James Hillman’s "pattern for purpose" is primarily articulated through his Acorn Theory, introduced in his 1996 book, The Soul’s Code: In Search of Character and Calling. This theory proposes that each person is born with an innate, pre-selected pattern, seed, or "daimon" (a guiding spirit) that contains the potential of their life, similar to how an acorn contains the blueprint for an oak tree.
In the quest for meaning between the earth, elements and the cosmos we have the daimon. Our astrology can highlight where we are, where we are going and our fate lies. From an acorn grows an oak tree. We become what is grown from the seed. You're not going to grow into a pumpkin if you're an acorn. His book The Soul’s Code: In Search of Character and Calling is celebrating it's 30th year.