This is a very complicated subject that I actually delved deeply into in the mid 90s. For several years off and on, I was having a recurring dream of my car being damaged or stolen so my unconscious (the dream maker) was seriously trying to get my attention. The final BIG dream was of a young boy who was stealing my car. This dream was a very detailed story that said I was his accomplice! I was helping him escape from the law. I won’t tell the entire dream as it was long but at the end as we stood together, out of breath from running, we leaned against my car and I asked him, “What day were you born?” He told me the day and the year. I wrote the dream down and then went to the Ephemeris (a book Astrologers use to see where the planets are to calculate a birth chart) and looked up where the planets were on his birthday. They were 90% identical to mine. This was one of the many numinous experiences I had when I started studying both Jung and Astrology. From experiences like this, I knew for certain that the collective unconscious is alive inside of us as Carl Jung posited. You can’t make this stuff up. It’s real. My passion for studying Jung, astrology, symbolism and dreams became intense. I was awed, intrigued and delighted at the same time.
At this time I read a book by Liz Greene and Howard Sasportas called The Development of the Personality, where there is a chapter on the Puer Aeternus archetype. Marie Louise Von Franz also wrote an extensive book titled Puer Aeternus on the subject and James Hillman wrote Puer Papers. There are a few others … The Peter Pan Syndrome and The Flying Boy.
Peter Pan,i.e.the puer aeternus — the eternal child like the fairy tale who lived in never, never land — as an archetype lives inside everyone. The female version is called the puella. Often drawn to the vastness of the unconscious, especially the collective realms where myths, symbols and archetypes live, I knew from that dream that it was a strong part of my own inherent psychology.
The Astrological signs that have a stronger propensity than others to live out and embody this archetype are people with a dominant Mercurial/Gemini, Jupiter/Sagittarius and sometimes Aquarius/Uranus and/or Pisces/Neptune for various reasons. Everyone has all twelve signs in different strengths and at different times in our lives, they become more dominant but for some it becomes a life-long theme.
When the puer is active or dominant, this eternal youth thrives on excitement, adventure, discovery and novelty. Having the spark of inspiration in their souls, they are also creative, talented and visionary. They long for and dream about limitlessness, the infinite possibilities of youth and the intoxicating desire to fly high above the ground, hover over mountain peaks which symbolizes not having to come down to earth. Strongly puer consciousness also has an attraction to birds like Eagles who fly high. Eagles made me think of John Denver who wrote the song Rocky Mountain High, Colorado who died in an airplane crash. He likely carried the puer aeternus archetype within him. Marie Louise Von Franz wrote in Puer Aeternus that many do become pilots and die young instead of dying from old age.
Another theme in the puer aeternus is a man who embodies a strong Mother complex that manifests as a hard time making commitments as that would be too final, too grounded, too real. Elusive, ambiguous and evasive about what they want, they display a rather introverted separation from the reality going on around them. These men are youthful in appearance, quite charming and great lovers, yet they sidestep the weight of marriage, children, mortgages and the humdrum of dinners with the in-laws as that requires realism and maturity. They often live in apartments instead of dealing with the hard responsibilities of owning a home. This young boy child can be alive and kicking in the unconscious of a woman. As a part of her own Animus, the contra-sexual dimension of her psyche as my dream demonstrated, so this is not just about men.
As with everything, by the law of opposites, there is an eternal dance between the puer aeternus (eternal youth) and the senex (wise old man or rigid old age). They are opposites, yet they need each other. The puer brings vitality, imagination and a sense of possibility, while the senex offers structure, discipline to make something happen in the world and wisdom to appreciate what has endured from making commitments. Without the senex, the puer can become lost in fantasy and escapism into dreaming their life away. Without the puer, the senex can become rigid, cynical or oppressive. Jung and Hillman both explored this tension — how the puer resists time and responsibility, while the senex resists change and spontaneity. In a healthy psyche, they balance each other: the senex grounds the dreams of the puer, and the puer keeps the senex from becoming lifeless and rigid.
