Cross of Self-Expression

Full breakdown

Gates: 1 Self-Expression, 2 Higher Knowledge, 4 Formulization, 49 Principles. Gate numbers: 1.4/4.1, 2.4/49.1.

Moving into Juxtaposition, we become the embodiment of certainty itself. People with the Cross of Self-Expression need to keep telling you, 'I know' — and that 'I know' can genuinely run deep.

In the shift, the unconscious 7 and 13 give way to 4 and 49. Gate 4 is Formulization, and Youthful Folly — the gate of answers. Gate 49 is our gate of emotional principle, the gate of Revolution. These forces can be genuinely powerful, and because of the pressure to express themselves, what comes out can be quite unusual. Yet the very intensity of that need to self-express can push away exactly the people it draws in. As classic 4th-line personalities, they attract people into their lives through real social skill — but their compulsion to express themselves keeps getting in the way of the relationship's growth.

One of the worst pairings would be someone with this Cross getting involved with a person whose Gate 8 is defined — watch out. All this person needs is to express themselves, and it can reach the point where no one else can get a word in. That's not really their fault, though, and trying to talk over them or shut them up won't help either.