maintenance of a good relationship with them and the rest of the family.

In his emotional relationships with his peers, one of the effects of the masculine/feminine harmony is that the images his ego projects on the other are especially constructive. The bonds of the relationship are not felt to be constraints, the energy which flows between the two people is a source of mutual happiness, not regret. No major personal conflicts are projected onto the “other” – that is, the significant other.

Ian Somerhalder has a great potential for creative, constructive accomplishments; however, it is sometimes difficult for him to gain access to this part of himself. He is confident in himself and life but may tend to be nonchalant. He sometimes needs a little stimulation to get himself rolling and take some initiative. His optimism and inner certainty do not always drive him to give his utmost efforts to achieve a goal. The communications skills he possesses are an advantage as well as a handicap. He makes use of his theatrical gifts, convincing eloquence, and ability to listen. The best careers for him would be teaching, communications, philosophy, the legal profession, theater, and public relations.

Ian Somerhalder is sober and rather reserved and may even strike people as harsh and austere at times. Perhaps he was raised in an atmosphere of rigor and sobriety, and, as a result, grew up very fast. He has acquired a spirit of self-sufficiency, tends to be rather uncompromising, and has a touchy sense of his personal dignity and worth. It is almost as though he is fighting an inner battle with his father or a father figure. The psychological models he received from his father or a father figure as a result of his interaction and his own interaction with authority may not have played a major role in shaping his relationships with the outer world and society. He may thus have been forced to compensate for this lack with individual determination.

As a result, although he is skillful, meticulous, conscientious, and efficient, a lack of self-confidence and personal assurance sometimes makes him timid and hesitant. He sometimes feels as though he is only masquerading as a respectable, sober adult. He tends to be far too critical of himself and rarely feels satisfied that he is living up to his ideal. These unnecessary guilt feelings may lead him to turn down the prominent career positions for which he is fully qualified. He is aware that early success is often short-lived and fragile and that time rewards those who know how to be patient and persistent, like him.

Ian Somerhalder resents having to impose limitations on himself, and he may sometimes try to dodge obligations and commitments. The obstacles and hindrances reality places on his path to personal and social development tend to depress him. He sometimes broods bitterly about the frustrations to his self-fulfillment and might have a fairly pessimistic vision of society and its possibilities.

Ian Somerhalder is extremely sensitive and receptive and tends to live in osmosis with his surroundings. His individuality almost seems to be diluted in a flood of sensations and impressions which are continually washing over him, and he often finds it difficult to communicate his feelings to other people. This tide of emotion is a source of inspiration and intuition, but due to his lack of inner structure and organization, it is difficult for him to grasp the essence of his dreams and share them with other people. He is not at all combative, and this hinders his efforts to fit into society and assert himself productively. His tendency to prefer fantasy to reality and his refusal to abandon his unattainable dreams is a psychological trap he has fallen into without realizing it.

He must understand that by escaping from his obligations and commitments, he only increases the feelings of guilt and incompetence which made reality so distasteful in the first place. Once he frees himself from this pernicious process, he has a great deal of potential for fulfilling himself in the outer world, either by devoting himself to the community or by cultivating his considerable artistic talents.

Ian Somerhalder generally tends to be motivated by activities which apply to social needs. He tends to give the best of himself in difficult situations which require crucial choices. His ability to concentrate and his gift for solving problems by deductive reasoning are his chief resources in crisis situations or at turning points in his life.

Adaptation and Sensitivity:

Lively and expressive, Ian Somerhalder has a personality which is sometimes agitated but straightforward. Unconscious feelings of insecurity compel him to act and sometimes to seek the admiration of others. As a result, he is unable to bear idleness and routine, and he is in search of perpetual excitement. His reactions to others are highly individual and depend on the mood he is in at any given moment. A person of decision, a businessperson or an athlete, he often personifies boldness and impetuosity. His love life is liable to be fiery, as it obeys the imperatives of his desire for freedom and independence, and his need for change.

Ian has a lively and curious intelligence, the very opposite of empty rhetoric and studiousness. He is agile and adaptable and can not only analyze difficult situations objectively but also demonstrate a profound comprehension when faced with a psychological problem.

Ian Somerhalder often seems distant and unemotional to those who don’t know him well. He has a strong connection to his past and finds it difficult to open up to new people. His love affairs are usually based on physical attraction and lust rather than a deep emotional connection. It can be difficult for him to find a partner who combines the qualities of a caring parent and a great lover.

Optimistic and happy to be alive, Ian Somerhalder is a cheerful, expansive, pleasant associate to have. He is extremely generous (sometimes to a fault!) and gives of himself and his belongings unstintingly. This positive psychological outlook is the result of a happy childhood and especially an extremely beneficial maternal influence in infancy. He is quite likely to be a professional success; his vision of the world is perfectly adapted to prevailing opinion, and his urges and desires for personal expansion usually elicit a positive reaction from society. By old age, his good reputation and prominence may have earned him fame.

