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They wear a mask.
By Ruby Miranda — Written on May 28, 2019
We don't always get what we want in our jobs, and yet, we have to work. Instead of being the superhero in a blockbuster, you ended up an admin at a funeral home. It's all good, so why complain? They pay you for your pain.
When your mind is elsewhere but your body is present, compromised and doing boring work meant for "somebody else," you're handling it. And that's when you know your imposter just took over. Imposter syndrome, in this case, is about coping. And there are certain zodiac signs in astrology who have it.
We realize we'd be walking nervous breakdowns if we were to sit down and own up to our failures and lost dreams, but survival mechanisms tell us to find a way to keep it going, to keep it good. We create a false persona, an "imposter" that takes the pain away... somewhat.
Depending on what it is you do for a living, depends on the demand for an imposter to intervene. Some people really need an imposter, while others prefer straight-up acceptance. The imposter is the "brave face."
Being an imposter is pretending to be someone you're not because you are under duress and cannot be fully present or in the moment. Anxiety causes imposter syndrome, and some are more susceptible to it than others.
1. GEMINI (May 21 - June 20)
Always dissatisfied with your immediate environment, you find ways to rise above, wherever you go. If it means small talk, then so be it — anything is better than real conversation. You detest humanity and choose the company of animals, any day.
To cope with the world, your employment and the stench of other humans, you bring out your imposter each and every time. As an imposter, you are able to tolerate all that you hate, which is just about everything human.
2. VIRGO (August 23 - September 22)
You're big on having everyone and their uncle notice and admire your vast and glorious mountain of money and riches. All of which you do not have, but that would be horrendous to think of.
That's why you like to tell people of all the amazing world tours and adventures you've (never) been on. You lie to make yourself look rich. You're into status, and should you not be a rich person, no one will ever know that. You've got that imposter on lock.
3. LEO (July 23 - August 22)
Leo, you never knew who you were to begin with, so choosing an alter ego-type imposter would be nearly impossible. You're all imposter; in fact, there's very little "real" Leo.
Whether you're the focus of everyone's attention in a good or bad way, you're still the star in your mind. Your imposter image is of the superstar who doles out perfect wisdom to the peons of earth.
4. CANCER (June 21 - July 22)
We can always count on you to be false and ingenuous, so when you come out with your smiley persona of doom, we all just sit back and wait for the mask to come off. You keep that mask on well, however, and you rarely give us the show of emotion we want from you.
Still, you wear your imposter mask like a weight; you'd rather be present but then you might have to be honest, and that's just impossible. You cope with the weight of your own lies by hiding behind the mask of the overly sweet.
5. CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 19)
Now, you are a bit different. You are complete with your imposter. You know who you are and you wear it well. You're the person who deals with what they need to do during the day, and should the pressure turn up, you take that pressure and you convert it into creative energy; you make your imposter shine.
You're the person whose personality is magnified once you're in costume, and being in actual costume is a thing that comes naturally to you.
6. LIBRA (September 23 - October 22)
Libra the liar is the perfect imposter. As a Libra, you already know how charming you can be, how your personality alone has always worked in your favor. How you never achieved what you wanted in life has you baffled though, but letting on to that kind of vulnerability makes you feel the need to hide that information, stifle it, repress it. You walk around like a cool cucumber, and while we may see this as steely determination, you know it as the "nice guy" imposter. Lies comes easy and so do false personas.
Ruby Miranda is a New Yorker who learned astrology, I Ching and all types of cartomancy and numerology from her crazy, gypsy mother. She currently writes for a wide range of esoteric publications.