Capricorn, ruled by Saturn (senex), is the sign that embodies self-control, discipline, and long-term planning. Gemini, ruled by Mercury (puer), thrives on curiosity, adaptability, and playfulness. Capricorn builds; Gemini explores. Capricorn commits; Gemini experiments. Capricorn represents the wisdom of time, while Gemini dances in the moment. There is a constant pull between flexibility, versatility and spontaneity (puer/Gemini) and the drive for success, mastery, and stability (senex/Capricorn). It’s a rich but sometimes challenging tension, like wanting to stay light and free while also desiring success, lasting achievement or grounding oneself by owning a business. Gemini, with its air-element nature, thrives on movement, ideas, and freedom from constraints, while Capricorn, being an earth sign, is deeply rooted in material reality and responsibility.
Collectively, this tension plays itself out in culture and politics. Societies oscillate between youthful revolution and conservative order, between innovation and tradition. The puer fuels movements, new ideas and the rejection of old systems. While the senex stabilizes and preserves wisdom — it can also stagnate into fear, control and oppression. This archetypal pull between the puer and senex seems to be the strong tension currently stirring things up in our collective psychology. We are seeing strong divisiveness. Extreme polarizations usually happen before balance occurs as we can attest to in our personal relationships. Sometimes we will take either side of an extreme in our character before we recognize the shadow side is the opposite. To become complete and whole we need our shadow. When unbalanced, the puer can become reckless, naive, or utopian, while the senex can become authoritarian, cynical, or resistant to necessary change.
Patterns are emerging, revealing something deeper is trying to break through and for that we need our puer consciousness. We need both as true freedom isn’t just escape from being accountable; it’s the ability to create, to commit and to grow. Individually, we are all navigating this balance whenever a part of us wants to remain free, unbound by responsibility (puer), while another part is urging us toward integrity, stability and mastery (senex). When one dominates too much, we feel either lost in dreams or trapped in rigid structures that have lost their vitality. When balanced, the two will create a healthier dynamic — fresh ideas and profound change guided by wisdom and earned respect.
The savior archetype often emerges as a response to the puer-senex tension. It can represent the bridge between the two —someone who offers liberation (puer) while also embodying wisdom and responsibility (senex). The savior transcends but does not escape; they redeem, integrate, and transform. In mythology and religion, saviors often come from above (puer, divine messenger) yet take on earthly burdens (senex, suffering, sacrifice). Christ, for example, embodies the eternal child in his miraculous birth and lightness of being, yet also the wise old man through his teachings, suffering and ultimate sacrifice. Psychologically, the puer often seeks a savior, someone who will lift them beyond earthly struggles. But real salvation — inner or collective — requires integrating both energies. You can’t just ascend (puer); you must also endure and build (senex). The savior complex is deeply embedded in those who aim and seek power. Leaders, revolutionaries, and visionaries often position themselves as liberators (puer) while taking on the mantle of authority and control (senex). The danger is when the savior believes only they can “rescue” society, leading to either martyrdom or tyranny. Others may fall into extremes: a rigid ruler who then becomes oppressive or a reckless dreamer who destabilizes everything. In this day and time, we are offered the choice of leaders who embody balance — bringing fresh energy, free speech and true freedom, while respecting tradition and enduring societal structures that are proven safeguards for the many.
Carl Jung believed the only thing that would save us required the individual’s accountability, moral responsibility and owning our own shadow. This goes for cultures and societies as well, but he strongly felt it was the individual’s efforts that evolve the Godhead. He said, “If a world-wide consciousness could arise that all division and all antagonism are due to the splitting of opposites in the psyche, then one would really know where to begin.” To evolve as a collective, we must move forward responsibly, while being open to the possibilities of constructive change. As each of us makes the required effort to see the true values of both sides, we will generate the balance of the opposites in our own psyches.
Rebeca Eigen
Rebeca Eigen, an astrologer for 25+ years and author of The Shadow Dance & the Astrological 7th House Workbook specializes in relationships. From every day decisions, to critical life-altering moments, Rebeca shares with you her practical wisdom and guidance for your life’s journey in becoming who you are meant to be.
https://www.shadowdance.com/
