Pope Benedict XVI
approach to life and appearances

The following is a description of The Pope's basic stance toward life, the way others see him, the way Pope Benedict XVI comes across, the face he shows to the world. In the page about motivation you will read about the inner Pope Benedict XVI - his real motivation, which describes the kind of person he is at heart and where his true priorities lie. Study this page and the next one and compare them - there may be significant differences between the two, in which case "the inner Pope Benedict XVI" may not shine through and others may be in for so a few surprises once they get to know The Pope a little better. This page describes the disguise Joseph Ratzinger wears, his role in life, while the page about motivation talks about the real person beneath the disguise.

He is a gentle, sensitive person with a deep understanding of people and a very tolerant, accepting, non-judgmental approach towards life. In a noisy, competitive atmosphere Pope Benedict XVI is often receding and withdrawn for he is not an aggressive, forceful person, and he intensely dislikes conflict. In fact The Pope tends to be somewhat passive, to wait, watch, observe, feel and know much - but to act little. Letting things resolve or work themselves out in their own way, rather than directing or forcing his will upon them is often Joseph Ratzinger's way of dealing with problems.

Pope Benedict XVI may have a deeply religious or spiritual feeling about life, not in the orthodox sense necessarily, but an intuitive sense of the immensity and underlying oneness of all life, which makes so many human aspirations seem rather unimportant. He needs peaceful surroundings in order to flourish, and periods of quiet solitude are essential for Joseph Ratzinger's emotional balance and well-being.

Pope Benedict XVI is also very compassionate and cannot tolerate seeing any fellow creature suffer - be it human, animal, or even plant! As a child Pope Benedict XVI probably cried very easily and became quite upset whenever others were hurt, physically or emotionally. The world of Joseph Ratzinger's imagination and fantasy was also very real to Joseph Ratzinger, a place to escape to when the outside world became too harsh, demanding, or simply uninteresting.

Because he is very giving and forgiving, people sense Joseph Ratzinger's sympathetic nature and gravitate toward him when in need. Often Joseph Ratzinger will continue to give to people even when he realizes they are taking advantage of him or becoming overly dependent upon him. Pope Benedict XVI overlooks and makes excuses for other people's weaknesses, and for his own as well. Discrimination and self-discipline are not Joseph Ratzinger's strong points.

Though he may be as intelligent as anyone else, he does not really have a rational, logical approach toward life, and trying to reach The Pope through logical arguments is often futile. His feelings, intuition, and heart, not his head, lead him, which may infuriate or bewilder Joseph Ratzinger's more rational friends. Pope Benedict XVI certainly recognizes that there is much more to life than can be explained intellectually and categorized into neat little boxes, and Pope Benedict XVI has an open, receptive attitude toward such areas as psychic phenomena, telepathy, parapsychology, etc. He is not as structured and rigid in his attitudes as many people are, which enables Pope Benedict XVI to see many different points of view and to accept all of them as valid. This can lead to vagueness, uncertainty, and confusion on his part - or to a very flexible and holistic way of approaching any issue.

Pope Benedict XVI radiates a sense of confidence, well-being, and optimism, which inspires trust and good feelings in others. He likes himself and it shows. He expects success in life and he generally achieves it. However, Joseph Ratzinger also tends to exaggerate or to overestimate himself, and he can be sloppy and careless when it comes to details.

Pope Benedict XVI has a sympathetic understanding of others and the ability to see through people. Very sensitive, his emotional state depends a lot on the influence of his immediate surroundings and relationships. For this reason others may see The Pope as a somewhat unstable person.

Pope Benedict XVI tends to think of work as a hard and necessary chore and he may feel that he has little freedom of movement because of pressure caused by his surroundings. Joseph Ratzinger is likely to feel hemmed in and consider dealing with others quite burdensome.

Pope Benedict XVI tends to be somewhat inhibited and does not want to attract attention to him. He is likely to think that other people are more important than he is and prefers to live in seclusion.

Astrological factors in this Astro Profile section:

Pisces Rising

Jupiter Conjunct Asc.

Asc. Opposition Moon/Neptune

Asc. Opposition Mars/Saturn

Asc. Opposition Saturn/N. Node