I am of the belief that stories and myths are the keys to understanding the journeys of the soul. Authors, writers, storytellers, and artists of all kinds channel the Gods (a fancy name for the universe’s Primordial Archetypal Signatures, which is pretty fancy in and of itself) in their work. There are few more sacred professions than that of the artist and storyteller.

Whether or not they want to, story-and-myth-tellers of all kinds unknowingly channel Spirit in their work. Whether or not they are consciously spiritual, our storytellers tell stories of the soul’s journey and evolution. And every now and then, a story gets told that holds more of the shimmer of Spirit therein.

I believe the Hunger Games is one of those tales.

For the past couple of years, in many of my meditations, one of the many symbols my mind presented me was of Katniss and Peeta uniting at the end of the Hunger Games, refusing to kill each other, forcing the Game Masters to let them both live. At the beginning, in the infancy of my spiritual awakening, I naturally had no conscious awareness of what exactly the story was that my unconscious mind was trying to tell. However, as I have progressed on making conscious the unconscious, mainly through learning about the key allegories and mythological systems for understanding inner spiritual initiation, I have come to realize several things:

First of all, in my understanding of the alchemical hermaphrodite — a basic symbol of the inner consecration of eternal Love through the making One of the polarities — the symbolism there was clear. It was a symbol of internal conjunction. Of Love overcoming Death, as Peeta and Katniss did by uniting.

But then, I decided to have a watch again tonight, as the movie and its many symbols were making rounds through my conscious awareness. I had to see if I was missing anything. And boy, the symbolism is richer than I thought, especially in consideration of the Zodiac.

In evolutionary/esoteric astrology, the soul is said to make its progression from Aries to Pisces throughout many lives. A basic theme is that the lower the number Zodiac sign, the more self-concerned, whereas the higher the number, the more selfless. This is why Aries can be considered brash and inconsiderate; this is why Pisces lets itself get steam-rolled over, is self-sacrificing, is allegorically associated with Jesus, etc. The soul learns the true meaning of Love in its journey through the Zodiac.

Watching the movie, I was reminded of the 1-12 District system, obviously reflecting the twelve signs. (I even remembered that, in the later books, there was a mysterious District 13 whose existence was uncertain. This made me chuckle remembering the controversy over Opiuchus.)

With the idea of the movie’s symbolic spiritual expression already cooking in my mind, the rest fit so easily, like puzzle pieces:

– District 1 (Aries) was home to the Careers. These were those who were raised to fight and succeed in the Hunger Games. Theirs were among the most selfish, and with the least heart, of all of the tributes.

– District 12 (Pisces) was home to our primary and secondary protagonists, Katniss and Peeta. Katniss first of all enters the games by sacrificing herself in lieu of her sister — a Piscean theme — volunteering as tribute. Katniss and Peeta exhibit the most heart throughout the games, with Katniss budding a relationship with District 11’s tribute — a clever girl named Rue. The symbolism is just too good here:

– After Rue from District 11 (Aquarius) tragically dies, we see all of the people of 11 violently rebel and overthrow their Watchers. In District 11, the beginnings of revolution are seen. With Aquarius, zodiac sign number 11, being associated with revolution and freedom, the match is just too perfect.

– Finally, at the end, as covered in the beginning of this post, Katniss and Peeta refuse to kill each other. Despite being told to kill each other, they join hands when they were the last two left and put their lives on the line for love of one another. This is the Victory of the Soul in Pisces, and the forging of the Eternal Alchemical Stone (or Rebis/Hermaphrodite). Oneness of opposites is a theme of Pisces with the cord connecting the two opposing fish, symbolic of the Pisces’ basic internal oneness and love/compassion. This is also seen alchemically with the Rebis/Hermaphrodite.

This is all symbolized by Peeta and Katniss becoming one at the end, thus transcending/conquering their deaths. Love won over Fear/Hatred, as it does within in our own inner journey.

The Hunger Games is a wonderful allegory for the victory of the soul, not only eerily matching the archetypal zodiac, but also containing alchemical (and even Gnostic) themes therein.