Although Ian Somerhalder’s demeanor is cool and distant, he is extremely sensitive. In some cases, his rather austere and rigid behavior and his refusal to yield too readily to sentimentality discourage others from being too demonstrative of their tenderness and affection. He has spells of melancholy in which he does not feel worthy of being loved and tends to forbid himself any emotional fulfillment whatsoever. An austere or somewhat traumatic childhood experience may be the source of this behavior. It is difficult for his inner self to be detached from this past life, and he sometimes has trouble reconciling the image he has of himself as an adult with the one he acquired back then. The idea he has of himself as an individual is related to the image his parents projected onto him as a child. Nevertheless, the past is history, and he is now an adult. Through self-work, he can rid himself of these phantoms. He has the ability to overcome his mistakes, as well as great endurance and will power to achieve his goals. Nevertheless, he must not repress his sensitivity in order to succeed.

Ian has a nagging feeling of insecurity which affects his psychology and dampens his natural enthusiasm. His need to take action and assert himself is sometimes disturbed by this gnawing fear.

Ian Somerhalder is extremely sensitive and has an irrepressible imagination, which sometimes causes him trouble distinguishing dreams from reality. Although his imagination can be an abundant source of inspiration for creative or spiritual evolution, it tends to be less helpful and positive in matters that concern earning a decent living out in the real world. In a relationship, he is extremely romantic and does not always see others the way they really are. He has elegant tastes and art and beauty are one of his chief pleasures in life.

Ian Somerhalder is a complicated relationship partner, whose behavior sometimes strikes others as mysterious or baffling. He is liable to switch from one attitude to the opposite. Sexuality is an important part of his life, and his relationships are most often motivated by his desires. Nevertheless, due to his unconscious inner battle, he does not often succeed in reconciling and fulfilling his emotional and sexual needs. Due to the strength of his instincts, passion may overwhelm him and drag him into situations he cannot always control, which intermingle erotic ecstasy and anguish, guilt, and aggressiveness.

Love and Sensuality:

Ian Somerhalder’s attractions are usually immediate and intense. They rise quickly to fever pitch. The story of these passions is often dramatic to excess, combining all the plot elements of a classic love tragedy: jealousy, possessiveness, agony as an erotic stimulant, etc.

Ian Somerhalder’s birth chart indicates an emotional function which is expressed in a direct and fairly impulsive way. He enjoys reaching out to other people and making discoveries. An eternal teenager with his gaze riveted on the future, he is imbued with an eminently subjective and personal idealism.

Always riding on a wave of enthusiasm in love, Ian is bold and uninhibited. His frankness is sometimes devastating. A strong-minded woman, she is not ready to surrender either her freedom or her taste for adventure. Her idealism may cause her to place loved ones on a pedestal, leaving her open to disillusionment. Nevertheless, she is ready to devote to the moral support of the mate she chooses.

Extremely naive and sincere, when it comes to love, Ian Somerhalder can often get things wrong. His whirlwind romances may take him far, but they could also leave him badly bruised. And then he might live out the phrase, “Hurt people hurt people.” He will be attracted to someone from another country or will find love while traveling. He may tire of this turbulent love life and channel his instinctive powers into a belief or religion.

Ian may be characterized by strong sensual and affectionate urges which drive him to seek pleasure. His need for romantic fulfillment may compel him to marry, because he also seeks the legal and social legitimacy the institution of marriage confers on an emotional bond. Indeed, the household is liable to be prosperous and even opulent, as if this offered further evidence that he had indeed achieved success. However, privately, he might be less committed to certain obligations and duties. At worst, he might deny the commitments that his optimism and expansiveness made him rush into too soon. If this were to be the case, the outward image of the couple’s success (wealth and comfort, etc.) would only be a façade which compensated for its emotional impoverishment and failure. Sooner or later, this hypocrisy might provoke a full-blown conflict. A second possibility is that a psychic incompatibility may gradually take root, pitting his romantic nature against the prerogatives of his career.

Mental and Intellect:

More theoretical than logical and more intuitive than rational, Ian’s thought patterns come to the fore when they are applied to a vast subject. He is attracted to wide open spaces and distant horizons; as a scholar, he feels an affinity for higher studies such as philosophy or law. However, foreign languages or contacts abroad might also interest him.

Ian expresses his thoughts and ideas carefully, but with a relative lack of spontaneity. He is rather introverted and looks inside himself for the solutions to the problems he encounters in life. Because he tends to mistrust customary thought patterns, his opinion is usually highly personal.

Ian Somerhalder’s intellectual faculties and wit are sometimes slowed down because they are turned inward. Because Ian Somerhalder tends to be oriented toward himself, Ian Somerhalder rarely tries to communicate with others for the simple pleasure of doing so. Indeed, Ian Somerhalder sometimes feels misunderstood. Moreover, it seems difficult to Ian Somerhalder to express the complexity of his inner perceptions.

Ian Somerhalder has a mind with an insatiable appetite for knowledge and an exceptional ability to learn. Without trying too hard, he could probably accumulate encyclopedic erudition. His intellectual curiosity is such that it is sometimes a drawback. He sometimes has trouble limiting himself to a single subject without being distracted by a multitude of others.

Discipline and a conscious effort at organization will be of great help if he wants to deepen his learning and judgment. Once his intellectual faculties are disciplined, he is likely to succeed in any of the following fields: teaching, historical scholarship, advertising, writing (journalistic or literary), travel, etc: – in fact, communication in any form.